15+ Best beaches in Udupi district (Complete Details)

Udupi district has dozen + of interesting beaches. But only a handful are popular with tourists-Malpe Beach, Maravanthe and Kapu beach almost always top the list and rest of the beaches are often ignored. In this post I am providing detailed information on all of Udupi's prominent beaches with the aim of helping you explore them as per your interest.

I've given a collage of some of the beach photos, a table detailing what to expect at each of these beaches and how far they are from Udupi, a map showing location of these beaches, brief on which beach to visit for a specific activity/attraction and finally brief write up on each of these top beaches of Udupi. Let me know if you'd like to know anything else.

Below table has summary of Udupi's top beaches. Few nearby beaches have been clubbed

#	Beach Name	Distance from Udupi city	Popular for
1 & 2	Malpe Beach & Padukere Beach	8 kms	Boat trip to St Mary’s Island Sea walk & theme park Beach Resort Watersports Daria Bahadurg Fort
3 & 4	Pitrody Udyavara Beach & Mattu Beach	12 km	Scenic drive- Udyavara river on one side, Arabian sea on the other
5 & 6	Kodi beach Kundapura	38 kms	Sea walk River entering ocean Lighthouse Swing Boating Beach side drive
7 & 8	Maravanthe Beach & Trasi Beach	52 kms	Scenic view of river+highway+sea Facilities to sit, relax, refresh Visit Padukone Village Boat ride in river
9	Ottinene Beach	72 kms	Scenic view Someshwara temple Kshitija Nesada Dhama Sai Vishram Resort nearby
10	Kapu beach	12 kms	Lighthouse Rocks
11 & 12	Kodi Bengre & Hoode Beach	17 kms	Houseboats Thonse health centre Scenery & boat ride Suspension bridge
13	Kota-Padukere beach	28 kms	Less crowd, calm n serene place
14 & 15	Beejadi beach & Koravadi beach	33 kms	Nothing unique, popular with locals, calm and crowd less beaches
16	Padubidri beach & Hejamady Delta point	26 kms	Recently awarded blue flag rating Normal beach with occasional sand sculptures. Hejamady delta has a park and can see river entering sea.  Won Blue Flag recognition

Below is a map of all of Udupi's prominent beaches. [Online link here]

A few very unique things about beaches in Udupi

• Good for Beachside drive: Both Udyavara beach and Kodi beach offers beach side drive- long stretches of road with coconut trees by the side and Arabian sea few meters away. Maravanthe also was popular for same thing but now the charm is somewhat lost.
• Beaches in Udupi with beachside Luxury stay: Malpe has Paradise Isle beach resort, Baindoor has Sai Vishram beach resort. More luxury properties are coming up right next to the beach. Less popular hotels, home stays are available at several places along the coast in Udupi.
• House boat: No need to go to alleppy to experience house boat- you can enjoy the same right here in Udupi. Operated by Panchajanya Cruise and Tirumala Cruise. Closed during monsoon though.
• Swing: Available in Kodi beach, Kundapura. More details here
• Sea Walk: Available at Malpe beach and Kodi beach Kundapura
• Which ones are non crowded local beaches? Beejadi beach, Parampalli, Koda-Padukere etc are not very popular with tourists as there is nothing unique there. But locals go there for relaxation. If you need less touristy, no crowd beaches to relax you can hop to any of these.
• Island hopping: Take a boat to St Mary’s Island at Malpe. Barge to Kodi Bengre is available from Hangarakatte. Kannada Kudru is a small island between Kundapura and Maravanthe with scenery.
• What are the different watersports available in Udupi's beaches: Water sports like Banana boat ride, parasailing, jetski etc were available in Malpe beach and possibly Padubidri. Right now suspended everywhere due to monsoon and Covid-19. Will update post October if watersports open up in any of the beaches. A suspension bridge and Kayaking are available at Kemmannu near Hoode beach.
• Can we do Scuba Diving in Udupi?: Unfortunately Scuba diving is not available in Udupi district but can be tried in Netrani near Murudeshwara (North Canara district) (100 kms from Udupi)
• Where can we try Fishing in Udupi: Fishing using a string and bait can be tried anywhere. There are no rules prohibiting the same. Places with sea walk- Malpe beach and Kodi beach are popular with those trying to catch fish, as it gives access to deeper sea water. Fishing using boat is a different thing-usually done for commercial purposes subject to several regulations.
• Which all beaches in Udupi district offer boat rides? Available in Kodi Beach Kundapura, at Malpe (to go to St Mary's Island), in Souparnika river (near Maravanthe). Boating is suspended during monsoon.
• What all beaches in Udupi are best for drone shoot? Maravanthe, Udyavara beach, Kodi beach, Ottinene beach, Kodi Bengre and Malpe
• Which beaches in Udupi are accessible by Public transport?: Maravanthe & Trasi, Malpe have excellent bus service. Kapu beach, Padubidri beach, Ottinene have excellent bus service except for final 1-2 kms. Kodi Bengre, Kodi Beach, Udyavara-Mattu have bus service but with limited frequency. Other beaches either have limited bus connectivity or you may have to walk a 4-5 kms or take auto from nearest bus stops.
• Which beaches have Lighthouses? Kapu (most popular), Kodi beach Kundapura

Now let me tell you about Udupi's most prominent beaches one by one.

