Gokarna, a small pilgrimage town in Karnataka has grown into a tourist destination over the years, thanks to its stretch of beautiful, sandy beaches. With the advent of foreigners thronging it, it no longer remains a quaint temple town, but a thriving vacation spot that is as laidback as Goa, only less commercial. In fact, many Goa regulars have now moved on to Gokarna’s pristine beaches where the crowds are less and the beaches cleaner. In fact, this trend has divided Gokarna into two parts, one that is for the religious devotee who comes to seek blessings of Shiva, and the other of the carefree tourist looking for some peace and quiet in nature’s lap. Owing to its growing popularity, several hotels and restaurants have come up in Gokarna. The temple town is now an emerging beach destination that offers something to different types of tourists with its natural beauty and its history steeped in mythology.
Gokarna is connected well by train and road from all major cities in Karnataka. The nearest airport is at Dabolim, Goa that is 150 km away. The Gokarna railway station is located 10 km from the centre of the city. Bus services are also available from Bangalore and Goa.
The best time to visit Gokarna would definitely be from October to March when the humidity is at its very least. November to February is especially crowded with a lot of foreigners. The offseason, that is the rainy season, is not the ideal time to go to the beaches with all of them looking desolate and unkempt with limited food options. The temples in the town are most lively around festivals of Shivratri and Ganesh Chaturthi.
With its pristine beaches and breathtaking landscapes, Gokarna is a Hindu pilgrimage town in Karnataka and a newly found hub for beach lovers and hippies. Situated on the coast of Karwar, every year Gokarna welcomes hordes of tourists from around the world in search of sanctity and relaxation. The out-of-town beaches like Kudle beach and Om Beach are a different contrast to life inside the town.
Palm clad beaches are dotted with foreign tourists in a majority and very few Indians are seen across. Gokarna is not very conventionally touristy. The beaches are meant for a slow, relaxed holiday and everything on the beach goes at the same relaxed pace. Full of coconut and palm trees, the ocean and clean sands, Gokarna is a 'one of a kind' place in the country.