Gokarna Road Trip from Bangalore: Camping & Beach Trekking

Gokarna is a famous beach town situated in the North-West of Karnataka near the border of Goa. Famous for several serene beaches along the Arabian sea shore, Gokarna is always tourist’s favorite destination. Most of the tourist that arrive at Gokarna are from Bangalore.

Gokarna Road trip from Bangalore at a Glance:

Distance from Bangalore: Around 500 Kms
Average time to reach there in a private car: Around 10 hours.
Route: Bangalore -> Tumkur -> Chitradurga -> Haveri -> Sirsi -> Kumta -> Gokarna

Road Trip from Bangalore to Gokarna:

If you are planning a road trip from Bangalore to Gokarna, you should be knowing about the road condition from Bangalore to Gokarna.

Bangalore to Haveri on AH 47 (320 Kms):

The distance of 320 Kms from Bangalore to Haveri can be covered in just 5.5 hours. The road is a proper highway at least two-lane on one side in minimum. However, there are not many Dhaba or roadside shops options after Chitradurga which is around 200 Kms from Bangalore.

As you will be driving on the highway, this is evident that you will have to pay the toll charges also. There will be around 600 rupees in toll charges from Bangalore to Haveri. After Haveri, you hit the state road and I do not think there are any toll charges from Haveri to Gokarna.

Haveri to Gokarna (180 Kms):

The distance of 180 km from Haveri to Gokarna takes around 4.5 hours via Sirsi including breaks. This route is usually single-lane two-way drive through reserve forest and jungle which are scenic during monsoon or post monsoon but dry during summer.

Planning your road trip from Bangalore to Gokarna: Tips

Try to leave Bangalore as early as possible. On the average, general cars take around 10 hours. If you start late in the midnight or post midnight, you will reach Gokarna in the noon or afternoon. Gokarna being a rocky terrain and a sea nearby gets humid and warm easily.

The best time to start would be around 8 or 9 PM on Friday. So, that you can reach Gokarna early morning. Another thing is, if you start late, by the time you reach Sirsi, it will be already morning. So, for the rest of the 180 Kms, you will have to drive through the day traffic.

Understand the Gokarna beaches:

There is a total of famous five beaches around Gokarna along the Arabian Sea. Those beaches are:

  • Gokarna beach
  • Kudle Beach
  • Om Beach
  • Half Moon beach and,
  • Paradise beach aka small Hell beach.

Gokarna Beach trail

Note: The walking trail given in the map above is wrong between Kudle to Om beach. You can actually directly walk from Kudle to Om beach through Gokarna Cliff. Once you reach the Kudle beach, the trail is pretty evident.

Gokarna Beaches Accessibility:

Gokarna bus stand, market, vegetable shops, local shops and cheap hotels are all located in the Gokarna town. Gokarna beach is the nearest beach from there. Just before entering the Gokarna town, there is a road-cut which takes you there to the Kudle beach and the Om beach.

That means you can drive directly to the Kudle beach or the Om beach if you have your own vehicle. In case, if you do not have your own vehicle, a tempo or auto or tuk-tuk can be hired in the Gokarna town (in case you arrive by bus) to drive you to the hotel or Kudle or the Om beach towards the south of the Gokarna beach.

Kudle beach is situated at a distance of around 4 Kms from the Gokarna town towards the south. Om beach is situated at a distance of around 7 Kms in the same route further.

Gokarna beach:

Gokarna beach is the nearest beach to the town. As a tourist, I would not recommend going to this beach. This beach is mainly crowded by the locals. If you want to relax there drinking beer, it might look little awkward among the locals.

Kudle beach:

Kudle beach is the beach next to Gokarna beach. I would say this one is the one of the most famous and populated beach among the Gokarna beaches where you can sit and relax in the restaurants and have a beer or just do sun-bathing. This beach is also clean and easy to relax.

There are some restaurants on the beaches which serve you drinks and food where you can sit and enjoy. This beach is little costlier than the Gokarna main town beach but affordable because of the choices of the restaurants.

Om Beach:

Om beach is the beach next to Kudle beach. It is little expensive compared to Kudle beach and the most expensive among the all. There is only one famous restaurant on this beach beside one or two local restaurants. So, it depends on where are you staying. If you are going to stay near the Om beach, of course, restaurants near the Om beach are your best choices otherwise try to stick to the Kudle beach.

Half moon and paradise beach (Small hell beach):

There is almost nil option on these beaches as far as food, drinks or even water is concerned. But these beaches definitely worth a visit because they are not so crowded and you can relax there on the beach.

