TARKARLI :: b-e-a-utiful beach

This is a travelogue of my recent trip to Tarkarli Beach (Sindhudurg, Malvan, Maharashtra).

Vital Stats of the trip (Pune-Tarkarli-Pune):

• Travelled by : Road; driving WagonR (Duo)

• Total Distance covered : 976 KM (round trip)

• Distance(Pune–Tarkarli–Pune) : 880 KM

• Route taken : Pune – Satara – Kolhapur – Nipani (Karnataka) – Gadhinglaj (Maharashtra) – Azara – Amboli – Sawantwadi – Kudal – Malvan – Tarkarli

• Travel time (one way) : 7-8 hours

• Tolls (one way) : INR 187/- (45+25+46+46+25)

• Places visited / Activities : Tarkarli Beach, Deobag, Malvan, Sindhudurg Fort, Snorkeling, boat ride, beach walks, Bharadi-Devi Temple-Anganewadi, Hotel Chaitanya, Hotel Swami (Malvan), Hotel Swami Samarth (Tarkarli), beach cricket, camp fire on the beach, star gazing

Tarkarli one of the best Beaches along the Konkan coast located 7 KM from Malvan and is fast becoming a hot tourist destination. The whole area is very beautiful and is situated at the mouth of Karli River. Tarkarli has an excellent whitish sand beach and you will definitely fall in love with this beach. Tarkarli beach is on the western coastline of Maharashtra making the sunsets an awe-inspiring affair. MTDC has very good resort and there are many other resorts like Gajanan, Soham, Seaview, Sagar Sangam with well appointed rooms and / or tents. There are many 'bed & breakfast' kind of home-accommodations / home-stays also available and one can get the details of these from the MTDC website. One should do a bit of a research on the net to find about various accommodation options. While contacting a resort, ensure to ask if they are on the beach. Some mention ‘beach resort’ in the name but are NOT really on / by the beach. TripAdvisor, HolidayIq, Mouthshut, Nivalink, etc have some good options and reviews for accommodation in Tarkarli.

Tarkarli is fast becoming a destination being visited by Indian and international tourists. The nearby Deobag beach is also very beautiful. It is best to avoid the summer and monsoon seasons when visiting Tarkarli (and most other coastal destinations in Konkan, Maharashtra).

I recently visited Tarkarli beach and stayed there for six days. I finalized the route based on internet research of various travelogues and blogs and also based on discussions with first hand travellers to Tarkarli and locals. Travelling by this route, one will exit Maharashtra in to Karnataka around Nipani and after 35-40 KM get back in to Maharashtra around Gadhinglaj. I am glad I took the route mentioned above. For one, the entire route does not have much traffic and the road is good for the most part. I strongly recommend this route for travellers by road from Pune to Tarkarli and back. There are some other routes too like via Gagan-Bawda from Kolhapur through Fonda Ghat or via Mahabaleshwar through Mumbai-Goa highway. I was told that both these routes has heavy traffic and not very scenic.


Day 1: Dec 28, 2009

Started at 6:00 AM from Chandni Chowk, Bavdhan, Pune. Took the NH4 up to Kolhapur (2and continued on NH4 till Nipani Toll Plaza (25 KM ahead of Kolhapur). At the toll plaza I inquired about the road to Gadhinglaj. The security personnel at the toll plaza told us to take right (leave NH4) at Hotel Kaveri. We then proceeded on NH4 from Nipani toll plaza till we reached Hotel Kaveri on the right hand side. We took a right turn on NH4 at Hotel Kaveri towards Gadhinglaj. Once you turn in right there is a sign board which is barely visible so we asked the bystanders the road to Gadhinglaj, just to be sure that we were on the right track. This right turn at Hotel Kaveri is about 25 KM from the Nipani Toll Plaza on NH4. The Maharashtra state border finishes a little after Kolhapur and before the Nipani toll plaza. The NH4 stretch of Karnataka till Hotel Kaveri is very well maintained compared to the Maharashtra side. There is a noticeable difference in the drive quality; it’s sheer pleasure driving that patch of 30 odd kilometres. There are public toilets, transport bays and well trimmed trees along this patch.

