Udupi district complete travel Guide, Itinerary and tips

I have written a lots of posts about Udupi during past 6 months, but had not published one stop guide for those looking to visit Udupi. In this post, I am trying to address that gap, by giving you an all-in-one post to help you plan your visit to Udupi.

Why visit Udupi instead of other nearby destinations?

Bengaluru people prefer Coorg, Chikmagalaur, Sakaleshpura as preferred destination for weekend trips. Lot of people go to Gokarna, Goa but miss Udupi. If you are exploring Karnataka and trying to understand what is unique about Udupi and why you should consider it as a destination, below are the reasons

1. Only houseboat destination in Karnataka. No need to go to Kerala for a houseboat experience. Kodi Bengre near Udupi has one. [More details on Udupi houseboats here]

2. One of the 3 beach districts in Karnataka. Only 3 districts- South Canara (Mangaluru), Udupi and North Canara have beaches. Udupi has about a dozen different beaches with various attractions. So if beaches, islands, lighthouses and sunset points interest you, Udupi is worth a visit.

3. Temples- Udupi SriKrishna temple, Kollur Mookambika temple and several other temples in the district are very popular and attract devotees from far off places. If temples interest you, do consider visiting Udupi

4. Offbeat:  As Udupi is not the most touristy crowded destination in Karnataka, you will get hotel rooms much easily, tourist attractions may have less crowd and there are several smaller, lesser known attractions worth exploring. Example: Kolankal

A complete list of Udupi's offbeat attractions listed here.

5. Excellent stopover- If you are cruising between Kerala and Goa/Mumbai or heading to Goa from Bengaluru, a diversion/break to spend a day or two in and around Udupi would be a great option

6. Food & Culture: Patrode, Gadbad ice cream, Neer Dose, Banana Bun, Golibaje, Kambala, Yakshagana and many other experiences unique to coastal Karnataka can be experienced first hand in Udupi.

7. Waterfalls: Udupi is not known for waterfalls, but if you are willing to explore, there are many. Some are easy to access, many need extensive trekking. Check full details here

8. Business & Education destination: Manipal has several educational, medical and business houses. Udupi district is home to couple of software companies, few banks were founded here and Udupi hotels are well known. You might have some business trip in the region and it makes perfect sense to extend and explore local attractions when you are here.

Map link

Let us address your Udupi travel needs in a scenario based mode.

Scenario 1: I have only a weekend. What is the best we can see in and around Udupi in 2-3 days max?

Option 1: 

• Day 01: Malpe Beach, Seawalk, watersports, St Mary's Island, Mattu Beach, Kapu lighthouse, Houseboat stay (Note: St Mary's closed in monsoon June to October)
  
• Day 02: Udupi Srikrishna temple, Coin Museum(weekday only), Manipal (End point, Museums, Tree Park), stay in Udupi/Manipal
• Day 03: Karkala-Gomateshwara & other attractions, Varanga temple, stay at JLR Seethanadi Nature camp

Option 2

• Day 01: Beachside cruise- Kapu, Mattu, Malpe, Kundapura, Maravanthe and Ottinene
• Day 02: Kollur temple visit, Kodachadri hill trek or jeep visit, stay near Kollur
• Day 03: Waterfalls (between August-November) such as Belkal Theertha, Koosalli or temples, proceed to next destination/return

Option 3

• Day 01: Offbeat places around Udupi- Pajaka Shetra, Kunjaru Giri, Suspension bridges etc [full list]
• Day 02: Lesser known temples- Guddattu, Kallu Ganapathi, Neelavara, Mandarti etc
• Day 03: Nearby destination-Karkala or Kundapura side, Agumbe or Mangalore side

Scenario 2: I am cruising through Udupi, can afford short diversions/breaks along the highway.

Below are some major attractions within few kms from NH66, National Highway that passes through Udupi connecting Kerala and Goa

• Ottinene & Kshitija Nesara Dhama
• Maravanthe
• Malpe Beach
• Kapu Light house
• Udupi Diana, Temple, parks
• Manipal- museums, treepark

Scenario 3: I have enough time- 5-6 days. Give me a detailed plan to explore all major spots

Below is a list of all major attractions in Udupi district

Beaches	Temples
1 Malpe & St Mary’s Island 2 Kodi Bengre (delta) 3. Maravanthe 4. Kodi Beach. Kundapura 5. Mattu Beach Full list	1 Udupi Srikrishna 2 Kolluru Mookambika 3 Mandarthi 4. Kallu Ganapathi & Makkekattu 5. Kundeshwara 6. Saligrama Gurunarasimha
Adventure	Waterfalls
1 Kodi Bengre House boat stay 2.Kemmannu Kayaking 3.Kodachadri trekking 4. Malpe beach watersport	1. Arbi (Manipal) 2 Jomlu (near Hebri) 3. Tombattu falls 4. Belkal Theertha 5. Koosalli 6. Kudlu Theertha Detailed post here
Museums	Parks
1 Hasta Shipla Heritage (Manipal) 2 Coin (Udupi) 3 TMA Pai (Manipal) 4. Anatomy & Pathology	1. Manipal Tree Park 2. Ajjarakadu Bhujanga Park 3. Endpoint Park

Reaching Udupi

Udupi has a railway station and bus connectivity from major cities in Karnataka.

Mangaluru (IXE) is the nearest airport (50 kms)

Local transport: Few rental cars, bike companies work in Udupi, more options available at Mangaluru. Taxi can be hired in Udupi or you can even try moving around in local buses which are well maintained and have good frequency.

Major Stay options in Udupi

Udupi, Manipal, Malpe	Kundapura
1. Manipal Inn 2 KSTDC Paradise inn Malpe 3 Kediyoor & Diana, Udupi	1 Meridien Resort 2 3
Kolluru	Maravanthe
1 KSTDC 2. JLR	1
Hebri	Other Destinations
JLR Seethanadi nature camp	Kshitija Nesara Dhama Sai Vishram beach resort

Extending your visit to Udupi

Option 1: Mangaluru (Moodbidre, Mangaluru city, Bekal fort (Kerala)

Option 2: Shivamogga- Agumbe, Sringeri, Thirthahalli etc

Option 3: North Canara - Gokarna, Karwar etc

Hope this helps. Will continuously update this post with more information.