Kasarkod Beach, Honavar.

The Kasarkod beach in Honavar is not to be confused with Kasarkode of Kerala.

If you are looking for a deserted beach in coastal Karnataka, then this is one among them. I say it is deserted because there's not a single shack on it and almost no civilization near it. The beach is at least 8-10 kms long. And all you see is the sun, sea, sand and vegetation. For the few hours we spent there, we hardly saw any people. The blistering heat might be one of the reasons though :). Even though it was early April, the heat was merciless.

Had it not been for the heat, this beach would have been the ideal place to just relax and forget the woes of the world. From the directions given by some helpful people on the bus while on our way here, we realised we could actually walk our way on the beach to reach Apsarakonda Waterfalls. It initially didn't sound like a bad idea. But when it came to execution, it proved otherwise. The walk on the sifting sand never seemed to end. The far-end of the beach seemed to be a mirage. The closer we went, the farther it appeared. To our dismay we realised going back to our starting point and taking a motorable road also seemed far-fetched since we walked down far too long.

After much dilly-dallying on whether to go forward or backward, we decided forward is the way to go. Luckily, not too far away, we finally reached the far end of the beach - a hillock. The Apsarakonda Falls is supposedly on the other side of the hillock. Now here presented our next dilemma. Is the Falls really where we thought it were? And, did we have to climb the hillock to get to the other end where the Falls is supposed to be? Climbing the hill was nearly out of question. We were to find out soon enough...

Getting-there: The beach is about 3 kms from Honavar town and about 26 kms from Murudeshwar. Maxicab rides available from Honavar and Murudeshwar.

Must-Do: Spend some leisurely moments here soaking the familiar sights of a beach.

Must-Don't: Visiting the beach in the hot summer sun.

Additional Notes: The beach is pretty much unspoilt, thanks to it being off the tourist map...as yet.

My Rating: 7/10