Once you turn in right at Hotel Kaveri and leave NH4, the ride is a bit bumpy and curvy. Actually the curvy road continues right up to Tarkarli! But there are certain patches that were ridden with potholes and narrow lanes.

Before you reach Gadhinglaj, you would see a board for Azara, take that road and continue will Azara. At Azara check for the sign boards for Amboli and then Sawantwadi. At Sawantwadi turn right towards Kudal (follow sign boards). Short of Kudal city, ask for the road to Malvan (sign boards are not prominent here and get a little confusing). Malvan is about 33 KM from Kudal.

We took three bio-breaks at the fuelling stations. Though I planned to do most of the trip on LPG I was not sure of LPG pumps beyond Kolhapur. I topped the petrol tank at the BPCL’s company pump just outside Pune. They accept credit cards. Then 10 KM short off Kolhapur I topped the gas tank at a Reliance gas station. The third fuel stop was at Kudal where I accidently ran into an auto-LPG pump, run by Aegis. This is the only auto-LPG station in Sindhudurg. The trip-meter showed exact 400KM at this Aegis auto-LPG station.

Apart from the bio-breaks at the fuelling station, I drove the car continuously. Breakfast and mid-morning snacks were served in the car while driving that we had packed from home. Long road drives make people sick so many avoid having anything but this too is not good as the bile builds up making one nauseated. Have a little something that is alkaline before starting or while riding. The winding roads don’t make it any easily on the driver and the co-passengers. A tablet of ‘Avomin’ also helps people prone to motion-sickness.

We reached our resort at Tarkarli at 2:00 PM. We could hear the sea from our room. After quickly freshening up we were served a simple, hot vegetarian lunch (the only vegetarian lunch I had during the stay). After a little rest we headed for the beach. A walk for about 150 meters from the resort and we were on the beach. We roamed about in the water and the beach for about two hours.

All that I had read about this beach seemed true. Adjectives like tranquil, clean, clear, etc are absolutely true for the Tarkarli beach. I was awestruck with the beauty and serenity of this beach. Not completely ‘virgin’ but comparatively much much better than many other commercially popular beaches like Goa, Pondicherry, Alibaug, Murud, etc. Well you will not find beauties on this beach but the beach itself is a beauty!!

After some playful yet relaxing time at the beach we headed back to the resort for that cuppa tea. After downing the tea, a nice bath revitalized the aced body with 8 hours of driving. After bath we hanged around the resort and the dining area playing cards till dinner. The host asked if we were interested in visiting the Sindhudurg Fort and go for snorkeling. We were game so he arranged for someone to come by and talk about it later that day. Dinner was late around 9:30 PM compared to what I am used to in Pune (around 8:00 PM). We had fish thali / jevan that included malvani bangda fish curry, fried fresh Surmai, Chapattis, solkadhi and rice.

While having meal two college kids came by to ask about snorkeling and boat ride to the fort. They said they were certified vendors for snorkeling with trained snorkelers. A single session of snorkelling for 30 minutes with an assistant / guide is for INR 250 and another 40 bucks for the ride to the fort. We finalized the deal for 10:00 AM the next day morning.

The dinner was sumptuous and soon we called it the day and hit the sack like a rock.


Day 2: Dec 29, 2009

It was an early morning for me. Had a sound and uninterrupted sleep after many months. I got ready and went to the beach at 6:30 AM for a jog along the seaside. It was not very bright till 7:00 AM. By now the water had come in the beach-line by 10-15 meters compared to the previous evening. I jogged for about 45 minutes but there was hardly any sweat owing to the cool morning breeze from the sea.

