JANUARY 2025
OVERVIEW
If you haven’t done so already, please read my India Tips, Tricks, and Traps post first. This will help you better understand what you are going to read in this post.
We are progressing down the western coast from Goa to Kochi.
We have just left our first stop: Palolem Beach, Goa.
<<< our next stop is Gokarna, Karnataka >>>
EXCHANGE RATE
The currency in India is the Rupee (the ‘INR’ or ‘rs’). At the time of writing, the exchange rates for the major currencies were:
| US$1 | EU€1 | GB£1 | |
| Published Wholesale Rate | 86.35 | 89.93 | 106.57 |
| Actual Exchange Rate (Wise Debit Card) | 85.48 | 89.03 | 105.50 |
| Actual Exchange Rate (Typical Credit Card) | 84.40 | 87.91 | 104.17 |
| Actual Exchange Rate (Good ATM) | 84.40 | 87.99 | 104.17 |
| Actual Exchange Rate (Bad ATM) | 78.58 | 81.84 | 96.98 |
Over time, these exchange rates will change. Please check the current rates.
For simplicity, think of a 500rs note as being US$6 / EU€6 / GB£5.
ATMs
Be careful which ATM you use.
I use SBI Bank ATMs WITHOUT CONVERSION.
WISE DEBIT CARD
I keep my costs down by using a Wise Debit Card.
WHEN TO GO
The West Coast has a tropical monsoonal climate with a dry season and a heavy monsoon the rest of year. There is no cold season.
The best time to come is December through April.
GETTING THERE
To get from Palolem Beach to Gokarna you have 2 options:
- A bus from Canacona Bus Stand (4 hours);
- A train from Canacona Railway Station (1 hour).
I chose the train.
This train is a 2nd class non-aircon ‘locals’ train. You cannot purchase the train ticket in advance. You turn up at the Railway Station on the day of travel. The ticket office opens 2 hours before the train is due. The 56616 train ticket price was 50rs.
Most people huddle around the main entrance and, when the train arrives, they all try to get onto the same carriage … which can be / get very full.
SUGGESTION: Walk a few carriage distances away from the main entrance to get a less crowded carriage.
GOKARNA TRANSPORT
UBER
UBER does not operate in Gokarna.
TUK TUKs & TAXIs
Gokarna Road Train Station is in the middle of nowhere about 10kms away from Gokarna town. Tuk Tuks and Taxis are waiting for you knowing that you have no choice but to pay what they ask. They over-charge.
A tuk tuk will ask 500rs. Your alternative is to walk about 1km to the main road and catch a local bus to the Gokarna Bus Stand for 30rs.
You have to negotiate hard. I started walking up the road. A tuk tuk who was left with no ride drove past me. We agreed a price of 300rs.
Once in Gokarna, normal tuk tuk ‘rule-of-thumb’ price rules apply.
PUBLIC TRANSPORT
Public Transport is limited to inter-city busses connecting at Gokarna Town Bus Stand.
There is no public transport in Gokarna itself. You will need to use a tuk tuk or taxi.
SCOOTER RENTAL
Use Google Maps to identify your nearest ‘Bike on Rent’ providers and then use Whatsapp to make contact with them.
I wanted to rent a scooter for 1 day. One quoted 400rs the other 350rs. I offered 300rs which was immediately accepted by GG Bike Rental. GG also dropped it off at my hotel and picked it up free of charge.
Gokarna gets busy at weekends so prices usually go up on Saturday & Sunday. But, I extended a further 9 days for 2,600rs.
500rs of petrol / gas lasted me for those 9 days even though I was out and about all of the time doing this blog.
INTERNET / WIFI
I had an Indian SIM Card from Airtel.
I had a strong 4G signal everywhere.
AROUND TOWN
Gokarna is located on the Karnataka coast.
Most accommodation can be found close to the coast between Gokarna Town and Nadumaskeri to the north.
Here is a quick look around town:
You can also find a lot of accommodation in the hills south of town.
THE BEACH
The beach stretches 4km from Gokarna town north to Kamal Beach.
MAIN BEACH
The Main Beach is centered around the Gokarna Township. This is the busiest beach.
You are unlikely to get beachfront accommodation … you will most probably have to stay somewhere in town.
MIDDLE BEACH
The Middle Beach is bounded by Hornbill Farm Homestay to the north and Ocean Sparrow Stay Road in the south. This is a quiet beach serviced by many beachfront resorts.
