ALONG THE WEST COAST - BEACHES OF MALVAN

India is one of the most coveted destinations for tourists from all over the world because of the presence of mountains, beaches, forests, deserts, historical relics, diversified cultures, and heritage in just one country. Despite our efforts, we could only showcase a few of them leaving the rest unexplored and untouched.

I had the opportunity to visit a few beaches in Malvan Coast of Maharashtra with my friends that remained unexplored for being shadowed by very popular beaches of Konkan and Malabar coasts. I would like to introduce the details of these beaches as also share my experience.

How we reached Bhogave

Our target was Bhogave beach which was around 25 km from the Kudal railway station on the Mumbai-Goa route. Having boarded Janshatabdi Express at 05.30 from Dadar Terminus, the train crossed Panvel, Mahad, Rajapur, etc., and ultimately reached Kudal at around 13.30 hrs, an hour beyond schedule covering a distance of more than 500 km. Since the vehicle was ready, we started off for Samant Beach Resort, Bhogave beach via Pat-Parule to have our couple of days stay and have the flavor of beaches of Malvan coast.

After reaching the parking area of the resort, we had to walk around 100 meters to reach the entrance through a paved pathway covered with dry sand which is very common in all seaside hotels.

Incidentally, the nearest airport from all the Malvan Beaches was Dabolim Airport of Goa.

Stay at Bhogave

Samant Beach Resort was located on the Bhogave beach itself and the entire resort with 100 meters from the sea-side. It was a beautiful resort under the shade of coconut trees with four double-storied wooden blocks and four cottages facing each other. The open-air restaurant was located between two blocks where around forty persons could have food. The entire resort was bounded by coconut trees and a path led to the seaside. The resort was found to be a place with peace and tranquility. Since the number of visitors was less, we could hear the sound of breeze touching the coconut leaves and the sound of sea waves.

Malvan delicacies

As we reached perfectly at lunchtime and with a lot of hunger on account of the continuous journey, we simply jumped on our meal which included rice, roti, two types of fish curries and fish fry, curd, and sweets. As an avid fish lover, I did not spare a minute to grab the opportunity to have so many types of fish in one go. I tried to match the names of the fish but could not since the nomenclature was local. However, I could not help appreciating the tastes of the fishes I had. The food was a mixture of Maharashtrian and Konkani cuisine which made us enjoy delicacies of both the provinces. We gave a standing order to the cook to feed us as many varieties of fishes as possible along with crabs and squids during our stay for a couple of days.

Bhogave Beach

It was a silent beach with minimum tourists and a long coastline. The local residents were mostly fishermen. The sand was clean and the seawater was calm and also crystal clear due to less pollution. We could not resist ourselves taking a bath in the sea that afternoon. In the evening we went to Nivati fort that is located at a slightly high altitude to enjoy the sunset. But the ruins of the fort were in a dilapidated condition with no maintenance. But the view from the fort towards the sea on one side and Karli River on the other side had been spectacular. The sunset view from the fort had been a unique experience.

I had a strange experience after reaching the sunset point. Only me, one of my friends and the guide climbed up the sunset top and others were waiting below. My friend and guide went down towards the rock to have a full view of the sunset and the sea whereas I did not take the risk of climbing down. After the sunset, the mountains of Western Ghats was grasping with darkness. I was waiting for my friend and guide to climb up so as to reach the other side where my other friends were waiting for us. But there was no sign of my friend and guide for a long time. I shouted by their names but only my call echoed in the mountains. I tried to find the way to come to the road but I found myself lost in the midst of the forest and even could not locate the fort in dark. I had no other alternative but to stand and wait for them. I was scared of wild animals as I did not have any other arms except my selfie stick which was brittle to combat any wild creature. There was no mobile connection and I stood helpless. Suddenly, I heard faint voices of human being and gradually the sound became audible. At last, my friend and guide had found me. Ultimately, we climbed down the mountain together.

Khavane Beach

Next the morning after breakfast, we proceeded towards Khavane beach which is around 16 kilometers from Bhogwe by our hired vehicle. The beach was located in Vengurla block and there were two parts of the beach viz. Motha Khavane and Chhota Khavane. The tourists generally visited Motha Khavane as Chhota Khavane was mostly inhabited by local fishermen. Since the beach was secluded, we did not find many of tourists.

Tarkarli Beach

Tarkarli Beach was most popular beach in this region with huge number of visitors and umpteen numbers of hotels and homestays to accommodate the tourists. There were restaurants catering all types of delicacies from “Chhole Bature” of Punjab to “Appam” of Kerala. The movement of public and private vehicles was also high. Despite the beach had clear blue water and spectacular coastline and being designated as Queen of Beaches in the Konkan region, the beach had lost its serenity because of pollution, crowd, and excessive presence of modern gadgets of amusement.  

Vengurla Beach

The beach had become popular because of the calm sea and iridescent coastline covered with white sand. The place was inhabited by fishermen and otherwise less populated. Few locally famous temples were also located near the beach. It was learnt that once upon a time, Vengurla was one of the important trading centers in the Konkan area. But now the location had lost its glory and remained as only a beach resort. There was a fishing harbor near Vengurla where we could see the movement of fishing trollers during our visit.

Devbaug Beach

 Our next destination was Devbaug Beach, which like other Malvan beaches were beautiful with plenty of coconut trees and sparkling golden sand. The beach was located near the delta of Tarkarli River. The added attraction of the beach was a small island near the beach called Tsunami Island that had become a tourist spot because of the availability of water sports. The island got submerged during high tide. A lot of tourists arrived there mostly with their families to enjoy water scooter ride, scuba diving, para-sailing, kayaking, etc. The water was crystal clear but we could not enjoy coral reef because of heavy rush. 

Sidhudurg Fort

The presence of Chhatrapati Sivaji Maharaj could be felt over the entire Maharashtra. Sidhudurg Fort was constructed in the seventeenth century by Shivaji Maharaj. The fort had long rampart with high and thick walls with the intention to prevent the enemy onslaught. The tourists had to ply for around 500 meters by local steamers through the Arabian Sea. The arrival of local and outstation tourists depicted the indication of a local holiday. 360-degree view of the fort along with sea on all sides from the highest point of the fort was simply unique.

Other Beaches

There were a few more beaches viz. Achara Beach, Weiry Ubhatwadi Beach, Talashil Tondavali Beach, Kolamb Beach, Malvan Dandi Beach, Chiwla Beach, etc. in that region, that was almost similar to the beaches we visited. But on account of paucity of time, we could not visit those beaches but heard that they were also worth visiting.

Experience

It had been a unique experience to have visited so many almost virgin beaches in one stroke. The calm sea, shades of the coconut tree, rocky extension of the Western Ghats and serenity, and tranquility of the entire belt has literally drawn me to go back to the place again. 

It is suggested that along with popular beaches of Konkan and Malabar Coasts, the beach lovers should also have a glimpse of the beaches of Malvan and they would definitely carry back golden memories of their stay.