Walked back to the resort for a nice breakfast of double egg omelette with bread slices and tea. Once the tank was full and batteries recharged, it time to roam around and explore. By 10:15 AM our snorkeling vendor arrived at the resort to take us to the spot. We drove 4-5 KM towards Malvan and parked a car at a spot and then walked to the beach where a boat was waiting for us to take us in the sea for snorkelling. There are 2-3 spots for snorkeling around Malvan / Sindhudurg fort. The activity was started and is being made famous by MTDC.

A 5-6 minutes ride in the boat takes you to the snorkeling spot in the sea, near the rear side of Sindhudurg Fort. I was in the water by 11:15 AM and my guide showed me around the treasures of the sea. I wished I had a camera that would work underwater to capture the fascinating marine life - the corals, zebra fish, surgeon fish, glass fish, sea weeds, etc. One does not need to know swimming for snorkeling as you are given an inflated tube to hang on to while your guide drags you around and shows the underwater marine life. It is recommended to go for snorkeling around mid-day 12:00 PM as the sun is right on top making the experience of snorkeling even better. On a clear day one can see up to 15-20 feet under water. Make sure you follow the instructions of your guide for your own safety. Snorkeling can be enjoyed by one and all, from kids to the oldies.

Once back on the boat after 30 minutes from a different world, I quickly changed and we were transferred to another boat that took us to the Sindhudurg Fort.

This fort has the only temple of the Greatest Maratha Warrior - Shivaji Maharaj. One can make a generous donation to the temple and fort’s trust to show solidarity towards the cause. The fort also has a Bhavani temple and the impressions of hands and feet of Shivaji Maharaj.

The water around the fort is very clean and clear. The rock formations make a good spot for getting pictures clicked. We got back on land by 12:45 PM and decided to quickly head to Hotel Chaitanya for lunch in Malvan’s main market area. There is a place to park vehicles just short of the hotel on the left side. This is a one-way road. The hotel was already crowded at 1:00 PM and after persistently following up with the waiter for 5-7 minutes we got a place in the AC section of the hotel. You may have also heard from others that this place is usually crowded and there is some waiting time at peak hours.

We ordered for Chingul (prawns) jewan / thali, Kalva (oysters) jewan / thali and a plate of fried Surmai fish. While the prawns meal had fried prawns, malvani prawns curry, prawns pickle the Oysters meal had malvani oyster curry and fried Surmai fish. Chapattis, rice and unlimited Solkadhi was common to both meals. Hotel Chaitanya seems a bit over-rated but unlimited Solkadhi makes up for it. I will recommend the thali and not a-la carte as the later works out very costly with limited items. Most thalis are cheaper than the a-la carte menu.

I must have downed a litre or so of Solkadhi and was feeling drowsy. We walked a little ahead of the hotel to Aroskar’s ice-cream and juice shop. Somewhere on the net I had read about the unique 'Chilli-Lemon-Ginger Ice-Cream' that is served here and we decide to go for it. It was something different from the usual and worth a try.

Walking around the market we picked up some Malvani fish masalas; for fries and curries. All of this at Deolkar’s shop in Malvan’s main market place. We also bought Kokam, Amba-poli and Khaja. Khaja is a local sweet with a gingery flavour. One can also buy Kaju (cashewnut) and Kaju items from the local market or Zanytes factory outlets in the Malvan market.

Once our little ‘Malvani items shopping’ trip was over we headed back to the hotel in Tarkarli to get some rest. In the evening around 5:30 PM we went to the beach for a walk, chit-chat and also quite time watching the sea while listening to the waves. After a quite evening we walked back to the resort to freshen up and go for dinner. The resort served great malvani food and we thought it was better than Hotel Chaitanya.


Day 3: Dec 30, 2009

This was the laziest day of the trip. We just roamed around the beach in the morning and evening and eating breakfast, lunch and dinner at the resort itself.

