Bhatkal, Uttara Kannada: 15 Places to visit

Bhatkal is a town in coastal Karnataka. Bhatkal is in North Canada (Uttara Kannada) district, north of Udupi and below Honnavara, Murudeshwara and Ankola. Bhatkal has several attractions worth visiting but tourists usually do not plan to visit or explore Bhatkal while they cruise on NH66. If you are passing through Bhatkal and have a few hours to spare, this post lists several attractions worth visiting in and around Bhatkal.

Below is a summary of places of interest in Bhatkal

#	Attraction	What to expect	Kms from Bhatkal	Remarks
1	Bhatkal Lighthouse	Lighthouse, view of ocean & harbor	5 kms	Narrow road, lighthouse access no entry to public, area accessible 24x7
2	Tiger waterfalls	Waterfalls, off-road biking	9 kms	Best visited in bikes, monsoon season only
3	Bheemeshwara temple & waterfalls	Temple, waterfalls, offroad	45 kms	Hire a jeep locally or trek 3-4 kms or offroad in bike, best visited July-December
4	Hadin Eco Beach	Beach, rest area, garden	10 kms
5	Kshitija Nesara Dhama	Viewpoint, trekking, stay option	22 kms
6	Salumarada Thimmakka Tree Park	Garden	5 kms
7	Riverside Drive			Lots of scenic roads by the river, best explored in bike
8	Murudeshwara	Temple, beach, tower, viewpoint	13 kms
9	Kadavinakatta Dam		3 kms
10	Mini Maldives		11 kms
11	Gandhi Falls/ Kannegundi falls		4 kms
12	Tenginagundi Seawalk/ Nakhuda beach		7 kms
13	Nastaar Beach		6 kms
14	Alvekodi Sea walk		10 kms
15	Three cousin's beach

1. Bhatkal Lighthouse

Bhatkal lighthouse is located on a small hill near Bhatkal harbor. Bhatkal lighthouse offers great views in all directions. Going up the lighthouse is tricky- depending on working hours and if staff is willing to let you in but you can still visit the lighthouse location for its view. Read my detailed post on Bhatkal lighthouse and watch drone snap below.

2. Tiger waterfalls

Tiger waterfalls in Bhatkal is a monsoon only waterfall visible from the cliff. Full details here. Needs a bit of off road biking to reach but worth a visit in rainy season, not too far from Bhatkal town.

3. Bheemeshwara temple & waterfalls

Nice temple and waterfall, about 3-4 kms off Bhatkal- Jog falls highway, accessible via 4x4 Jeep rental or biking or trekking. Full details here

4. Hadin Eco Beach

Hardin Eco Beach is a park like campus some 5-6 kms from highway. You can take a walk in the park, visit the beach, sit and enjoy the view and return. As I had not been there earlier I decided to check this time. There was a 20 Rs per person entry fee, toilet was available. Other than that nothing exciting. Good for picnic/relaxing for a while. The approach road was scenic. Visit if you have time, else skip.

5. Kshitija Nesara Dhama

Ottinene viewpoint and Kshitija Nesara Dhama is about 20 kms south of Bhatkal. Visit for green open area, beach, mini hiking, viewpoint and stay option in forest department guesthouse. A detailed post is available separately here

6. Salumarada Thimmakka Tree Park

Karnataka Govt is setting up tree parks in all towns and naming them after Salumarada Thimmakka, a lady known to have nurtured thousands of trees in Karnataka. Bhatkal also has a tree park, opens at 10 AM, nothing unusually great but if you have kids of want to relax for sometime you can go here and spend an hour. Salumarada Thimmakka tree park in Bhatkal is just a few kms from highway.

I have explored Tree park in Manipal and Tanneerbhavi, this Bhatkal one saw from outside as it was closed during my visit.

7. Riverside Drive

Enjoy a nice riverside drive from sea walk till highway, as shown in map. The road is narrow and not very well made, but is scenic.

8. Murudeshwara

Murudeshwara temple is just 13 kms north of Bhatkal. For a change, take the sea side road shown in map instead of the highway. Detailed post on Murudeshwara is here

9. Kadavinakatta Dam

I need to visit this place. Will update after I visit

10. Mini Maldives (Mallari blue water)

Now this place has been removed off Google maps, so reaching there would need local guidance. Mini Maldives is an abandoned quarry filled with rainwater. It is dangerous to swim here and it is in private property. Read more details on Mini Maldives here- if you have the interest to explore you can try visiting.

11. Gandhi Falls/ Kannegundi falls

I've not yet explored this place, will update soon. This is a lesser known waterfall located in a private property. Worth visiting during post monsoon days. You will need some local guidance to reach as Google map may not be accurate.

12. Tenginagundi Seawalk/ Nakhuda beach

North of Bhatkal, a nice seawalk is being prepared. You can view two islands from here, but no access to tourists. You can try speaking to locals if they can take you there in boats.

13. Alvekodi Sea walk

I've not yet explored this place, will update soon

14. Nastaar Beach

On the opposite side of Bhatkal lighthouse, has huge rock by the beach- not sure if it is safe to trek uphill

15. Three cousin's Beach

Map link here

Stay: It may not be worth to stay overnight at Bhatkal. You can plan your stay at Gokarna, Honnavara or Udupi and explore Bhatkal on the way. If you wish there are a few hotels in Bhatkal town for stay.