Best time to travel to Gokarna:

Monsoon is surely not the best time to travel to Gokarna as water becomes murky and beaches also smell. You also cannot see the sun and relax there because of the infrequent rain. The best time to visit Gokarna would be from January until March. Most of the foreigners also arrive during this season only.

Gokarna beach, Om beach, Kudle beach, paradise beach, half moon beach (17)

How to reach Gokarna?

Gokarna is almost 500 Kms from Bangalore so, I would prefer to go by train/ Private vehicle rather by bus.

From To Distance By bus by train
 Bangalore  Gokarna  500 kms  10-12 hours  17.5 hours
 Goa  Gokarna  140 kms  4 hours  2-2.5 hours
 Mangalore  Gokarna  220 kms  6 hours  3-4 hours

Train from Bangalore to Gokarna road station:

Karwar Express (16523) leaves Bangalore city Junction @ 20;00 reaches Gokarna road station @ 13:19; frequency: everyday
Sleeper chargees: 405
Third AC charges: 1100

Gokarna Beach Camping:

If you are carrying your own tent, you can pitch that at Paradise beach ( the only beach where camping is allowed). You can also camp at the Namaste cafe or some resorts allow you to camp if you are in a group. They would only provide you space. Rest you have to arrange yourself.

If you are opting for camping, make sure you carry everything with you including water and other needs as there are no shops or restaurants at the Paradise beach as it is secluded. During the monsoon, make sure you have a proper tent which does not fly off under the high winds.

Also, you will have to trek for about 7 Kms from Gokarna beach to the Paradise beach if you are going for the camping. If you want to avoid trekking so much, you can park your vehicle at the Om beach and then trek from there to the Paradise beach. Gokarna beach, Om beach, Kudle beach, paradise beach, half moon beach (15)

Staying Option in Gokarna:

There are a lot of staying options in Gokarna on the various beaches including Gokarna town, Gokarna beach, Kudle beach and Om beach. The cost varies from place to place and the location of your stay.

Staying in the Gokarna town or staying on the Gokarna beach is cheaper than staying near the Kudle beach. However, in terms of money, Om beach is the most expensive. If you want to find an affordable place to stay, go for the Kudle beach. Here is a Wikitravel article with details on staying option in Gokarna.

Gokarna beach trekking:

Gokarna Beach trekking starts from the Gokarna beach and ends on the paradise beach aka small hell beach as marked on the Google Maps. There is a straightforward trail from one to another beach. If you are going to use the Google GPS trail map, it won’t show you the correct trail from the Kudle beach to the Om beach.

If you feel too confused, just follow other people who are trekking or ask the local people. Everyone almost knows about the trail as well as the trail is pretty evident. Here is a nice article on the detailed walking experience from one to another beach.

 

Gokarna beach, Om beach, Kudle beach, paradise beach, half moon beach (5)Note:

– Book the accommodation well in advance if you are planning to go there on weekends or during holidays
– Avoid any quarrel with locals or police.
Read this: http://www.bangaloremirror.com/bangalore/cover-story/200-foreigners-accuse-Gokarna-cops-of-brutal-assault-at-V-Day-party/articleshow/30633255.cms

Places to see around Gokarna:

For more queries, leave a comment below. 

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43 Replies to “Gokarna Road Trip from Bangalore: Camping & Beach Trekking”

  1. sakshi

    Hi ,

    I am somewhat of a newbie to blogging. So with that being said, I am very glad that I found this blog post. I’ve heard talk of Gokarna Beach Trek but never really knew what it was all about; however, I can say that I understand a lot better now. I plan to stay connected to your blog. Can’t wait to see what you’re going to write next. Thanks

    https://banbanjara.com/tours/gokarna-beach-trek

  2. Krishnan

    Hi,

    Firstly thanks for the article was very informative. I understand the article is three years old hence I had a query. Was planning to go with my wife for camping..as u suggested is paradise beach still safe considering the human intervention?

  3. JOHNKUTTY

    hi amar
    i am planning for a weekend trip to gokara with 12 friends by end of this jan. as we checked for hotels most of them are booked, so we are planning to camp at paradise beach. is it safe to tent there ?

  4. Sanchit

    Hey,
    Could use a little help.
    I’m planning to go with a friend, 2 of us, both guys. Mostly 22/12/17-26/12/17.
    We want to camp in our own tents as we are on a tight budget.
    Is Paradise Beach safe? Also, what about shower and toilet facilities? Can we go to some hotel/restaurant for that sole purpose?

  5. Sandeep Kedia

    I want to visit their as couples and want to stay in tent as we want to stay under the stars. We are reaching there on 30th Jan. I also found somewhere that we can stay in Middle beach in tent. I wanted to confirm if it is possible to stay in our own tent at this time and what are the things we should care about if we are staying in tent.