We requested the caretaker at the resort to show us the local fish market at Malvan and he happily agreed. That evening we went to the fish market in Malvan but to our disappointment there was not a lot of fish and the prices were as good at Pune (INR 500+ for a pair of Pomfrets; Surmai was INR 350-400 per kilo). We were told that owing to the approaching New Year most of the fish was being supplied directly to the hotels in Mumbai-Pune and other regions and hence the prices also were high. Also it seems a good number of fishermen lost lives in the recent cyclone Phyan that had hit the western coastal region around Nov 11, 2009. We had carried a big ice box (thermacol box) in anticipation of buying cheap fish in Malvan and carrying back to Pune. But this wish remained unfulfilled from this trip !!:-(

The only other thing I bought was Sukat (dried prawns). I guess one needs to be a die-hard fish fan or something to enjoy the dried form of fishes. I immediately requested our resort caretaker (who was with us at the fish market) to prepare a dish from those dried prawns for dinner that evening. We then went to the Malvan market area as we had planned to buy and gift the resort a wall-clock. We had noticed there weren’t any wall clocks in the resort rooms. Just a small gesture of our appreciation apart from the monetary aspects.

We dropped the caretaker back at the resort and thought of going on a on a long drive towards Deobag, ahead of Tarkarli. Deobag (Devbag) too is God gifted. There is a “Sangam” of two water bodies, Arabian Sea and Karli creek, at Deobag. The drive is very scenic. One can also take a romantic boat ride around the creek (Khaadi). There are some boat rides that take you to some islands a little deeper in the sea and good far off from the shores. We did not try it though.

Once we returned the dinner was ready and I savoured the Sukat dish made in Malvani style along with Malvani Sukat chutney (dried prawns spread).

We ended the day with a beautiful Marathi movie watching on my laptop – “Mi Shivajiraje Bhosale Boltoye”. It was quite an apt movie after our recent visit to Sindhudurg fort and the Shivaji Maharaj temple in the Fort!


Day 4: Dec 31, 2009

It was a late and lazy last morning of the year with tea, biscuits and boiled eggs. We then headed to the beach for some quite time. Walked around the beach and then sat down for watching the sea and the waves. But soon a few other people started playing cricket on the beach. No my attention got diverted to them I could see how much fun they were having. The kids and the adults were equally enjoying the game. As I was watching them keenly and also clapping occasionally they asked me if I was interested to join them and I couldn’t resist. It was more like baseball as the bowler (pitcher) had to directly toss the ball to the batsman (hitter). For the next 90 odd minutes I had a great time playing beach cricket. We then headed back to the resort and discovered my fellow beach cricket players were also staying in the same resort and they had arrived that very morning.

After a quick bath we headed to Malvan to have an early lunch at Hotel Swami. I had read about this hotel somewhere while browsing for information on Tarkarli on the internet so thought of checking it out. We ordered a ‘standard’ fish jevan/thali (Bangda curry, fried Surmai, Solkadhi, Chapatti and rice). But compared to Hotel Chaitanya the food was not that good. Also the Solkadhi and rice was limited like everything else at Hotel Swami which is unlimited at Hotel Chaitanya. So our verdict is to give Hotel Swami a pass. You might as well try some other smaller joint (like a khaanawal).

Earlier while walking down to Hotel Swami in the Malvan market we accidently bumped in to Vijay Bakery with a board that hot nankhatai (kind of cookie) was ready so we decided to try it. It was simply delicious and we ended buying cup-cakes, puffs, coconut cookies and bread from there. The coconut cookies tasted out of the world. Sometime you end up finding something at a completely unexpected place you just need to keep eyes -ears (and nose) and mind open!

