Bekal is a complete 1-day getaway, cached away in North Kerala and boasts of the following:
- Bekal Fort
- Bekal Beach
- Aqua Park for boating
- Dense forested landscapes for trekking and picnics
Location: Bekal is a beach village, Kerala's northermost district of Kasargod. The town of Kasargod is 25 kms to the north, from where 50 kms further northwards, lies the port-city of Mangalore (Karnataka state). To the south of Bekal village, at 90 kms, lies Kannur town.
How to reach: Simple. As Konkan Railways is only a decade old in this region, bus service is excellent. From Managalore, buses to Kasargod district are every 10 minutes (1.5 hrs). And similarly from Kasargod to Bekal (0.5 hrs).
Though, only a few trains stop here - they are an excellent option for the view of the Western Ghats (lush forested hill-range extending right across the length of western Indian coastline). A train passes Kankanadi (10 kms from Mangalore) at 0715 and reaches Bekal at 0900. A return train passes Bekal station at 1730 and reaches Mangalore City Station at 1900. Cool!
Shiladitya Chakrabarti from Bangalore and myself from Mangalore undertook the Bekal trip on 27 Aug, 2006. We reached here by bus and returned by train.
Bekal Fort (I guess, timings are from 0900- 1700) is some 350 years old and a member of the family of sea-ports which dot this countryside from Kumbla to Kannur. It has exchanged quite a few hands from Kolathiri Rajahs to Hyder Ali to Britishers, and is currently cooling off in the care of ASI. The fort has cannon mounts and underground tunnels and excellent view point overlooking the Arabian Sea and the Bekal Beach.
A point to be in kept in mind is that the fort has no trees and a cap comes very handy against the sun-shine. Ditto for lunch and snacks, for the fort offers little facilities.
Bekal Beach - is only 700 metres south of fort and enroute the Bekal Park (under construction) and Bekal Station. The beach is serene and alluring and the local fishermen community, offloading fishes and playing a rond of card-games is friendly. The beach can be approached from the road and also directly from the Fort by walking along the sea-side. The Bekal Railway Station is thus only 1 km away. It is the smallest railway station from which I have caught a train and very uncharacteristic in the sense that there is neither a tea-stall nor any vendor. Just a small station room and a few passengers, and the train stops long enough for you to hop in.
Konkan Railays offers such speactacular views as the those shown below: Let the pics talk...
How to reach: Simple. As Konkan Railways is only a decade old in this region, bus service is excellent. From Managalore, buses to Kasargod district are every 10 minutes (1.5 hrs). And similarly from Kasargod to Bekal (0.5 hrs).
Though, only a few trains stop here - they are an excellent option for the view of the Western Ghats (lush forested hill-range extending right across the length of western Indian coastline). A train passes Kankanadi (10 kms from Mangalore) at 0715 and reaches Bekal at 0900. A return train passes Bekal station at 1730 and reaches Mangalore City Station at 1900. Cool!
Shiladitya Chakrabarti from Bangalore and myself from Mangalore undertook the Bekal trip on 27 Aug, 2006. We reached here by bus and returned by train.
Bekal Fort (I guess, timings are from 0900- 1700) is some 350 years old and a member of the family of sea-ports which dot this countryside from Kumbla to Kannur. It has exchanged quite a few hands from Kolathiri Rajahs to Hyder Ali to Britishers, and is currently cooling off in the care of ASI. The fort has cannon mounts and underground tunnels and excellent view point overlooking the Arabian Sea and the Bekal Beach.
A point to be in kept in mind is that the fort has no trees and a cap comes very handy against the sun-shine. Ditto for lunch and snacks, for the fort offers little facilities.
Bekal Beach - is only 700 metres south of fort and enroute the Bekal Park (under construction) and Bekal Station. The beach is serene and alluring and the local fishermen community, offloading fishes and playing a rond of card-games is friendly. The beach can be approached from the road and also directly from the Fort by walking along the sea-side. The Bekal Railway Station is thus only 1 km away. It is the smallest railway station from which I have caught a train and very uncharacteristic in the sense that there is neither a tea-stall nor any vendor. Just a small station room and a few passengers, and the train stops long enough for you to hop in.
Konkan Railays offers such speactacular views as the those shown below: Let the pics talk...
