Konkan Calling - Sindhudurg

Heading out from Wildernest towards Thivim station which is a small railhead in Goa that was teeming with tourists catching a train to Mumbai when we arrived.
A train delay of an hour meant we caught up with some hot phulke, sabzi and chaas at a home eatery closeby.The journey to Kudal is about 50 minutes by train.

We arrived at Kudal at about 6 pm and made our way towards "Mayekar Holiday Home" in Malvan bang on Chivla beach. Malvan is a small town with very narrow roads. Driving was made difficult due to the evening market rush.
Mayekar holiday home is a home stay right on the beach with windows opening out to the seas!





We spent the evening strolling on the beach and then helping ourselves to a very well cooked homely Malvani dinner.

The room though small was freshly painted and the furniture was new.The family was nice and made us feel at home.
We spent some time talking with the owners planning the next couple of days for sightseeing.

Day 2.
Day 2 started off with a short walk towards the Malvan Jetty. The plan was to go to the Sindhudurg fort - a half an hour boat ride in the sea.
We got our tickets and some 30 odd people assembled and got into the smallish diesel powered boat that ferries people to the fort.
This was an amusing experience. I felt as if though I had traveled back 50 year's in time.The "Swades" experience. Old fashioned boats filled the harbour giving the whole area a rustic feel.




It was amazing to say the least. And then seeing the fort looming up ahead in the middle of the sea was an amazing experience.
The fort took nearly 30 years to build stands as a testimony to the foresight at that time to keep foreign powers at bay.

There's not much to explore inside the fort, but the fort itself. There's a watch tower, a Shivaji temple etc.




A coral reef was discovered just beside this fort a few year's back by Dr Sarang Kulkarni. This discovery changed the lives of the residents here and catapulted Sindhudurg as a tourist destination. A lot of private operators offer guided snorkeling tours of the reefs.
Snorkeling is probably the highlight of out trip!. We got into a boat and put on our snorkeling gear and were helped into the water by a guide who was kind enough to answer all our questions on marine life.
It was an experience of a lifetime to see life underneath the sea, the school of fish swimming and moving together, fishes of different colors and sizes as well as the beautiful multi-colored corals that adorned the sea bed.

After a refreshing snorkeling experience we headed back to the mainland in the swades style boat. Another intriguing aspect to mention here is that tea is unavailable on the island fort.

It was time for lunch and we sought the highly recommended Chintamani lunch home. The restaurant was packed with tourists and after a bit we finally had a table for us and Malvani Thali to grub.
After some rest in the afternoon we walked towards the Rock Garden by the sea to catch the sunset.From there on we walked towards the well known Ganesh temple. The temple is beautiful and is a must see for everyone visiting Malvan. The only problem is that the streets are not well lit and there are very few people on these inner roads.



Day 3.
Day 3 was spend exploring the beaches of Sindhudurg. A Tata Sumo was hired and we made our way towards Deobag. Deobag is an amazing location, triangulated with the sea on one side and the Karli river on the other. The two merge forming an extravaganza of blue and green. What was more fascinating was that this entire patch of beach was empty.



This place is a photographer's paradise. If you like solitude, the blue seas and your camera then you should visit this place!


Tarkarli is another beach close to Deobag and is known for its fascinating white sands and blue sea. And so true are the stories!. Tarkarli is indeed as beautiful as the fables say!.




Casuarina trees flank the beach making it look even more beautiful. The MTDC resort at Tarkarli hidden among the casuarinas is the place to stay! We were unfortunate to not stay in this place due to non availability. Recommend booking this resort months in advance!.


There are options of a boat ride from Deobag to explore the surrounding area. It is recommended if the day is not too hot. A backwater ride is also enjoyable if you have not been to Kerala already!


From there on we drove towards Vengurla port and Sagareshwar. Nothing much of note here except the natural splendor.