The evening walk by the beach is also stress relieving and revitalizing. And as the sun went down on the last day of the year, celebrations by the beach started gaining momentum. The night was especially spectacular as it was full moon and the silver waves made the experience totally mesmerizing. We had ordered prawns rice / biryani as a special for the New Year ’s Eve and it went down perfectly well with the tequila. :-)

At the stroke of mid-night, thousands of fire crackers lighted the beach and the view was simply amazing. I was a little amazed to see this knowing that Tarkarli is still not as famous as Goa or some of the other beaches on the Konkan strip. But it was a spectacular way to end the year.


Day 5: Jan 01, 2010

The next morning again was obviously a bit late as the previous night ended around 1:30 AM and the tequila made sure I stayed in bed till the sun out in the sky. But as we thought of starting the year on a holy note, and as it was a Friday we had panned to visit ‘Bharadi Devi Mandir’ (Hindu Goddess Temple) at Anganewadi. This is about 17 KM from the resort. So after dragging out of the bed I got ready to go out to the temple. As we headed to the car, I realized that the tyres seemed a bit deflated so we decide to go to refill the tyres near the petrol pump in Malvan. Once we were done with this we headed to the temple.

The temple is 300 years old. There was some construction going on in a part of the temple and it would finish in the next year or two. Every year during the annual fest around February/March over 2.5 lakh devotees visit this temple including high profile politicians and industrialists. This year the fest is on Feb 06, 2009. After spending some time at the temple we headed back to Tarkarli for lunch.

The previous day we had got a contact of Hotel Swami Samarth, a small shack near our resort. On the way we saw a small scale outfit processing raw Kaju (Cashewnuts) to the final product. This Kaju kaarkhana (cashewnut factory) claims to use drum roasting process that gives the Kaju a distinct taste and crispness. They process around 500 kg of raw cashews everyday. We asked if they we could take a tour of the factory and the people there were more than happy to show us around.

Just next to this factory was a small stall of Malvan food stuff. We ended up buying banana and jackfruit chips (wafers), sweet kokam, Malvani Thecha (Chilli pickle), Dahyatlya mirchya (Chillies dried with curd and spices) for this place. We have used these products after returning to Pune and found all of them very nice and tasty.

At Hotel Swami Samarth we ordered ukadiche modak (Steamed Maharashtrian sweet made of cocunut and jaggery filling and Rice flour coating like momos or dum-sims) and wade along with a regular fish jevan/thali. Yet again we did not find the food as good as that at our resort. The curry was not very thick and the taste was also average.

After a nap that afternoon we went to the beach for a stroll. Just wish that the people would have taken care of cleaning up the beach after the New Year’s night party. A walk on the beach in the morning revealed the garbage the city-dwellers had left behind – empty pet and glass bottles, disposable plates and glasses, firecrackers boxes, polythene bags, half-burnt camp fires, tissue papers, etc.

For dinner that evening I had Tisrya (Clams) and enjoyed thoroughly though this was my first time. This was our last full meal at the resort as we were going to head back for Pune the next morning.


Day 6: Jan 02, 2010

It was time for us to start back for Pune. We got up early and had a quick breakfast of Pohe and tea. I had a bit of stomach upset and visited the loo thrice that morning. The host told us that it could probably be because of ‘tisrya’ as it is mineral rich and only locals have the stomach to digest it. So that’s a word of caution for all those with a weak constitution / stomach.

The owner of the resort gave us a few fresh coconuts from the tree on his property around the resort that has around 700 coconut trees. Finally we started at 9:00 AM from Tarkarli.

We followed the same route back to Pune (Tarkarli – Malvan – Kudal – Sawantwadi – Amboli – Azara – Gadhinglaj – Nipani – Kolhapur – Satara – Pune). With three bio-breaks and a lunch break at Hotel Kaveri (that we repented making as the food was not great but bought some Kunda and masala pans from the adjacent shop) we reached Pune at 4:00 PM.