1. Malpe & Padukere Beach

Malpe beach is closest to Udupi town. Malpe beach has luxury beach side resorts, long stretch of open beach, provides access to go to St Mary's Island by boat, has food outlets, taxi service and watersports.

Recently constructed sea walk is the latest crowd puller in Malpe Beach. Almost a km in length, sea walk extends into the ocean and helps take a closer view. A statue of a man, woman and a child is located on the sea walk. Entry and Parking was free when I visited sea walk in June 2020.

Malpe beach is usually crowded with locals and visitors. Half day trip to St Mary's Island is the must do activity when in Malpe. Recently introduced theme park is also getting popular.

Padukere beach is on the other side of river from sea walk but 3-4 kms away by road. Padukere beach is less crowded than Malpe beach but doesn't have any specific tourist attractions/facilities. If you are going towards Udyavara from Malpe you can divert 1.5 kms north after crossing the bridge to pay a quick visit to Padukere beach. If pressed for time you can skip Padukere beach.

2 Pitrody Udyavara & Mattu beaches

Scenic beach popular for long drive along the coast, with Udyavara river on one side. There are not much tourist facilities or attractions but the views are captivating. Not too far from Udupi. Read my detailed post and watch a video in this post

3. Kodi Beach, Kundapura

Very popular with locals. About 4 kms from Kundapurua city. Kodi beach offers sea walk, boat rides, white sand beaches, a lighthouse (no entry upstairs), swing, shops and other facilities.

A detailed post on Kodi Beach Kundapura is available here.

4. Maravanthe & Trasi Beaches

Maravanthe was once a super scenic beach offering tripple view of Arabian Sea, Highway and Souparnika river. Now with widened highway, this view is lost. Best view is only available from drone shot. 

Nearby Trasi beach has shops, toilets, places to park, sit and relax.

You can enjoy a boat ride, cross the bridge to visit Padukone village or visit Maraswamy temple by the beach. Maravanthe is about 12 kms north of Kundapura and makes a perfect pit-stop while going towards North Canara/Mumbai/Goa from Udupi.

5. Ottinene Beach: Located at northern most part of Udupi district after Baindooru town. View from a hillock nearby is amazing. Cottages available for stay. Read my detailed post here (2011 visit * 2014 visit * 2021 visit.

6. Kapu Beach & Lighthouse

Another most popular beach destination in Udupi due to light house and rocky beaches. Detailed post on Kapu beach & lighthouse here

7. Kodi Bengre & Hoode beach

Kodi Bengre is a scenic location accessible by road from Udupi and by boat from Hangarakatte. A narrow stretch with houses, ocean and river. Thonse health centre is a popular medical tourism centre in Kodi Bengre.

Above: Kodi Bendre delta point/backwater

Below: Hoode beach

Hoode beach is closer to town and easy to access. Kodi Bengre beach is about 5 kms north of Hoode. There isn't anything particularly exciting about Hoode Beach.

Houseboats are usually stationed here (but may move around as per demand/management discretion)

You can try Kayaking at Kemmannu, few kms from Hoode beach.

Here is a list of 10+ things you can do at Kodi Bengre

8. Kota Padukere Beach: 

A local beach, nothing particularly interesting. Might be possible to take your vehicle to the beach. Visit for calm and less crowded experience.

Above: Me having some fun in Kota Padukere beach

9. Beejadi Beach: 

A local beach popular with locals. Nothing particular or exciting, visit if you'd like a crowd less beach.

Below: Sunset photo I clicked recently at Beejadi beach

10. Padubidri Beach & Hejamady Delta

Southern most beach in Udupi bordering Dakshina Kannada district. Occasionally sand sculptures are made here. Otherwise regular beach with relaxation options and some shops.

Hejamady delta is about 1.5 kms from Padubidri beach- has a nice park and you can see river entering sea. Hejamady delta is also accessible from other side (from Mulki for a different perspective.

Recently I revisited Maravanthe, Trasi, Kodi beach, Malpe beach, Hoode Beach, Kodi Bengre, Udyavara beach, Beejadi beach, Kota Padukere beach, Padubidri, Hejamady Delta, Kapu beach and Mattu beach. Been few years since my last visit to Ottinene etc. Will visit again at next opportunity. Will update if I find any interesting new updates.

As you can see, Udupi has beaches of all kinds, suitable for every age and interest group. Hope you find this post useful. Which one is your favorite? Let me know in comments.

Similar: 11 beaches of Bali that I explored * Beaches of Goa and Villa options nearby * Sunset dinner at Sundays Beach Club, Bali * Chidiya Tapu beach, Andamans *

Other major posts on Udupi district: 10 places of attraction in Manipal city *  Udupi travel guide (coming soon) *