Weekend/Two-day itinerary in Udupi / Things to do in Udupi

It’s the beginning of April which means it’s early summer and the most obvious choice for people in India and especially in the South is to head towards the beach. Thanks to the topography of the country we are bestowed with two very beautiful coastlines one both on the east and west. Goa is inarguably one of the most sought-after beach destinations in mainland India. But for the people who can’t afford to travel to Goa or if time is a constraint or if it’s a “family beach vacation” that they are looking into then Karnataka has some amazing options and Udupi is one of them. So lets get into figuring out a simple 2 day itinerary in Udupi or things to do in Udupi if you are there over a weekend.

Udupi is a small temple town on the southwest coast of India and it lies in the Karnataka state. One of the main reasons why this place is famous is its 13th century-old Sri Krishna Temple and hence the obvious reference to it as the temple town. But it’s also home to some of the most beautiful beaches on the west coast.

PS: One can reach Udupi via road and it’s around 400kms from Bangalore. One can opt for one of the many overnight buses run by both govt and private travels but the best is when you get to travel on your own in your two or three-wheeler where you get to witness the best of Western ghats en route to the destination. The below suggestion is with the assumption that you have opted for the latter and have reached Udupi at the strike of the dawn on the day1 of your trip.

Day 01 – Morning – Check in to the hotel of your choice and get fresh and head towards the Sri Krishna Mutt for a morning darshan of the main deity. If you are traveling to Udupi during a weekend then there are high chances that you will end up facing a slightly bigger crowd at the temple, and that’s when you can opt for the Special Darshan which would cost you Rs. 100/- which will not only cut short the time it takes for the darshan but also entitles you to temple Prasada. While you are here, don’t forget to visit the ancient Sri Chandramouleeshwara Temple is dedicated to the god Shiva & and witness the huge chariot which is right in front of the temple main gate. Based on how long you spend here you might want to choose to have the afternoon lunch at the temple itself which is not only free but also a must-have when you are here.

Day 01 – Evening – Head out towards the star attraction of the place which is the Malpe beach. This beach is around 6km from the Udupi temple and one can take an auto or cab or even a local bus to reach the place. Malpe is one of the many clean beaches in Udupi and one will definitely be impressed by the first sight of this beautiful place. There are many things that one can do while in Malpe beach. If you fancy walking then you can opt to go for the walk along the 500mts long sea walk or grab few snacks from the beachside shacks and sit on the sand and watch the sun go down. But if you are one of that adventurous kind then you have far more options than what you can imagine. There are options like parasailing, jet ski, banana boat ride, camel ride, or ATV ride along the beach that you can try out.

Day 02 – Morning – While you are here in Udupi why not explore one of the most beautiful beaches stretches or for that matter an island. St Marys Island is a place that you can explore in the morning. Boat ferry from both Malpe harbor and also from Malpe beach. The cost of the ticket to take you to St Marys Island is around Rs 400/- per person for two ways. One way takes just less than 30mins in the boat and once you reach there you would be given approximately 45mins to spend on the island. One can outright say that you cant do justice to witnessing this place in just 45mins. Please note that plastic bottles and food items are not allowed to be carried inside the island and one needs to keep them in the makeshift cloak at the entrance of the island. Depending on which boat service you opted for you can return back to the mainland in one of the many boats which come for pickup every 45mins. The last boat service from the island is around 5 pm. If you have not ticked off any adventure sports from the previous day, then this is the time to do so.

Day 02 – Evening – Its that part of the day when you would like to head to a new beach to witness the colors of the sunset, but this time around you can head towards the north where you can first check out the place called Kemmanu Hanging Bridge which located on the backwaters. It’s a nice place to chill out and have a cup of coffee/tea at one of the small shops that sell them and watch the sun start to go down. But while you are here don’t miss a chance to try your hands out at kayaking which is available at a very nominal charge. Once done it’s time now to head towards the Delta beach. Delta Beach is the place where the river meets the sea and this is inarguably one of those magical places where, unlike a regular beach where you have a 180-degree view of the sea, where you get to kind of see a 270 degree perspective of the beach. The roads leading to the delta beach are small and let you experience the true rural scenes of coastal Karnataka. There aren’t any shops or eateries and hence it’s suggested you carry your own bottle of water and maybe some snacks which you can much while sitting on the shore looking at the tiny ball of fire go down the horizon. But always ensure that you don’t litter the place while you are waving goodbye to the waves and heading back to your rooms.

The above is some of the many options that you can opt to spend your weekend or 2 days in Udupi and make the best use of it in a very relaxed manner.