May 23, 2009 10:58 PM
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I am writting this review after a long time, though I visited this place in January 2009. We started from Dadar station. Mandovi Express is the perefct train to catch for a beautiful journey thru scenic beaty of Konkan.
You have to get down at Kudan station which is very close to Panjim, Goa. The journey takes approx 10 hrs. We reached by 5 pm at Kudal. From Kudal you can either go by ST Bus or take an Auto (fare is Rs.350/-) to Tarkarli. Its 1 to 1.5 hrs drive from Kudal.
You reach Malvan first & Tarkarli is just 7-8 kms from Malvan. You must keep your camera out to capture nature. You get cross Karli river bridge. You will be forced to stop & get out of your vehicle to see the beaty. Its superb!!
Ok. Now you reach Tarkarli. You can stay in any one of the resorts run by locals or stay in MTDC resort which is THE BEST in Tarkarli.
What to see at Tarkarli:-
Tarkarli Beach:- The beach is very nice. Quite, calm & seren. Clean water & white sand. Please try going there early in morning. Sit there with your loved once and you will realise a sheer peace of mind. Its absolutely fabulous experience.
Sindhudurg Fort:- Its located inside the sea. You go to Malvan jetty, fare per person is Rs. 27/-. You can get a guide for Rs. 50/- to see the fort from inside. It was good.
Rock Garden:- Its closer to Malvan police station and near malvan jetty. Its a beautiful garden with some rocks on its fence playing with ocean water. You can click some magnificent pictures here.
Devbagh Beach:- Its a beach closer to Tarkerli beach. From this beach you can see the point where river meets the ocean. Most of the boats are anchored here including House Boat by MTDC.
Boating:- Many resort operators have anchored their boats at Devbagh. They charge Rs. 800/- for a boat for a ride. That includes dolphine point, island, Bhogwe beach, sangam etc. You should go early in the morning to spot dolphines. We were lucky to spot a bunch of dolphines. Do remember to have a bath on Island. you feel refreshed. You cal spot a plenty of seagulls on bhogwe beach. While you try spot dolphines, you look down in ocean & surprisingly you can view sea bed clearly. Water is so clear!
Temples:- There are few nice temples located in nearby areas. You can your resort owner or locals more about these temples. We visited one Ganapti temple near rock garden. It was good.
Vijaydurg:- One more fort in the surrounding area. It was okay fort. We clicked some nice pictures.
Snorkling:- If you are going to Tarkarli & not doing snorkling, then I must say your visit is a waste! Its was one of the BEST things to do on earth. Locals are favorite here against MTDC. Locals would charge approx Rs.300/- per person. Their guide take you under the water and show you amazing under water world. You get to see corals, various species of colourful fish and many more stuff that you usually see only on discovery channel. It was amazing experince. Due to its clean & clear water you can have snorkling at Tarkarli. Soon they are planning to start scooba diving as well, and I am gonna go Tarkarli again for same. You can go snorkling at Goa beaches as well but they make you shell out at least Rs. 4000/- for same.
Where to Stay??
You can stay at any of the resorts run by locals. They charge between Rs. 600 to 1000/- per day per room. You can also choose to stay at MTDC resort which as I mentioned earlier is THE BEST. But you have to make advance booking for this. We stayed at one Bhagwan Beach Resort.
What to eat??
Fist is tourists favorite, as its available fresh & its basic food locals, so they can cook excellent delicacies of fish. You also get veg food. One of the good restaurents is "Bamboo" at Malvan. Please try it out.
Being a costal area ample of cocnuts available, however they ar enot sold in a big way. While I was going for snorkling, I inquired with one of the local for coconut water. They pleasantly surprised me with one coconut. The coconut water was just too sweet & was more than 2 glass!! can you imagine??? 2 glasses of coconut water from a single one!!
Booze:- Good thing is no booze available in Tarkarli. If you are desparate about it, you have to buy a bottle from Malvan!!
Travelling:-
You have to depend a lot on auto rickshaws. All auto rickshaws were relatively new with less polution run on petrol with a lot less noise. Mumbai auto rickshaw wala should learn from them.
They charge Rs. 60/- from Tarkarli to Malvan.
People:-
I must say people of Tarkrli are extremely courteous, helpful & tourist friendly & sweet as their coconut water. You can trust them.
Tarkarli is a beatiful place to visit with family & friends. Its not commercialised yet.
Goverment should seriously think of developing this superb coast line of Konkan. It could turn out to be an amzing tourist destination for Maharashtra.
Its best suited for 3 days. We stayed for a week with out getting bored. Infact we wanted to stay for some more time but had to return as our vacation drawing towards an end.
Best time to visit is between Oct to Jan.
Cheers....!!
