Mini Maldives (Scenic quarry) near Bhatkal, Karnataka

May 2022 Update: Mini Maldives has been removed from map. You may need some local help to reach there. Also I understand property owner doesn't want tourists visiting the place and swimming around.

Original post

Quarries are dangerous places. Miners use dynamites, blow the rocks, extract rocks, soil and other stuffs of interest for commercial exploitation. As depth increases, quarries start accumulating water during rainy season and they end up becoming tourist attractions.

2014 I had visited one such place- Kendatti Quarry near Kolar. A few months later local police closed this place for tourists.

There is another place popular these days-"Chhota Ladakh" it seems- another quarry turned tourist destinations. They are dangerous for careless tourists because rocks are super sharp, water is too deep and careless people risk their lives swimming in these waters or doing other stunts that harm the nature and spoil the environment. Also these are stagnant waters, so if dirt and pollution gets in they stay there forever making them even more dangerous.

We have another such place near Bhatkal, Uttara Kannada (North Canara), in coastal Karnataka. It is called Mini Maldives.  Not sure who did this naming ceremony. There was an entry in Google maps with this name & location, calling it out as tourist attraction. As I was scouting for places of interest near Bhatkal I found this place and out of curiosity we decided to check it out.

Google maps was fairly accurate. Last few kms were mud roads. There was a nice stream of water flowing all along our way so it was refreshing. We arrived at the point shown on map. Had to walk about a km and we got this nice lake- formed out of an old quarry.

No idea how deep it is, but it was large enough and with crystal clear rainwater filled up, Mini Maldives was looking inviting. We didn't enter the water, took some photos and came back.

Here is a panoramic view

Points to note if you are planning to visit Mini Maldives near Bhatkal

• Do not get confused with one in Trivandrum or other places
• Mini Maldives in Bhatkal is NOT a designated tourist place. Could be private land or part of some construction project. Go at your own risk
• There are no facilities available. Fresh steam of water feels pottable.
• Time to spend: May be an hour or less.
• DO NOT enter the water- it could be deep and rocks are sharp.
• Do not spoil the water with your trash please.

If tourists limit their activity to just viewing, enjoying nature and taking few pics then all will be fine. But many want to swim, take bath, drink alcohol and crush the bottle, take selfie in precarious positions, throw thrash and so on- these things cause accidents and issues soon, forcing authorities to take tough actions & decisions.

Watch a small video below [Watch on Youtube]

Nearby places: Bhatkal Light House * Salumarada Thimmakka Tree Park * Places of interest in Honnavar * Apsarakonda falls * Manki viewpoint  *  Bhatkal Places to visit * 

For actual Maldives travel guide, check this