Trip tips: Unravelling Malpe’s secret

Malpe: When one thinks of Udupi, one doesn’t go much further than the temple, the beaches, and of course, their world famous idlis and sweet sambar. But this temple town hides a little slice of heaven in Malpe, which is about five kms away. The Malpe beach and St. Mary’s Island close to it is the stuff of tourist’s dreams, we were told.

We arrived at Udupi by bus and immediately made our way to Malpe port, from where the beach is a 30-minute boat ride. After checking into a resort, we set out to avail of all the water sports facilities on offer, such as the banana boat and water scooter. The highlight, though, was parasailing, one of the long-standing items on my to-do list.

The sun beat down and the water sports slowed us down, but we did have time for sight seeing. We visited St.Mary’s Island, a major tourist draw. Located off the coast of Malpe, the island is said to have been formed due to volcanic activity and was once a part of Madagascar. The beaches here are beautiful and kept clean by the locals, who are very protective of them. The place is perfect for a weekend getaway, pleasantly free of crowds. The lighthouse, located not too far from Malpe, is great too for some time alone. Fishing is a major vocation here, and we learnt much about it from speaking to the fishermen. The beautiful rock structures along the beaches are great for photography. We now had to return to Udupi to savour some signature dishes.

We went to the famous Hotel Kediyur to try their Fish Biriyani which was truly special. It’s hard to taste fish so fresh and our interaction with the fishermen now helped us appreciate even more what we were eating. We toured the town, visited the Sri Krishna Temple and then went to Hotel Woodlands for an amazing vegetarian meal. It’s no surprise that Udupi dominates the South Indian food industry. We returned home most contented.