Gokarna

Gokarna is connected by rail through Karwar, Ankola, Hubli, Mangalore, Kumta and Margao. The Konkan Railway and many other trains pass through Gokarna - Kumta (35 km) and Ankola (20 km) are the nearest major railway stations.

Gokarna Road (GOK) is the station nearest to the town itself, on the Konkan Railway. Train No. 16513/14 Bangalore City- Karwar Express (4 days a week) & 16523/24 Bangalore City- Karwar (Triweekly) Express have at halt at Gokarna Road, along with Mathsyagandha Express (Daily) (Mangalore Central to Mumbai Lokamanya Tilak Terminus) , Marusagar Express (Weekly) (Ernakulam Junction to Ajmer ) & Poorna Express (Weekly) (Pune to Ernakulam) Connections to Gokarna town (8 km away) are available by

• 🌍 Gokarna Road railway station. A taxi to the city will be ₹250, while a rickshaw will be ₹120-200, unless it's nighttime during the monsoon. To go to the bus stop, turn right as you leave the station, follow Railway Station Road for 900 m until you reach the main road called Gokarna Road. (updated Jan 2023)

There are regular government buses going from both Kumta and Ankola to Gokarna for about ₹10-15.

From Gokarna bus stand, the bus stop to get off is Madangeri junction.

From Bangalore, depending on the day of travel, there are anywhere from 1-4 buses operated by KSRTC. It is a 12-hour overnight journey from Bangalore to Gokarna. The experience taking the overnight sleeper was described as "being driven in a bouncy castle driven by the wicked witch of the west" - beware.

Private buses also operate from Hampi/Hospet. You can book online tickets to Gokarna from any one of the operators' websites. National highway 17 is about 9 km from the town. From Badami, the cheapest option is to take NWKRTC buses to Hubli, Ankola and Gokarna (9 hours, possible in one day).

The Bangalore - Goa highway passes through Ankola which is 20 km from the town. Coming down to Kumta is a good option because one can easily catch buses to different places (especially Mangalore) as it is well connected.

If arriving from Goa, you can take a local bus from Madgaon or Canacona to Karwar, then catch another bus to Gokarna. There is a regular (every 30 minutes or so) NWKRTC bus service between Gokarna and Ankola.

From Mumbai, there are bus services of NWKRTC to Karwar. There is also a private bus service of Canara Pinto which drops off at Gokarna on its way to Mangalore. But the drop will be at Madangeri junction adjacent to a Petrol Pump and from here it is 12 km to Gokarna Mahableshwar temple.

There are buses from Bellekan village to Gokarna.

From Gokarna you can get a ticket at the numerous travel agencies in town, and the bus will depart from Cheack (SIC) Post, five minutes walk from the bus stand, on the wider part of Gokarna Road.

The nearest airport is in Goa at Dabolim (GOI ^IATA). (Rail link via Margao)

The most common way to get around, as the town is small and compact. Getting to the beaches is best on foot, although there are some rickshaw and boat services described below.

Also a convenient way to get around Gokarna. Bicycle rentals are available.

• Visit during Shiva Ratri (Feb-Mar) festival. The celebrations are a tremendous sight to watch as thousands of pilgrims descend on the town.

Visit one of the four beautiful beaches to the south. The beaches are pretty clean, but ask locally about swimming, as the currents can be very strong. Accommodation in huts or shacks and food are available always on all the beaches from ₹100 (basic bamboo hut on Kudle beach with mosquito net and electricity, outside shower and toilet) to ₹500-1500 (small cottage-type house with all necessary amenities on Om Beach) per night in the peak season. Om beach, due to its popularity, tends to be a bit more expensive. Same as Kudle, it has several restaurants that call themselves cafés on this beach. Enjoy the sea, sunlight, beer by sitting in any of the cafés near the beach.

Don't fall for the dolphin sight-seeing gimmick from the speed boat vendor. All you get is a 10-min ride and a distant glimpse of something in the water that might be a dolphin.

