Palelom Beach, South Goa
At the southernmost end of Goa, almost bordering the southern Indian state of Karnataka is the picture perfect beach of Palelom. The beaches of South Goa are, generally speaking, less commercial and more natural when compared to North Goa beaches. Palolem, in particular, has everything a good beach should have, from a clean half moon shaped palm trees lined beach with hills in the background, a vibrant local fishing scene and plenty of places to stay. The beach itself has portions with shallow water perfect for a safe swim and rocky outcrops to sit and observe the scene. In addition, you can spot some islands too. The beach is lined with bamboo shacks and cafes, which are popular with backpackers. In the last decade, it has become one of the most popular beaches of Goa.
Mandarmani Beach, Kolkata, West Bengal
Mandarmani Beach, located 180 kilometres from Kolkata, is a perfect place to spend a couple of days with your family. The 15-kilometre beach is clean, very wide and shallow, so much so that the sea water recedes and comes back for well over a kilometre, in twice a day circle of low and high tide. This low gradient of the sea here makes the beach relatively safe and interesting too. Unlike the beaches of Goa, Mandarmani sees only Indian tourists, most of them coming from the cosmopolitan city of Kolkata for a relaxed weekend family time. To cater to this crowd the beach is lined with a huge number of resorts.
Om Beach, Gokarna, Karnataka
The beaches of Gokarna, a coastal village of Karnataka, is the new destination for those tourists and travellers who want to escape the increasing commercial and overcrowded beaches of Goa. The beaches here are as beautiful as in Goa and in some cases even more beautiful. The best part is that they still retain their pristine and natural quality. The beaches such as Kudle and Om Beach (shaped like the Hindu alphabet of Om) have hills as a backdrop. The more isolated Half Moon and Paradise beaches would require a trek through forested hills to reach or by boat.
The beach scene here is developing in a more controlled manner, unlike Goa, with good food and budget places to stay where predominantly foreign tourists stay, with Indian tourists coming as largely day visitors. As a bonus one can explore the Gokarna town as well (five Kilometers from the main tourist beaches)which has a vibrant Hindu religious and cultural scene with good but inexpensive options for staying. The Gokarna town itself has a wide busy beach with a lot of Indian tourists visiting.
Besides the above mentioned, other beaches well worth a visit in Inida are the Puri Beach (Odisha), the touristy beach resort dominated Kovalam beach of Kerala, the isolated Kappil Beach (north Kerala), Marina Beach (Chinnai, Tamil Nadu) with city views from a lighthouse.
Reposted from Travel Bug Asheesh
