JANUARY / FEBRUARY 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 have just finished Christmas & New Year in Candolim, Goa.
<<< we now hop down the West Coast of India through Karnataka >>>
The stops are:
- Palolem Beach (Goa);
- Gokarna Beach (Karnataka);
- Honnavar / Kundapura (Karnataka);
- Mangaluru (Karnataka);
- Payyanur (Kerala).
On the above map, Orange Lines represent bus routes and Blue Lines represent train routes.
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 | 86.49 | 89.90 | 106.86 |
| Actual Exchange Rate (Wise Debit Card) | 85.62 | 89.00 | 105.79 |
| Actual Exchange Rate (Typical Credit Card) | 84.54 | 87.88 | 104.46 |
| Actual Exchange Rate (Good ATM) | 84.54 | 87.88 | 104.46 |
| Actual Exchange Rate (Bad ATM) | 78.71 | 81.89 | 97.24 |
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 Karnataka 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.
PALOLEM BEACH
For a detailed write-up, please read my Palolem Beach post.
Palolem Beach is a popular tourist beach in southern Goa about 10km north of Karnataka.
I stayed 4 nights and paid a very (last minute) discounted price of 1,600rs / US$19 per night.
Meals are beach-town prices. Alcoholic drinks are cheap Goan prices.
SUMMARY
Palolem Beach met expectations. It is a popular, touristic, small town with a very nice beach.
The above average accommodation and meal prices are balanced out (to some extent) by lower than average drinks prices.
It is definitely worth including a few days here in your schedule.
GOKARNA BEACH
Gokarna Beach was our first stop in Karnataka.
For a detailed write-up, please read my Gokarna Beach post.
I stayed in a beachfront cottage for 14 nights. I paid a very discounted price which averaged 900rs / US$11 per night.
I rented a Scooter for 11 days at 300rs per day. I put in a total of 500rs of petrol / gas and toured the local area and other nearby beaches.
With the freedom of movement that a scooter offered, I was able to save on meals and drinks … the savings paid for the scooter!
SUMMARY
Gokarna Beach exceeded expectations. It is still very ‘untouched’.
The lower than average accommodation and scooter prices (plus the average meal prices) are balanced out by the high drinks prices.
I highly recommend that you include Gokarna Beach in your schedule.
HONNAVAR / KUNDAPUR
HONNAVAR
My intention was to rent a scooter and tour the Honnavar area to absorb some rural scenery as a pleasant change from ‘beach life’.
I used AGODA to book 3 nights in a hotel. I got there and didn’t like it. I wasn’t impressed by the town either.
I abandoned Honnavar and jumped in a tuk tuk to the Railway Station … and caught the next train to Kundapur.
KUNDAPUR
Once on the train, I struggled to find a hotel in Kundapur for under 2,000rs (this is my limit for GRANDPAcking accommodation).
I booked 1 night in whatever I could find (a last minute discount of 1,780rs per night).
Hotels were over-priced, the town was just average, and I couldn’t rent a scooter 🙁
The next day I jumped back on a train to Mangaluru.
MANGALURU
I caught a 70rs tuk tuk in Kundapur to the town’s KSRTC Bus Stand. Within 10 minutes I was on a 1.5hr / 122rs (including toll road charges) local bus to Mangaluru.
I used GOIBIBO to book 4 nights in a Double Fan room at Hotel Dhanyavad. I paid a (last minute) discounted price of just under 1,000rs / US$12 per night.
There is nothing special about Mangaluru.
I wouldn’t bother coming here … just transit through if you can.
PAYYANUR
Payyanur was my ‘Honnavar replacement’. I hoped to rent a scooter and get out into the countryside.
GETTING THERE
I booked a 80rs seat in a 2nd class train carriage from Mangaluru to Payyanur.
The trip took 1.5 hours.
ACCOMMODATION
I used AGODA to book 3 nights in a Deluxe Double Fan room at the Everest Lodge. I paid a last minute discount rate of 652rs / US$8 per night. When I got to the hotel they gave me a Single Fan room (with a single bed) and told me that their wifi wasn’t working.
I cancelled, got online, and used GOIBIBO to book 3 nights in a Double Fan room at the KMH Residency.
