Tarkarli – Where the land ends and the Sea begins

Any trip that is unplanned is a boon. Every moment of joy that you encounter doubles as you feel that you did the right thing that you made this trip happen.

And that’s how it all happened. One of our best friends had to drive to Goa from Pune and he had a thing for directions. Good friends, as we are, we suggested that we escort him to Goa from Pune. While I was being a dutiful friend, another parallel reason was to capitalise on the opportunity to hit the road. So, both me and my wife along with another friend of ours set out to Goa from Pune while our best friend was in his car following us to his destination that was a result of his new job.

We took our regular NH4 route and started early to avoid the usual hustle and bustle. Stopped by for some fuel and breakfast and McDs. We were disappointed that they weren’t serving their breakfast menu. Had their usual stuff and drove along towards Kolhapur. As we drove into Kolhapur city, we were attacked by bunch of motorists from everywhere. So much traffic that we had to manage at a snail’s pace.

Soon we left the city roads behind us and moved towards Gaganbawda – a small town on the way that blossoms during monsoons. But this time we weren’t blessed by the monsoons and had to manage with dry surroundings. Right then, we stopped for a quick break during which a thought occurred to my mind.
I shared the thought with my wife and friends which was to take a diversion towards Tarkarli – a small coastal town in Malwan district. In any case, we would have to cross that district on NH17 so we might as well spend a night at Tarkarli. The mere thought of that sent rejunevating waves amongst us and the first thing that we thought of was the MTDC resort. This is a place one should visit as it is right on the beach and we failed to get an accommodation the last time we had been there.

Without wasting much time, we headed towards the beautiful little town where the land actually comes to an end by surrendering itself into the sea.
Soon we reached our now changed destination and headed towards our cottages

Tired we were after a long drive, we headed towards our cottages to get a quick shower only to hit the dining hall and jump into the local cuisine. The dinner spread was decent and we gorged on the thali and solkadi (a tangy local aperetif/digestif). Then we returned to our cottages and enjoyed the silence of the waves hitting the shores and retired to bed.

The next day morning was simply outstanding. One has to be on a seashore to experience the “real” daybreak. Everything is so fresh around you. We started walking towards the beach and the surrounding environment was just unexplainable

We also noticed the local men at work beginning to start their journey into the real world

Followed by the appearance of the Sun God himself –

The beach stretch is extremely relaxing and quiet. There are no busy shacks and commercial activities. It is a treat to walk along the shoreline and is amazingly rejunevating

While men and women began their usual morning chores, the other friendlies pretty much were at it, too –

We also managed to see some local flora and fauna around the hotel –

While the destination is definitely a place where time comes to a standstill, the route to the destination and back is equally energizing

Everything comes to an end, as they say, and so did this one of the awesome trips of our lives. We bid our friend audieu as we came back on NH17. As he took a right towards Panjim, we took a left towards our homes discussing the moments we had enjoyed in the last 18 hours.

Helpful Facts – Tarkarli is a quiet little town in the Malwan district. Best way to get there is by road taking the NH17 route to Goa. People are helpful and there are lot of accommodation options, best being the MTDC Resort, which is right on the beach. Local cuisine is Malwani, which is just amazing. Please carry cash as you would need to come back to Malwan (7 Kms) to find an ATM. Apart from enjoying the beach, MTDC also provides an option of houseboats that take you on a backwaters cruise. We couldn’t experience it however we heard that it is worth doing it once. There is a famous eatery, Chaitanya, on the main market road in Malwan. This place is abode to all those hungry souls that loves to gorge. Tarkarli also offers some water sports activities. You could take a boat ride from the Malwan Jetty where the MTDC authorised divers take you close to the famous Sindhudurgh fort. It is said that the coral life is more near the fort area. You are provided with the face mask with a breathing pipe and a tube. The diver then guides you through beautiful “under the sea” life – it is worth doing it once.