TARKARLI – KONKAN’S HIDDEN JEWEL

Apr 08, 2020 10:34:02 AM

We recently planned a short family trip in December to Tarkarli - a Konkan beach in Malvan district.Tarkarli offers a variety of WATER SPORTS like scuba diving, snorkelling, banana ride, motor rides, para-sailing, etc., so this is definitely a little heaven for water sports lovers and the same is quite easy on the  pockets too.Tarkarli is around 500 kms from Mumbai and the best mode of transport to reach there is by road (via Kolhapur or via Ratnagiri). However, one can also take a train till Kudal from where it is around 60 kms. Nearest airport is Dabolim in Goa from where Tarkarli is merely a 3 hour drive.My family opted to go by road so we hired a chauffeur driven Innova.  We started our journey on Friday morning and decided to go via Gaganbawadda in Kolhapur. One can visit the Mahalaxmi temple enroute to Kolhapur.As we were about to reach Tarkarli, we saw trees overladen with mangoes on both sides of the road. Bunches and bunches of Alphonso mangoes on either sides of road – a treat for all mango-lovers. Besides mangoes there were many other fruit trees like jackfruit, coconut, cashew, dates, bananas and tall trees decorated with maroon kokam. The best part was that all the trees were loaded with fruits. It seemed like we were entering a fruit-heaven with so many fruits hanging freely on their branches. Not just fruits trees but the place was also filled with colorful flowers too.

After a journey of almost 12 hours we reached our destination. We had booked a little beach home i.e. Vedaant Beach Resort (200m from Tarkarli Beach). It was a well maintained cozy property with basic amenities. We did not venture out as it was quite late and almost dinner time, so we freshened up and ordered for some home cooked local food (these holiday homes are mostly owned by the locals, the ladies of the home cook the food for the guests upon request).

We had decided to spend the first half of the second day only enjoying water sport activites and later on we were to visit Dhamapur Lake.Water sports are usually arranged in the backwaters of Karli river on Tsunami island, quite an interesting name. The secret behind its name is that it got formed after the turbulence of the Tsunami storm.

To reach Tsunami island, we need to go by boat. Enroute the island the boatman will show you many other scenic spots like Karli Devi temple, Confluence of the Karli river with the Indian Ocean, MTDC Resort, a half sunken ship, Crocodile Point (there are no crocodiles though, just a trailing end of the mountain in the river which resembles a crocodile face). The boat ride is truly relaxing because of the cool breeze coming from the backwaters.

Tsunami island, where water sports is conducted also had a number of small shops selling eatables. We kept our belongings in one of the shop and went for Jet Ski, Sofa ride and banana ride. Compared to other places the water sports here were at a much lower rate.

We were introduced to a new ride called Sofa ride wherein 2 or 3 people can sit together on a sofa which is tightly secured by a rope to a speed boat and pulled on the sea with full speed gradually. This makes the sofa float, fly and splash on the sea. This sofa ride was definitely a thrilling experience and we enjoyed it to the fullest. And banana ride was as usual an adventurous one. Scuba diving an under-water sport is also carried out here, wherein visitors can actually explore the fantastic underworld, see and feel the marine life one-on-one. Dolphin Point is very close to Tsunami island and you can go there by boat, though sighting an actual dolphin purely depends on luck.

After the water sports we had some snacks at Tsunami island and came back to our resort. By the time we reached the resort it was lunch time, so we had our lunch and rested for a while. We later went to Dhamapur lake which is well-known for its crystal clear water. One can enjoy boat rides in the still, calm waters of the lake.

Day three was allocated for local sightseeing and a trip to Kunkeshwar. So, early the next morning we went to Malvan beach to see the local catch of fish being auctioned. After bargaining we managed to get                     5 Pomfrets for Rs.1000/- , which we handed over to our resort owner who managed to prepare an awesome KONKAN meal for us in the evening. Later we took a ferry ride from Malvan jetty to reach Sindhudurg Fort.

The fort of Sindhudurg (which means ‘Fort in the Sea’) is an engineering marvel built by Shivaji Maharaj around 350 years ago. It is located at a small islet surrounded by the Arabian Sea.

We later went to visit the Kunkeshwar Temple an ancient Shiva temple located in Kunkeshwar village about 14kms from Devgad town. This town is situated on the banks of the Arabian Sea.

Every temple has a unique story to tell, well this one is no different. The locals believe that there was once an Irani sailor who was travelling by sea for trade and was near the beach of Kunkeshwar. Suddenly there was havoc in the sea and his ship seemed to sink. He saw a lamp on that beach and prayed to it asking it to stop the havoc and also promised that he would build a temple if he was saved. After that his ship reached the shore without any problem. The Shivlinga was already there, the sailor built the temple as promised. But as the sailor was a non-hindu he thought his religion would not accept him and therefore committed suicide from the top of the temple. But according to research such stories were spread to protect the temple from the Mughal sultans. The eastern side of the temple has Pandav time caves with beautifully carved male and female warriors in black rock. The presence of the Ganesh idol alongwith the Shiv-linga and Nandi in the center, this place is a must see for every visitor

On our way back to the resort we visited the Aachra Lake and the famous Rameshwar temple in Aachra.

We checked-out of the resort on the fourth day after having an early morning breakfast. We decided to take the route via Ratnagiri so we could visit the famous Ganpatipule temple before heading home to Mumbai.

Just a few pointers for those travelling to Tarkarli for the first time:

Guys please keep some snacks in your bag-packs which you could munch on during your fort visit & boat trips. If you are planning to go scuba diving please carry your own swim suits. Scuba diving is not recommended for people with medical history. One more thing almost everybody can enjoy the water sport activities even if you do not know swimming. And please get your bookings done only through a trusted tour operator for Takarli.

For more details on group or customized tour packages to Tarkarli you can visit our website www.trinityairtravel.com