I paid a (last minute) discounted rate of 875rs / US$10 per night.
SCOOTER RENTAL
There is no scooter rental in Payyanur … my plans were ruined.
FOOD & DRINK
Payyanur is real India with real Indian food prices: cheap.
Alas, alcoholic drinks prices in Kerala are 150% those of Goa.
SUMMARY
Payyanur is a nice little town but without a scooter it became a waste of time.
I stayed only 2 of the 3 nights and caught a train to Kozhikode.
GRANDPAcking COSTS
Read About – GRANDPAcking Costs if you don’t know how to interpret my figures.
So, how much did it actually cost to spend 1 month touring down the Karnataka West Coast?
MY GRANDPAcking COSTS
Costs are broken down into Cost Of Existence (COE) and Cost Of Living (COL):
- COE: Is the basic costs of just being there;
- COL: Is the additional costs that make being there fun.
AVERAGE EXCHANGE RATE / (BLUE) TOP SECTION
I lost an average of 2.25% on cash that I took out of ATMs. Now that I am away from the main Goan beaches, my ATM costs have increased from 1.75% to 2.25% even though I am still using the same SBI ATMs without conversion.
I was rarely able to use a credit card / Wise Debit Card.
COST OF EXISTENCE (COE) / (ORANGE) MIDDLE SECTION
ACCOMMODATION
I spend a lot of time (and use all of the ‘tricks‘) to find the best hotels at the best prices.
I averaged about 1,200rs / US$15 per night on accommodation.
FOOD & BEVERAGES
I eat breakfast and dinner. I do not eat lunch.
I ate out in local restaurants. When I had a rental scooter available to me, I used it to get to / find better ‘value for money’ restaurants.
My average daily cost was about 300rs / US$4 per day.
SIM CARD / MOBILE DATA
I topped up my Airtel SIM Card with an 84 day 799rs package that offered up to 1.5Gb per day, upto 100 SMSs per day, and unlimited domestic calls. This cost has been pro rata’d.
VISA EXTENSION / NATIONAL PARK FEES
My 6 month eVisa cost of US$41 has been pro rata’d.
TRAVEL INSURANCE
My Backpacker Level Travel Insurance policy has been pro rata’d.
NECESSARY TRANSPORT
This includes the costs from my hotel to the Bus/Train station, the Bus/Train ticket, and the costs from the Bus/Train station to me destination hotel.
My costs include the costs of getting in and out of Honnavar and Kundapur … so, they are higher than they should be.
My average cost of moving between towns was about 450rs / US$9.50. This includes the 900rs taxi to get from Candolim to Panaji.
COST OF LIVING (COL) / (BROWN) BOTTOM SECTION
LIVING COSTS
My main costs were bars and my scooter rental.
Scooters averaged about 400rs / US$5 per day on the days that I actually rented one.
I tend to get out every night to have 2-3 beers and socialise. However, in Karnataka, the cost of alcohol meant that I tended to go to a Beer Shop, buy at MRP, and take drinks home. Drinks averaged about 350rs / US$4.50 per day.
IN / OUT COSTS
None. The costs of getting between towns is included as Necessary Transport Costs (above).
OTHER COSTS
Other minor bits and pieces are mopped up in this section.
The main cost in here was the cost of a new suitcase.
GRANDPAcking SUMMARY
My COE was 1,750rs / US$21 per day (32% of my daily budget).
My COL was 610rs / US$7 per day (11% of my daily budget).
My Grand Total cost was 2,360rs / US$28 per day (43% of my daily budget).
I had ‘Money to Burn’ … I still had over 3,000rs / US$37 left over each day … I could have done heaps more and still stayed within budget.
The problem was that there was nothing worth doing.
YOUR GRANDPAcking COSTS
Typical Indian GRANDPAcking costs apply.
I do not recommend that GRANDPAckers do this journey. Simply put, the trip was disappointing and Gokarna Beach was the only place of interest.
Refer to my Gokarna Beach post for those GRANDPacking costs.
CONCLUSION
The highlights of this trip are Palolem Beach and Gokarna Beach.
Perhaps you should forget about beach-town-hopping and just pick Palolem and/or Gokarna Beach(es).
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