• 🌍 Kudle Beach (pronounced Kudlee) (The first beach you come to. About a 20-minute walk south from Gokarna main beach.). Kudle Beach is popular with those that are staying in town but want to spend the day at the beach. At the southern end of Gokarna beach, a narrow path goes up a hill, where you cross a Rama temple en route. This temple also has a natural water spring which according to the locals never stops running. The water is quite drinkable. After climbing up some stairs, you will find flat ground and some breath-taking views of Gokarna beach as you turn-around to see the distance you covered. As you move along, about 10 minutes walk from this place, the flat ground (a cricket field) leads to a narrow lane, which goes down to Kudle beach, the second of Gokarna's beaches. This beach looks very unkempt, desolate and dirty in off-seasons. You will hardly find a soul here then. But come season time between November - February, this beach will be dotted with hippies. Very few Indians are sighted on this beach, and mostly day trippers. Sunset-Cafe, on Kudle beach, is heaven if you are lazy and like to dig yourself into a rice pudding (and doze off in between). (updated Jan 2023)

• 🌍 Om Beach (20 minutes walk south from Kudle Beach.). The most famous of the beaches, it's popular with those wanting to stay a few days or weeks and stare at the sea or play Frisbee, like young Israelis travelling on the Hummus trail. Om beach is so named because the shape is like that of the Hindu religious symbol "Om". Om Beach is about one kilometre from the main Gokarna town and fully approachable by road, unlike Kudle. It is possible to get to Om beach by taxi or rickshaw (₹200-250 after a bit of bargaining) and the price is not unreasonable, the road winds around the hills and is much longer than the coastal walking trail. Out of the 5 beaches, only Gokarna and Om Beach are approachable by road. This usually means there are more Indian folks on the beach. For the other 3 beaches including Kudle, hiking or taking a boat ride are the two ways. At the southern end of Kudle Beach, a small meandering path leads up the hill and you come onto a well-laid pitched road. For the non-adventurous folks, a walk down this road will lead to the main road, which is about 500 m from Om beach. For the more adventurous, instead of taking the pitched road, you can go straight and walk across the small trees for around 15 minutes and directly get down at the starting point of Om Beach. Simply follow the white arrows outlined on the rocks, or look for the well used rocks. Rickshaw drivers parked near Om Beach tend to quote higher prices to go to town; bargain, and if this does not work, walk along the road, you'll certainly encounter some rickshaw who'll be happy to get you to town for the proper fare. Rickshaw from Gokarna town is ₹200. (updated Jan 2023)

To get to the beaches beyond Om (Half-moon and Paradise) generally you have to walk from Om. This is not advisable during the monsoon as the walk is quite treacherous. In high season, however, during daytime there are boats cruising between the beaches and picking up the passengers. Usual price for a "shared" boat ride is ₹100 (₹150 for a more remote ride, say from Kudle to Paradise), but you have to wait until there will be several people going roughly in the same direction. You can also "charter" a boat (this can cost you say ₹400 for a return trip to Paradise beach with a one-hour stop there), or can be asked if you want to pay more (₹200 or ₹250) if there are not enough passengers but you do not want to wait.

• 🌍 Half-moon Beach (20 minutes walk south from Om Beach.). At the southern end of Om Beach, there is a path going up the hill. Here one has to get around a hillock (about 20-minutes walk) to reach Half-Moon Beach. Take this trail, and when you reach a fork in the trail, take a right for the coast route, and left for the forest route. They will both take you to the same place. Half-moon beach is so named because the shape resembles that of a half-moon. During season, the path is pretty well laid out. But at start of season, look out for thorns in the bushes. They hurt! In between one can take a diversion and take some rest below a palm tree on the edge of a cliff, from where one can try to catch a glimpse of the horizon. There will be many zig-zags, but make sure that you get around the hill rather than unnecessarily climb up the hill. Once you get down to Half-moon Beach, you can see the pure beauty of this beach. During season, a couple of shacks operate on this beach. There is no electric power on this beach. Hence it is totally cut off from civilization. During off-season, you might be the sole inhabitant of this beach without any shacks operational. The rooms on this beach are pretty basic. They set you back by around ₹250 per night in peak season time. (updated Jan 2023)

• 🌍 Paradise Beach (Full-moon beach) (20 minutes walk south from Half-moon Beach.). At the southern end of the Half-moon Beach, a small trail leads to Paradise Beach, also known as Full-moon Beach. The thing to remember here is after crossing the first set of rocks, you should not try to climb the hill. Rather try getting around it. Its a much easier climb. The steep climb up the hill will take you to the next village, Bellekan. This is the last of the Gokarna beaches. Pretty much isolated from the crowd, Paradise, the name suits this beach well. It's an absolute paradise! It's a very rocky beach, with sand in between. Waves are very strong, and it is quite dangerous to go out very far into the sea. There are a few shacks selling pineapples, water and sweets, as well as one restaurant. Rooms on this beach are basically huts on the hillock or tents at the beach. Boat fee from Gokarna ₹150-175, from Om ₹100. (updated Jan 2023)

