Trip to Gokarna, Maagod Falls.. Day One

I along with parents left Udupi on 21^st morning at 645 AM. Our first stop was at Maravanthe beach. I could distinguish the color of the beach with the clear sky. 

Maravanthe beach

Next was Murudeshwar (100 kms). Visited temple. I was apprehensive about the road to Murudeshwara from Baindur. Fortunately except for 5 to 6 kms from Baindur to Bhatkal the road was pretty good. Good news is that the damaged road is undergoing repair and will be set right in a couple of weeks. 

Reached Gokarna (180 kms)  at around 1115 AM.  I had last visited Gokarna a couple of years back and things have improved now that the temple is under the control of Ramachandrapura Matha. They have started offering lunch. We had nice lunch at the temple. Then we left for Om beach (7 kms from Gokarna). The beach is in a class of its own. It has a majestic view from the top. I haven’t seen a better beach than this in the coastal belt. We went for a speed boat ride. They charge 600 Rs for  passengers and it is for 20 odd minutes. Two beaches Half moon and Paradise beach are covered  during the trip. These two beaches are a major tourist attraction for foreigners. They spend many days in this place. The ride is pretty fast (around 80 kms). We were fortunate to see a couple of dolphins during the ride.

Om Beach

Om Beach

Om Beach

 

Left Gokarna at around 2 PM. Our plan was to rest at Yellapur. There is a shortcut to Yellapur which saves 20 km but the locals advised us that the roads are bad. Hence we took the road via Ankola. The distance to Yellapur is 90 km from Gokarna via Karwar – Hubli highway. It is a national highway and roads are terrific.

On way to Yellapur, we visited Magod falls. The place is around 18 kms from Yellapur. Again the roads were pretty good. Unlike other falls it is not possible to get down to water but it offered a stunning view of the forest and the water falls.

Maagod falls

Maagod falls

 

At around 5.30 PM we reached Yellapur (280 kms from Udupi). Umesh who is a magistrate (judge) at the taluk division court at Yellapur is a family friend of us. We stayed at their place. Sister and Brother-In-law joined us at their place. We had a nice dinner. Recollected good old memories of the time we spent at Mandya when we were neighbors. Weather was extremely cold.

In my next post I will cover our day 2 and 3 visit to places in and around Dandeli.