Maravanthe beach is a rare combination created by nature where river and sea are separated by a small stretch of land. You can stand on the highway running through this stretch and see silent Suparnika river on one side and roaring sea on another side. Maravanthe beach by itself is a beauty with its clean shores lined with stones.
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Beach stretches to a few kilometers and you would love to walk along the sea with waves thumping against your feet.
During our visit, road expansion work was going on and thus we could not get the glimpse of original river-sea combination. There are many pictures available online which will give you a sight of this unique beautiful combination
With road expansion even beyond river line, development has overshadowed this unique natural combination. Below picture will give you an idea that probably you would never be able to experience the original beauty again (as in above pic).
We headed to Souparnika river looking for the boating options and luckily found Raju and Rajesh who were working there for sand extraction from river bed and offered us a ride in their big boat. There were commercial motor boats too but we preferred Raju and Rajesh’s company and their boat which moved slowly in river along coconut trees as they drifted it ahead by pushing a bamboo against river bed.
We loved our ride through the river passing under the shadow of coconut trees and then at times by the side of lotus flowers. There are many islands in the region trapped between rivers and back waters. On our way, we met children and people on their boats heading to their home on these islands.
We enjoyed our time at Maravanthe beach and Souparnika river and really loved spending time amid nature. It was fun being with Raju and Rajesh, taking a boat ride through river and then jumping on the sea shore. Kundapura Beach is also close by. A little walk along the beach and you would reach to Turtle Bay Resort on Kundapura beach.
How to reach Maravanthe Beach
(Location) Maravanthe beach is located around 55 KMs from Udupi. You can take a bus from Udupi (Intercity bus stand) to Kundapur (~50 minutes, Rs 35 per person) and then change for the bus heading to Maravanthe beach (~30 minutes, Rs 15 per person). While coming back, we got State Transport bus directly for Udupi from beach only. (~1.5 hours, Rs 50 per person).
Boating in Souparnika river
There are motor boats available for a ride in the river. You may also contact Rajesh and Raju for a ride (Rajesh: 8884257158). They do not provide boat services but may offer you a ride on Sunday as it is a weekly off for them. They did not ask us anything but we offered them a gratitude amount for their wonderful company and also hard work as it takes a lot of efforts to push the boat through water using a bamboo.
Restaurant options: Walk to Turtle Beach Resort
There are hardly any quality restaurant options available on Maravanthe beach. However, we walked a kilo meter ahead to reach Turtle Bay Resort and they served us amazing lunch. (Location).
It was too hot during the day. Do carry caps/hat and water with you.
Hi,
Nice blog. One question, how you traveled to Maravanthe Beach from Udupi… By local Bus or private cab?
We had gone by private bus. Buses are easily available. There was a change over on the way while going to the beach. For return journey, we had got a direct bus upto Udupi only.