• Gokarna International (1 km from the main temple..), ☏ +91 8386 256622. ₹1500 for a double bed room with attached bath and air-conditioner. Sgl ₹300, air-con dbl ₹850. You can get a triple bed air-con room for ₹500 if you return the air-con remote control.. 
• Hotel Om, Next to KSRTC bus stand (The first building to the right of the Gokarna Bus Stand complex). Simple rooms with bare essentials - bed, bathroom and plug points to charge your phone or tablet. ₹500. 
• Hotel Ram, Next to KSRTC bus stand (10-min walk from the Om beach). Sgl ₹60 with common toilet/bathroom facilities. 
• Hotel Shivaprasad (Middle of town), ☏ +91-8386-257032. The hotel is very clean with friendly staff and caring management. ₹1350 for a double bed room with attached bath and air-conditioner. Air conditioned double room ₹850/night. You can get a triple bed A/C room for ₹950. 
• Seabird Resort. Nice place to stay Non air-con ₹1000, air-con ₹1500. 
• Shastri Guest House (Temple Road). Dbl & Triple Non air-con for ₹150-200. 
• 🌍 Villa Casuarina, Bhavikodla, ☏ +91 8105233027, info@villacasuarina.com. Check-in: Noon, check-out: 10AM. A homestay styled in the local coastal architecture, close to the beach, in the midst of a 1.25 acre casuarina grove. From ₹1500. (updated Aug 2019)

• 🌍 Zostel Gokarna (Zostel), Kudle Beach Road, Dandebagh, ☏ +91 22-4896-2264, reservations@zostel.com. Check-in: Noon, check-out: 10AM. Zostel Gokarna is a sea view backpacker hostel, perched on the cliff overlooking Gokarna Main Beach. ₹500-2500. (updated Jul 2020)
• 🌍 Cafe Paradise, Right at Half Moon beach, Contact Person - Sahil (40-minute trek from Om beach.), ☏ +91 994 505 9205. Open only Nov-Mar. ₹250. 
• 🌍 Gokarna International Beach Resort, Kudle Beach, ☏ +91 8386 257843. Non air-con ₹2900. 
• Kudle Palace Resort, Kudle beach (a 30-minute trek from Om beach; you have to take a cab from main bus stop), ☏ +91 8386 257843, fax: +91 8386 256848, hotelgokarn@yahoo.com. ₹800/night for a double room with attached toilet, no TV, 1 balcony facing sea. 
• Kudle Beach View, 365 Kudle beach, ☏ +91 83862 56059, +91 83862 56056. (updated Apr 2018)
• 🌍 Little Paradise Inn -, Kudle Beach (20 min in auto or 40-min walk from Gokarna Bus Stand), ☏ +91 994 505 9205, sahilbhatkashmir@gmail.com. Open Oct-Apr. Shared bath ₹500, en suite, beach side thatched hut ₹700. 
• 🌍 Namaste cafe, OM Beach (start of OM beach), ☏ +91 8386 257141. Remains open all year. Rooms or huts are available for ₹150-800. Rent for single rooms without bathroom is ₹200.. 
• Offshore Cafe, Near Temple Beach (take a right turn at the end of Temple road and walk along the beach for 300 m), ☏ +91 9964412173. This is a cafe run by a Himachal guy Mr. Singh and a local guy Guru. Both are very good guys and very respectful. The cafe offers a very nice view of the beach. Food is Very tasty and you can find huts/rooms with attached bath and common bath very close to beach. Maximum of ₹500. (updated May 2015)
• Om Beach Resort, Om Beach, ☏ +91 9480885307, info@junglelodges.com. Run by Jungle Lodges and Resorts, offers one-bedroom villa packages for B & B ₹2,100, or all meals ₹4000 per couple. Has a swimming pool. 
• 🌍 Om Shakti Cafe, Right at Paradise beach (A 50-minute trek from Om beach.). Open only from November through March. ₹250 for beach side thatched hut with common bath room, no TV, cafeteria facing sea. 
• 🌍 Sunset Cafe (On Kudle Beach), ☏ +91 944 852 6270, +91 934 107 9315. There are common bathrooms about a minute's walk away. ₹250-500 (₹250 for a basic shack, ₹350 for a room with fan and ₹500 for a room with attached bath). 
• 🌍 Swa Swara. An upmarket retreat with 24 villas, with a focus on yoga, meditation, art and clean, healthy food, having direct access to Om beach. No single night stays available. The resort provides a 5 night Yoga & meditation package for two people sharing for around €1500 + taxes which is inclusive of F & B. Ayurveda is available at extra cost.