Hidden gems of Mulki: Unknown places to visit

Mulki is a town between Udupi and Mangaluru. Mulki doesn't appear prominently on Karnataka's tourist map though lots of tourists visit Mangaluru and Udupi. Nearby destinations like Malpe, Kapu etc are popular but not many plan a stay in Mulki or keep some time to explore places of interest in Mulki.

Before my bike accident, one day in August 2020 I had a day trip to Mulki. I met Umesh Derebail who blogs at indiabackpacker.blogspot.com. Umesh was kind enough to take me around to various places of interest in and around Mulki. In this post, I am sharing details of places we visited and basic details about them, so that next time you visit Udupi/Mangaluru you can plan a day or half to explore any of these places that interests you. I am half an year overdue publishing this post, but better late than never.

Mulki's places of interest

#1 Kayaking, Surfing & watersports

Mulki has multiple business houses that operate kayaking, surfing, boat ride and other watersports activities. We visited one center- Mantra- but there were no one in the campus, so we had to come back. (we had not done any booking, had just walked in- when called we got some quotation for kayaking, which was in thousands and much higher than what I had seen in Kemmannu near Kodi Bengre. These people are focused on group bookings from people visiting from cities, so rates are at premium. 

Another Kayaking place we went looking for was Kayakboy Mulki Kayaking, as shown on Google maps. But there was no such company and locals had no clue. I think the location is wrongly mapped in Google. Speak to the operator before visiting. Detailed post on surfing now available here. 

#2 Bappanadu Temple

Bappanadu is Mulki's main temple and most popular one. It is visible from highway and most buses, even express ones do give a stop here. Temple is accessible from the other side. Photography is not allowed inside, as decent architecture and is worth visiting.

Pay attention to this mini garden with a rishi and some animals.

#3 Sukhananda Shetty Park

Just about a km from Bappanadu temple is a small park named Sukhananda Shetty Park, with a kids play area and river flowing by the side. It was closed when I visited.

#4 Venkataramana Temple

Number 2 temple in Mulki after Bappanadu, Venkataramana temple is bit away from city centre. Has a nice temple, a Goshala, a museum kind of place.

#5 Bittu Da Dhabha

Nice food outlet right after toll booth. We had lunch here. Reasonably priced

#6 Sasihithlu Beach

Sasihithlu is a popular beach in Mulki- kind of access controlled and was closed to visitors. We saw some tourists being taken on a boat ride in the ocean. There is bus service till the beach though frequency is poor.

Sasihithlu main beach area is kind of ticketed- need to visit it sometime to check what exactly is there inside.

Read my 2022 post on Sasihithlu beach

There was a popular local temple enroute to Saishithlu beach. We didn't stop there though. You will also find a few beachside resorts and hotels nearby if you are keen to stay overnight.

#7 Kotikere Basadi and Mahasthambha

Umesh has written in detail about this Basadi here, way back in 2013. It is a lesser known basadi, without proper road access till its entrance. Bit of walking and uphill climb is required from main road.

Basadi is maintained by an elderly couple who do the pooja and other rituals.

The pillar has become fragile but is still intact and powerful.

#8 Old Bungalow

We visited someone's private Bungalow- not a tourist place. Did not go inside, just took a look from outside and came back.

#9  Old Port Area by the river (Hostel road)

Near to the above Basadi is Mulki's former port area which was once a harbor and used to have ships and boats arriving from other places carrying cargo. This port area is now abandoned, only few old buildings remain. We had  a quick walk around. Few photos below. The area is known on Google maps as Hostel Road.

Old offices now covered with vegetation...

#10 Old Palace Replica (Savantha Arasu Aramane)

I think it was originally known as Savantha Arasu aramane. Now the old building is gone, a modern replica is created. Not a huge palace, just a large home, with good woodwork and some exhibits- visitors are free to enter and take a look, used by family members of the former kings.

#11 Another lesser known Jain Basadi

#12 Shambhavi riverside drive

Besides the known tourist spots, there are several other scenic spots in Mulki- mostly in and around River Shambhavi. Zoom in on the map, find a road that takes you closest to the river and drive around a bit. Particularly after monsoon, the view will be very scenic. I did some random driving around- don't have lots of pics.

Nearby Mulki

• Kapu beach and light house
• Malpe Beach, Sea Walk & St Mary's island
• Padubidri beach & Blue Flag beach
• Hejamadi Delta
• Udupi & Manipal
• Kemmannu & Kodi Bengre
• Kateel Durgaparameshwari temple

Reaching Mulki:

Mulki has lots of public transport. All buses plying between Mangaluru and Udupi have a stop at Mulki. You can hire a taxi from any nearby city, airport or railway station to reach Mulki. To visit these places of interest own vehicle or a taxi will be needed as public transportation within Mulki city to these places is limited.

Map reference below [Google link here]. Some places are not clearly listed on maps- you have to take local help and explore.

Also read: 15 best beaches of Udupi * Tannirubhavi tree park, Mangaluru *