All-in-all we had a fantastic time on this trip. It was truly stress-relieving and rejuvenating. And if you are a foodie like me who loves eating fish, this place is a must visit. Though I like to call myself an animal-lover; an animal-lover who loves to eat them (hope nobody from PETA is reading)!! LoL


Quick Food Tips:

1. Try fish thalis at Hotel Chaitanya with unlimited Solkadhi and rice

2. One should avoid individual (A La Carte) items as this works out quite costly. For example: the Surmai thali (1 large piece of fried Surmai, Bangda curry, fish pickle, 2 chapatties, unlimited solkadhi & rice) costs INR 150 but if you order just fried Surmai (1 big piece) it will cost INR 155 or more.

3. The oysters (Kalva) at Hotel Chaitanya are worth a shot.

4. Food at Hotel Swami is just fine; nothing to rave about.

5. Buy Malvani masalas and chilli powder at Deolkar’s in Malvan market

6. Try the Chilli-Lemon-Ginger ice-cream (INR 25 for a slice) at Aroskar’s

7. Avoid food at Hotel Kaveri (25 KM after Nipani toll).



Local (Malvani) names for food and fishes:

A. Tisrya : Clams

B. Kalva / Kalawa : Oysters

C. Chingul : Prawns (Kolambi)

D. Bangda : Mackerels (fish)

E. Bombil : Bombay Ducks (fish)

F. Kurli / Kurlya / Khekda : Crab

G. Surmai : King fish

H. Paplet : Pomfret (fish)

I. Rawas : Indian Salmon (fish)

J. Kokam : Mangosteen / red mango

K. Solkadhi : Local non-alcoholic drink made of fresh coconut milk in mangosteen/ red mango juice spiced with ginger, garlic and coriander. Goes very well with the spicy fish curries and fried fish or simply with cooked rice.

L. Chapatti : Flattened round shaped, pan baked, wheat flour bread

M. Wade : Flattened round shaped, deep fried bread of rice flour

N. Bhakri : Flattened round shaped, pan baked bread made from flour of Rice/ Bajri (Pearl Millet / Pearl Barley) / Jowar (Sorghum)

O. Jevan / Thali : Complete meal (Fish curry, fried fish, Indian bread, rice, solkadhi)



Few important things:

1. Take plenty of water with you. We had carried a can of 20 litres from Pune and it lasted us four days.

2. Most roads, once you leave NH4, are winding and bending. Drive carefully as there are many blind spots. Avoid driving after sunset.

3. Snorkeling is a must ‘to do’ while in Tarkarli. It’s complete paisa-wasool. Do it after 12 noon, as the sun is brighter and you will see the marine life a lot deeper and clearer.

4. There is no scuba-diving facility though many resorts and websites advertise it.

5. Ensure that your resort truly is ‘beach’ resort. Many claim to be but aren’t really on the beach or do not have direct access to the beach. Also note that many resorts ask for certain or full payment of tariff in advance to confirm the booking.

6. Keep these handy on your trip: mosquito-repellent, sun-block (sun-screen lotion), shades (goggles), hat/cap, swimwear, cargo shorts and waterproof footwear and torch.

7. At almost all the places in Malvan and around only cash is accepted so provision for enough to last through the trip including final payment to the resort. There is an ATM (SBI) towards the beach end of the Malvan market (near the way to Sindhudurg Fort from Malvan) but I did not try it though I did see people going in and out so hopefully it should be functional.

8. Not many people get to see the dolphin and hence it is best to avoid it as the cost too is pretty high.

9. There are power outages everyday for 5-6 hours so ensure to charge your cellphones, camera batteries, etc whenever power is there though most places have power back-up for lights and fans.

10. If visiting the beach after sunset it is advisable to carry your cell-phone and a torch / emergency light for personal safety though there is nothing to fear about except occasional stray dogs.

11. Evening walks on the beach are more fun as it is low tide and the waterline rolls back 10-15 meters compared to the high tide. One can see many shells and star-fishes along the sea in the evening. Kids and adults enjoy collecting them.

12. As Indian let’s be nice and helpful to foreign travellers. It our country and each one of us represent it.