  6. Aswin

    Hi,

    Me and 3 of my friends are planning a visit during New Year.Since the hotels are fully occupied, we have no choice other than to camp.Can you suggest any alternative accomodations(I tried in booking.com,yatra,go ibibo etc.. and no rooms are available during that time)

  7. tc

    Really nice article.

    You mentioned camping might trouble in seasons, I din’t get here – whether their local festive season because of religious place that police gets strict or tourism season where flocks comes in abundance and party (e.g. 31st December)?

    • trekkerp Post author

      People usually gets strict when tourists create nuisance like venturing inside the water in the night, or smoking weed etc. If you are mindful, you should be in trouble.

  8. nikhiltejak

    Hi there, I’ll be going to Gokarna on 5th december, and I’ll be reaching late, at maybe around 10, so trekking to Paradise beach might not be possible, where else can I camp in the night, that I can reach at that time? Or should i start late to reach maybe the next day?

    • trekkerp Post author

      10 in the night in December (a winter month) in Gokarna is really too late. All the shops and hotels will be mostly closed and there will be completely dark on the beaches. Also, To trek to Paradise beach for camping, you will have to trek. the first question is: Do you know the route? Are you alone? Will you have enough water and food for the night? what if it rains? Leave aside the wildlife encounters, if any or other unseen problems…

      So, looking at the above factors, I will not advise you to do so at all. The second option sound much better. You reach there early, get fresh, start trekking to the paradise beach.

  9. atul

    Hey bro..i goin to pitch my own tent..only concern is drinking water source…? is it available at paradise beach or i hv to carry water.

  10. Lissiue Maria

    It’s a wonderful blog and I think I got almost everything I need! Thank you so much. I had an inquiry though. Is camping on paradise beach safe? And is it still allowed, ’cause I heard it’s not allowed anymore.

    • trekkerp Post author

      Officially its not allowed… But on the festive time/ weekend, try not to camp there…. however, duing off-season camping on paradise beach seeks no trouble…

      • Lissiue Maria

        I was planning to go on one of the weekends in September with two of my friejds. I’m guessing that should be okay since it’s off season?

      • trekkerp Post author

        Yeah, that’s right…. try to avoid weekends… and if police asks you pretend as if you do not know anything about it :P… Good luck

    • Sandeep Kedia

      Hi Lissiue, I am visiting in one week. So I wanted to know if you were able to camp conveniently on your last visit. So that I can plan accordingly.

  11. Arjun

    Me and few of my friends are planning to spend new year in gokarna
    We prefer tents pitched along the beach rather than stay in some hotels
    And a beer at hand while counting down for the next year seems to be a good idea
    So
    Which beach is the best for tents and for some booze during December31st ..New year time .
    Also do we get to rent tents there ?

    • trekkerp Post author

      Hi Arjun,

      You cannot rent tents there. According to what you are looking for I think Paradise beach should be perfect. Be reminded that during occasions like new year, police gets strict….

      • sumanth

        hie is there any new eyar party at gokarna where we can join a group?? we are 4 ppl willing to trvael. 2 guys and 2 gals..but the more the group is more fun..suggest me

  12. bechu

    I would like to know which is the cleanest and pleasant beach in gokarna. Where we could have hastle free night walks and have a laidback evening with beer.

  13. Sami

    Hi, its a very helpful Article, I am planning to visit Gokarna from 8th novemeber to 12 Novemeber 2015. I am planning to carry my own camp and wish to stay at Paradise Beach. Do you think around this time there will be any issue?

  14. Samuel Ebenezer

    hey bro i’m thinking of camping on paradise beach a week from now. what are the risks involved. i read on the wikitravel page that cops and forest officials frequent the area. i do not smoke charas or take any other hallucinogenic substance.

    • trekkerpedia

      Hi Samual,

      I think there should not be any risk involved because there are no festivals around and also, it’s not a peak season. However, The temperature might be very hot these days so, I would rather suggest you to take a look of the weather in Gokarna and around and then plan your camping. If at all everything suits you.

      On an over all note, there should not be any problem

      • Samuel Ebenezer

        Thank you for this, sorry for the late reply. We did go camping and the 2nd night we were there it rained 😀 haha so it was pretty fun…thank you again 🙂

      • Sandeep Kedia

        Hi Samuel, was it convenient to put tent there. Was there any kind of inconvenience or something to take care of if we are putting tent on the beach in Gokarna. Is there a specific beach which is the best place to stay in tent.

  15. najumudheen

    hie , you mentioned that Camping is allowed in Paradise beach , and also to be aware of local police thr while camping… is camping hastle free here ???

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