NORTHERN BEACH
The Northern Beach is the quietest. It is also serviced by some beachfront resorts.
NEARBY BEACHES
There are several other beaches within 5 kms of Gokarna Town.
Here is a quick synopsis:
BELEKAN BEACH
To get to Belekan Beach you pass through the fishing village of Talgeri. This is a small, quiet beach serviced by a few little cafes. Good accommodation close to the beach may be hard to find.
When I was there, I saw 2 tourists on the beach and perhaps 4 in the cafes.
PARADISE BEACH / HALF MOON BEACH
I did not actually see Paradise Beach. When I got to the walking track entrance, there was no-one parked there … this put me off. Google Maps says that it looks like this:
I did make it to Half Moon Beach. It is a 15 minute hike from the parking area. This is also a small, quiet beach serviced by a small community of 4 cafes.
There MAY be rooms for rent.
KUDLE BEACH
Kudle Beach is isolated but worth a visit … it is just a 5-10 minute walk from the parking area.
There are plenty of accommodation options here if you want to get away from it all … but most are set back from the beachfront.
MY ACCOMMODATION
My plan was to split my time between 2 separate Gokarna beaches so that I could compare the two.
It was hard to find something decent for under 1,500rs / US$18 per night. I waited until the last minute hoping for discounts. They came.
I used Agoda to book 3 nights at the Absolute Paradise Resort.
I paid a very discounted total price of 2,700rs which was subject to a 450rs Agoda Cashback. Thus, the final price was 2,250rs (about 750rs / US$9 per night).
I found Absolute Paradise perfectly acceptable and hard to beat at that price.
I looked around for a 2nd place to stay but I couldn’t find anything better … I was trying to extend over an Indian Holiday weekend. Problem.
I extended my stay at Absolute Paradise another 4 nights over this holiday weekend. I paid 900rs per night for 3 of those nights and 2,000rs for the Saturday night.
I was unhappy with the options that I was finding in Udupi (my next planned stop). Absolute Paradise was so good that I decided to stay longer. I extended another 4 nights for 3,200rs (800rs / night).
So, in the end, I paid 10,150rs / US$120 for 11 nights.
So (after including the price of the scooter) for 13,550rs (1,230rs / US$15 per night) I had 11 nights in a beachfront cottage on the best beach with total freedom of movement. That is tough to beat anywhere in the world
I found out why Saturday night was so expensive … someone had booked out most of the resort to celebrate their anniversary.
Lovely.
EAT & DRINK
Now that we are away from the popular Goan beach towns of Candolim and Palolem, prices are starting to get more ‘normal’.
ABSOLUTE PARADISE RESORT
Even on the beachfront in my Absolute Paradise Resort restaurant, a Veg Thali was only 210rs and scored 6/10.
THE FRIEND’S CAFE
The Friends Cafe is located on Bellehittal Road. It is a new and very friendly place with reasonable prices.
At The Friends Cafe a Gobi Manchuria (60rs) with Paneer Tikka (50rs) and 3x Chapati (3x 20rs) for 170rs scored 8/10.
A Veg Thali at The Friends Cafe for 200rs scored 7/10. It is not ‘unlimited’ but you can get a ‘top up’ included in that price. It was very tasty but I did miss my popadom and my roti bread.
GET INN
Get Inn is located on Fish Market Road.
In a ‘more typical’ local cafe like the Get Inn a Veg Thali for 120rs scored 8/10 … it was excellent value for money. 
NAMASKARAM CAFE & RESTAURANT
Namaskaram Cafe & Restaurant is located on Kariappa Katta Temple Road and it scores 5/5 on Google Maps … so I gave it a go …
A Veg Thali for 130rs scored a disappointing 6/10.
GOKARNA FOODIES
Gokarna Foodies is located on Bellehittal Road.
A Veg Thali for 150rs scored 6/10.
SUMMARY
In Gokarna, 150rs will get you a decent GRANDPAcking dinner.
DRINK
We are back to ‘Indian’ prices which are almost double ‘Goan’ prices.
There is one Wine shop in Gokarna: Vanashree Wines.
He charges tourists more than MRP. He sold a 500ml can of Kingfisher Strong with an MRP of 145rs for 160rs.
A 650ml bottle of Kingfisher Premium has an MRP of 185rs. Vanashree sell it for 200rs. The Absolute Paradise Restaurant sell it for 280rs.
They seem to add 15rs to the MRP of everything.
