You are planning to visit Gokarna solo then here is the article which will help you to plan your trip. And this plan in this article is for three days and four nights and for a person who wants to travel solo.
If you are traveling from Bangalore, overnight bus or a train will be the best option for travel to Gokarna. And if you wish to travel via flight, the nearest airport for people will be either Goa Airport (2 - 2.5 hr drive) or Mangalore Airport (3 - 3.5 hr drive).
Gokarna is a small temple town and Gokarna is also famous for its beaches like, Gokarna main beach, Kudle beach, Om beach, Half moon Beach, Paradise Beach and Belekan beach.
Route:
Bangalore - Tumkur - Davangere - Haveri - Sirsi - Gokarna
Gokarna - Kumta - Honnavar - Sagar - Shimoga - Banavara - Huliyar - Sira - Tumkur - Bangalore
During any solo rides, I generally prefer to take one night drive either while going to my destination or coming back home. On some rides I prefer to drive overnight only. And in regards to the two routes mentioned, I suggest people take the first route from Bangalore to Gokarna which is around 500 KM and take the second route while coming back from Gokarna to Bangalore.
Bangalore - Tumkur - Davangere - Haveri
- From Bangalore to Haveri, you will have a NH 48, which is a decent road, with good traffic in day and night.
- It’s around 350 KM, you can easily make it from 4 to 5 hrs.
- There are tolls in this stretch and people can take the quick pit stops or some snacks at the toll gates.
- If you leave Bangalore at 11:30 PM or 12:00 PM at night, then you might be at Haveri around 4:00 AM or 4:30 AM including breaks.
Haveri - Sirsi - Gokarna
- From Haveri to Gokarna, you will have a NH 766E, which is a single lane road without a divider, also you can expect some traffic on this road.
- It's around 150 KM, you would need 2 hrs or more than 2 hrs.
- There are many small places and villages in this stretch and a forest area in between (small stretch).
- If you leave around 4:30 or 5:00 in the morning, you would reach Gokarna around 7:00 or 7:30 including any small breaks.
Gokarna - Kumta - Honnavar
- This is the return journey route from Gokarna. From Gokarna to Honnavar you will have NH 66, which is a decent road and NH 66 is the road, which connects Mumbai and Kanyakumari.
- From Gokarna to Honnavar is a small stretch, you will make it in one hour or so.
Honnavar - Sagar - Shimoga - Banavara - Huliyar - Sira
- From Honnavar to Sira, you will have to take NH 69, which is a good road, with double road for some distance and single road for some distance.
- It is around 350 KM and you would need 5 to 6 hrs including breaks.
- You will be passing through many towns and big towns, including Jog Falls.
Sira - Tumkur - Bangalore
- From Sira to Bangalore, you will again be on NH 48 and you can reach Bangalore in 2 hours.
What to do in Gokarna?
- Temples: Mahabaleshwar Temple, Shree Maha Ganapati Temple & Koti Tirtha.
- Beaches: Kudle, Om Beach, Half Moon, Paradise and Gokarna Main Beach.
- Trekking: You can make a 10 KM trek around 6 to 7 hours of time from Kudle to Paradise and return to Kudle.
- Activities: Night Stroll, Stargazing, Massage (Ayurveda as well), Snorkeling.
- Nearby good places: Mirjan Fort, Yana Caves and Vibhooti Falls.
How to plan your Trip?
- Visiting Temples can take you half a day, Best time is to visit early morning or late evening. All these temples, Mahabaleshwar Temple, Shree Maha Ganapati Temple & Koti Tirthain, are within walkable distance from each other.
- For Kudle and Om Beach, spending early morning or in the evening on these beaches is the best time. You can plan an overnight stay at Paradise beach. At Half moon beach you would get very less time to spend, because it's between a trek trail. If you have time, you can visit Gokarna Main Beach.
- You can do Trekking from Kudle beach to Paradise beach, where you pass through Om Beach, Half moon beach, Small hell beach and reach Paradise beach. You can come back on the same trek route or you can take a vehicle to return (which takes road).
- Other activities like Night Stroll can be done in the Kudle beach. Stargazing can be done at Paradise beach, Massage and Snorkeling can be done in the daytime at Kudle beach.
- Yana Caves and Vibhooti Falls are near to each other, both can be visited on the same. On this day during morning or evening you can visit Mirjan Fort.
You can plan this above activity based on the interest of your time, I suggest like
- First day, Visit temples and some activities during the day, If you have time visit Gokarna Main beach.
- Second day, Spend time in the Kudle beach and start your trek towards Paradise beach, you can see Om beach, Halfmoon beach and reach Paradise, Spend the night their, you can do the Stargazing (in case of good climate)
- Third day, from Paradise beach, come back to Kudle beach, either by trek or by road, you have good options of Massage (Ayurveda as well) at Kudle and you can do a lot of activities during the daytime.
- Fourth day, from Kudle beach visit Yana Caves, Vibhooti Falls and Mirjan Fort (if you have time).
Stay?
- In this plan, you would need to stay for three nights. Best options are the beach shacks, which are cheap and clean.
Safety and Security?
- Gokarna is a safe place to travel, be cautious of your belongings like anywhere. If you have a vehicle (bike or car) parking would be kind of an issue, but check with the shack people where you stay, they can get you secured parking with some charges.
To conclude, you might have a clear picture of how to plan a solo trip from Bangalore to Gokarna and the best places to visit in Gokarna and a brief idea of when to visit what places. Thanks for reading the article, for more travel related articles read our people blog articles.
