Secluded beaches, pristine waterfalls, ancient caves – Gokarna is truly a paradise for people who love all things nature. Nestled along coastline of Karnataka, this beachside town can be your pick if you want to get some of that adrenaline pumping or if you want to spend a lazy vacation by the beach.
We have been here multiple times and have fallen in love with a different side of the town each time we visit this. So hope this itinerary helps.
📝High level plan
If you’re visiting for the first time, 3 days in Gokarna is ideal
- Day 1: Yana caves, Vibhuti falls and Mirjan fort
- Day 2: Gokarna beach trek and explore shacks
- Day 3: Sharavathi backwaters boating, Honnavar mangrove boardwalk
You could also choose to do this itinerary in a more relaxed manner by doing a longer stay/workcation (which is what we did when we went there for the 3rd time)
Gokarna is pretty affordable and a 3 day trip would cost not more than INR 10,000 per person
🚗Transport
To Gokarna:
Gokarna is connected by road and by rail.
If you’re taking a train, you would need to get down at Gokarna Road station and take an auto from there.
Or if you’re travelling from Bangalore, you could either drive or take an overnight bus – the journey takes about 10-12 hours.
Within Gokarna:
You could rent a 2 wheeler or take autos from one place to another. 2-wheeler rentals cost around INR 500-600 per day and autos are also available on call – you would just need to ask your property host to arrange one for you.
🏡Stay
There is a varied range of stays – from basic hostels to fancy resorts available in Gokarna. So it depends upon one’s budget and preferences. However, if you’re looking for suggestions, here are some options in both categories
Budget stay options:
Premium stay options
🍜Food
With the large influx of foreign tourists since the 1990s, Gokarna has evolved quite a bit in terms of the food with the cafe culture also being widely accepted. However, if you happen to visit here during the off-season (June-Sept) one would find that most of these cafes are closed and the ones that are open offer limited options on the menu. Some of our top picks are as follows:
- Cafe Chez Christophe – known for its Italian food and live shows
- Mantra cafe (Zostel) – has an amazing view of the beach
- Halfway home – known for its Pizza, South Indian thali and Kombucha
🗓️Detailed itinerary
Day 1: Yana caves, Vibhuti falls and Mirjan fort
- Reached Gokarna early morning (since we travelled by bus). Reached the hostel, freshened up, and then started our day after a quick breakfast at the stay
- Headed to Yana caves which is around an hour’s drive from Gokarna. Yana is known for its black limestone outcrops which have two shrines inside of them. It takes about 2 hours to reach the top after completing a short hike of around 2 kms. The path is well defined with stairs till the top. Once you reach the top, you will witness the 2 monolithic rocks
- One can walk through the caves formed by the rocks and it is indeed a sight that would leave you in awe
- After spending about an hour here, headed to Vibhuti falls which is a 20 min drive from Yana. From the parking area, one would need to walk for another 20-30 mins to reach the falls. But once you reach the falls, it is very pristine with a natural pool formed right below the falls where one can easily spend a couple of hours
- After spending some time here, we headed to Mirjan fort while grabbing some lunch on the way
- While the main town of Gokarna has good cafes, there are not many places around the Yana caves and Vibhuti falls. So it is better to plan in advance and get something packed or rely on light snacking options and fruits available at the stalls near these two places
- Then headed to Mirjan fort which is around an hour’s drive towards Gokarna. Located on the banks of the Aghanashini river, the fort has great historic significance and was the location of several historical battles until it was captured by the British who used it as a defensive fort. The sunset from the fort is something that one would not want to miss. The fort closes at around 5.30, so make sure you reach here before that
- Then headed back to Gokarna and had a wholesome dinner at Mantra cafe
Day 2: Gokarna beach trek and local exploration
- Started at around 7.30 am from the stay for the Gokarna beach trek. The trek is around 10 – 12 kms long and takes around 5-6 hours to complete if you cover it at a decent pace. Since it can get extremely hot post 11.00 am, it is recommended to start early during the day and cover as much ground before lunch as possible
- The trek covers 5 beaches – Belekan Beach, Paradise Beach, Half Moon beach, Om beach and Kudle beach
- We started from the Belekan beach, and then headed to the Paradise beach. Some parts of this stretch can get tricky, so it’s recommended to wear light clothes and good trekking shoes. While the view at the Paradise beach is one of the best, the waters are really rough and this beach has been known for several fatal accidents, so it’s recommended not to venture into the sea here
- After a short break here, we headed to the half moon beach. This stretch involves quite a bit of ascent and this is where the sun would start getting stronger, so this was the most tiring stretch of the whole trek. The sea on the half moon beach is extremely calm – in contrast to all other beaches in Gokarna. So if you want to take a dip in the ocean, this beach is ideal
- After spending some time here, we then started the trek to Om beach, on the way to which one can spot dolphins in the ocean. We were lucky enough to spot some
- As you approach Om beach, you can spot that the beach has 2 adjoining shores, which resemble the Hindu ‘Om’ (🕉️) symbol and hence the name
- You can make a pit stop here since this beach has quite a few cafes (Namaste cafe being one of the more popular ones) and choose to end the trek here and take a ride to Kudle or climb a few stairs to reach the Kudle beach to end your trek there and relax at some of the cafes there
- Kudle is more popular for sunset, so our recommendation would be to spend some time at Half moon beach and Om beach and then reach Kudle at around sunset and then head back from Kudle beach
- Would recommend having dinner at the Chez Christophe cafe located on the Gokarna Main beach since this place is quite vibrant during the night with its live shows from various artists
Day 3: Honnavar
- Then headed to the Sharavathi Mangrove Boardwalk in Honnavar, an hour’s drive from Gokarna. This is a walkway that allows us to explore the mangrove forests along the Sharavathi river and is a must-visit if you are around this area
- After spending about an hour here, we headed to the Sharavathi backwater boat ride and this was the perfect end to our trip since the ride takes you through some of the most scenic views lined with coconut trees and mangroves. The boat ride lasts about 2-3 hours and the rent per boat accommodating 4-5 people is around INR 1,000 to INR 1,200
- This is best enjoyed if you reach early in the morning since it can get quite crowded as the day progresses and this is also popular among the locals as a scenic location for shoots
- Then headed back to Gokarna around evening and boarded our bus back to Bangalore
- Alternatively, one can even plan to check out from their stay in the morning, come to Honnavar and then board a bus from Honnavar instead of going back to Gokarna since this is towards Bangalore
Roamantic Affair 