Recommendation -
Stay 3 nights in Sindhudurg at MTDC Tarkarli.
Day 1 - Sindhudurg Fort and Snorkeling. Evening Ganpati temple and Rock Garden for the sunset.
Day 2 - Deobag Beach - Boat ride. Evening lounge at the resort and catch the sunset.
Day 3 - Laze around. See the market and adjoining areas.
Add another night and visit Amboli if possible.

Ganpatipule

The Blue Oceans beckon,
Their serenity profound,
If I ever wish to see a place in a life.
This is the one with beauty abound!.

Ganpatipule - The land of white sands and blue seas was often a place everyone in my family would talk about. The only problem being that I had never been there.
A 7 hour driving distance by car did not exactly appeal to me considering I had to drive by myself and that too on the road less traveled; the road to the alluring but much less explored Konkans.

After a lot of brainstorming and research on the internet we finally came up with our plan!
The long new year's weekend was planned for the trip and the MTDC resort was booked 3 months in advance for a confirmed booking.


Day 1: January 1, 2010.
Starting at about 7 AM in the morning we sped along from Thane, took the Panvel bypass and landed at Vadgaon phata around 8:30 am. Turning towards the Mumbai Goa road, we stopped first at Mahad for a short break. After a fantastic drive on the NH17 The Riverview - Chiplun loomed up around Noon. We stopped there for a lunch break and generally loitered in the gardens for a bit.







The resort is an excellent choice for lunch and offered gorgeous views of the River Vashishthi from the hilltop. (see above)

A quick detour to the Parshuram temple nearby was worth it. It is about a kilometer away from the resort.

It was about 1 pm and we decided to make a detour towards Velaneshwar a little temple hamlet by the sea and not too far away. So we bid goodbye to NH17 and swerved right towards the Guhagar highway. After tanking up the Wagon-R, we turned towards Velaneshwar. The road was narrow with its ups and downs but in sober condition. Few cars passed us, the road signs became unreadable was we headed further inside the country.
The best solution is to ask! We asked around for directions to whoever we could find (there were very few) and finally reached Velaneshwar temple by the sea.



A quick darshan and we crossed Hedvi to head further south towards Ganpatipule again after asking directions to several people on the way.
The drive can be unnerving. Single lane roads, not a single car or soul to be seen except when crossing small villages on the way.
Ask around for 'Naravan' from Velaneshwar and from Naravan, head towards the Bhatgaon bridge. There is not a single soul seen on these roads and you have to trust your instincts as far as directions are concerned.
We saw stunning vistas on the way. Long lonely beaches ripe with mountains and forests in close proximity offered amazing vistas.



We finally hit the Bhatgaon bridge and turned towards Ganpatipule just in time to catch some fascinating views of the new year sunset.
If God ever lived on Earth and by the beach, then this would be the place. Stunning view of the setting sun over the calm sea from the mountain top was a sight I can never forget.

Day 2: January 2, 2010.
Our day 2 morning began with a short drive towards Ratnagiri. The road from Ganpatipule towards Ratnagiri is a treat.Winding hilly roads overlooking the blue seas is a treat. Wonderful sea vistas greet you on every twist and turn.



You are tempted to stop after every few minutes to admire the lonely beaches and breathtaking views. We drove about 15 kms towards Ratnagiri and then drove back towards Ganpatipule.




The sea view cottages in the MTDC resort are just awesome! The one we had was on the 2nd floor with a large balcony overlooking the sea.
After visiting the temple for Darshan, we had a quick lunch at the MTDC resort. The lunch was okay, although getting a table took sometime due to the rush.
We then went to the Prachin Konkan museum who's advertisements are found practically at every location in the little town. Prachin Konkan is a little garden museum having a guided tours giving a brief history of the Konkans. The museum has been set up well but is not worth the time spent. I would have rather gone towards Jaigad which I skipped.


Evening was spent lazing on the beach and admiring the beautiful hues that the sunset would conjure up in the skies.






Dinner was in the beachside restaurant near the Konkan huts. The location was fantastic but the food quality wasn't exactly appealing.

Thus we ended our short but enjoyable trip to Ganpatipule. We drove the next day morning towards our home in Thane.

Following is the route we took -