WHERE TO STAY
If you rent a scooter, you can happily stay anywhere. A lot of the area away from the beach is pleasant farmland.
But, in my mind, you come to a beach town to be near the beach. This is the view that I had from my restaurant whilst I worked on this blog.
I recommend that people stay on or within 100m of Middle Beach.
Going further north or further inland (see Northern Beach video) may be worth it if you want to get rustic and get away from the crowds.
On the border of the Middle and Northern Beaches you find the Dabbanashashi road. This is a self-contained community of shops, restobars and accommodation. The beach isn’t the best but it is definitely worth a look if this is what you like.
Staying in town with easy access to the Main Beach (see Gokarna Town video) would suit people who want plenty of bar and restaurant choices.
Getting up in the hills south of town could be pleasant as long as you are happy walking up and down hills to get everywhere (see Southern Hills video).
Staying on Kudle Beach is definitely an option as long as you don’t want to venture anywhere else too often (see Kudle Beach video).
Be careful if you choose to stay in one of the Homestays on Bellehittal Road. Many don’t look that great from the outside and they can be a long walk from the beach.
GETTING AWAY
My next stop will be Honnavar.
There are 3 busses leaving from Gokarna Town Bus Stand each day: 6:00am, 6:40am, and 9:00am. I chose the latter.
If that goes wrong, I will catch a local bus out to a town on Highway 66 and sort things out from there.
YOUR GRANDPAcking COSTS
This would be your budget:
ORANGE COLUMNS / LEFT HAND SIDE
The left of the spreadsheet (orange columns) shows the costs for a GRANDPAcking Couple living to GRANDPAcking Standard using a Standard (Home) Bank Credit / Debit Card where possible and withdrawing cash from ATMs where cash is required.
These costs are for a 1 month stay in Shoulder Season (avoiding Xmas and New Year).
COST OF EXISTENCE (COE)
ACCOMMODATION
Don’t book using the western-oriented typical websites.
Only book your first 2 nights using a site like Agoda / Booking / Hotels. Expect to pay 1,250rs / US$15 per night.
Once here, I suggest that you rent a scooter, look around, and do a 4 week deal in a place that you like. Expect to pay 1,000rs / US$12 per night when negotiating face-to-face.
FOOD & BEVERAGES
By getting out on your scooter, expect to pay just over 860rs / US$10 per day eating in ‘local restaurants’ three times each day.
SIM CARD / MOBILE DATA
A 28 day Airtel 500rs new SIM Card & Package bought at the airport PLUS a 99rs 1 week extension.
VISA
Two US$26 one month Tourist eVisas.
TRAVEL INSURANCE
A typical Backpacker Level Travel Insurance policy has been pro rata’d.
NECESSARY TRANSPORT & SIGHTSEEING
I suggest that you get out to a resort on the middle beachfront and rent a scooter. You should easily be able to get one for 300rs / day. For a 1 month deal you should be able to get it cheaper than that (say, 275rs). Expect to average 50rs per day on petrol / gas.
SUMMARY
Your COE is about 2,600rs / US$30 per day. This is 48% of your daily budget.
This means that you have 2,850rs / US$34 left to spend each day.
You will have ‘Money to Burn‘. Enjoy!
RIGHT HAND SIDE / PURPLE COLUMNS
The right of the spreadsheet (purple columns) shows the costs for a GRANDPAcking Couple living to GRANDPAcking Standard using a Wise Debit Card where possible and withdrawing cash from ATMs where cash is required.
Due to the low use of Foreign Credit Cards in India, the Wise Debit Card makes no significant difference.
COST OF EXISTENCE (COE)
ACCOMMODATION
No change.
FOOD & BEVERAGES
No change.
SIM CARD / MOBILE DATA
No change.
VISA
No change.
TRAVEL INSURANCE
No change.
NECESSARY TRANSPORT & SIGHTSEEING
No change.
SUMMARY
Your COE is about 2,600rs / US$31 per day. This is 48% of your daily budget.
You have ‘Money to Burn‘.
GRANDPAcking SUMMARY
A GRANDPAcking couple can easily do a month in Gokarna on a western State Pension Budget … and, the good thing about it is that you don’t even have to try!
CONCLUSION
Gokarna Beach is a ‘chalk and cheese’ comparison with Palolem Beach.
Gokarna is still very quiet and non-touristic … like what Goa used to be but at double the alcohol prices?
For those who like to get off grid and chill out, Gokarna Beach is definitely worth a look.
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