Tarkarli Beach: Your Ultimate Travel Guide

Hi guys, welcome to my blog. Today we are going to take a look at a coastline paradise Tarkarli beach. It is located in the beautiful Konkan region of Maharashtra. With its pristine white sand beaches and crystal-clear waters, this is one of the most beautiful and underrated tourist destinations in India.

If you are searching for a perfect blend of sun, sand, and sea then yes this is the place where you can get all of these. This beach offers many activities to enjoy, like snorkeling, scuba diving, backwater cruises, beachside yoga, etc. This travel guide provides all the information that you need to plan the perfect vacation to Tarkarli beach, including the best times to go and the finest places to dine and stay. Follow my journey and you will get the idea. So, get ready to explore India’s very own tropical paradise, and let’s get started!

We decided to take our own car and it took us around 8 hours to reach Tarkarli from Pune. The journey was amazing and we encountered beautiful views of nature while passing through the ghats and hills. The roads were smooth and comfortable. Guys don’t forget to have some sugarcane juice when you reach there as it tastes so good. Here are some pics of beautiful scenes that we saw while we were reaching over there.

How to reach Tarkarli beach by Train, Road, and Air?

Tarkarli beach By Road:

• Pune to Tarkarli distance: The distance from Pune to Tarkarli is around 390 km. It will take around 8 hours to reach there.
• Mumbai to Tarkarli: To get to Tarkarli, take the Mumbai-Pune Expressway (NH17 or NH4) for around 510 km. It will take around 11 hours to reach Tarkarli from Mumbai.
• Goa to Tarkarli: The distance from Goa to Tarkarli is around 147.0 km. It will take around 4 hours via Hathkhamba-Goa Rd to reach Tarkarli.

By Train:

There are trains running to Kudal, the nearest railway station from Tarkarli which is about 50 kilometers from Malvan City, and an additional 6 km (Total of 56 km) to Tarkarli beach. Take an autorickshaw to Tarkarli from Kudal. There are trains accessible from Pune and Mumbai.

By Air:

The closest airport, Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport in Mumbai, is for international travelers. Anybody in Mumbai will need to take a domestic flight to Dabolim, Goa, which is the closest airport to Tarkarli, Malvan. You must hire a taxi or a private automobile to go to Tarkarli, Malvan, from Dabolim Airport. From Panjim, the state capital of Goa, you may also take a tourist bus to Malvan or Tarkarli.

Tarkarli beach Hotels and resorts

After searching multiple hotels, we finally found a hotel to stay in when we reached Tarkarli. We even enquired MTDC. MTDC Tarkarli is considered one of the best Tarkarli beach resort but we found it too expensive in terms of its facilities. The resort was good, but it wasn’t looking that appealing to us. That’s why we chose the hotel just beside it.

After comparing different hotels, we chose to stay in Pavalya beach Niwas. After bargaining, they finally agreed to give us a non-AC room at a price of Rs. 1200 and AC room at the price of Rs. 1500 per day. We were 5 people so we ended up taking two rooms. We were pleased with our decision as it had decent amenities and was within our budget. It was just a distance of 500 meters from the beach and the beach can be seen from the roof of the hotel.

I will advise you to go over there and deal with the hotel’s owner yourself to get rooms at a cheaper price but still, if you want to book hotels online then here are a list of some websites that you can refer to:

• MakeMyTrip
• Goibibo
• Agoda
• Thrillophilia

First Day

On the first day after reaching there, we went to the beach to enjoy the scenery and to have a dip in the water. We began with a delightful morning walk down the beach, taking in the stunning views of the Arabian Sea. You can see shells and crabs on the beach itself as the water is so clear.

The sight of the white sand beaches and the crystal clear seas was breathtaking. There are several different water sports available at the Beach. We engaged in several water sports and activities, including paragliding, scuba diving, banana boat ride, and snorkeling. Prices for water activities are substantially lower here than in Goa. Tarkarli beach scuba diving cost us around Rupees 1000 per person.

Cons

Despite the pros of Tarkarli, there are some cons that come with it. You can’t find a wide variety of food over here as it is a village area and not many big restaurants are available. Konkan cuisine and Maharashtrian cuisine are available, but to enjoy a different variety of food, you’ll have to travel to the Malvan market which is 6 km away from Tarkarli.

The greatest time to visit the beach, according to localites, is from October to March because after that the beach frequently fills up with seawater, making it difficult to enjoy and prohibiting businesses from opening.

Driving to the market can be difficult as the roads are not very wide. The Tarkarli beach gets closed after 7 pm as there is no electricity on the beach after that, and the shops close as well. The village sleeps early, making the beach dull at night.

Second Day (Our best experience)

The second day was a great experience for us all. We took a boat ride and it was an incredible experience. Then, we viewed the waters of the river and the sea mixing at a point and visited small islands in the middle of the sea and we were lucky enough to witness dolphins swimming in the waters. They will try to show you dolphins at a dolphin point but still, it depends on your luck if you can see one or not. We also had a chance to eat some food on one of the islands.

We visited many small and big islands including Tsunami island. The boat ride started from the river then traveled through the sea and then ended up in the river again. We reserved the whole boat. It cost us rupees 2000, we were only 5 people. You can take as many people as it can fit on a boat for the same price. It took us around 2 hours to complete the whole ride, and it was the most amazing experience for us!

Third-Day

We went to Sindhudurg Fort on the third day of our journey. It was built by the great Maratha King Shri Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Then, we went to Rock Garden and Sunset Point, both of which gave us breathtaking views and a wonderful chance to shoot the stunning sunset.

We next traveled to Malvan Beach and Malvan Market, where we enjoyed some local food and shopping. We also went to Dhamapur Lake, where we had a boat ride and relaxed there for a while. Eventually, we made our way back to Pune.

ALSO READ OUR ARTICLE ON KULDHARA: THE HAUNTED VILLAGE

Conclusion

In conclusion, we had a really positive experience altogether. The scenery and water sports were both excellent. Should you go to Tarkarli? You should definitely give it a shot since it is a fantastic experience, and don’t forget to go on the boat trip. Although it doesn’t have the same kind of party atmosphere as Goa. Still, the location is perfect for appreciating nature in its natural state without any makeup on it.

For more info, you can visit the Tarkarli tourism or the Maharashtra tourism website.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Click here to check out my Travel guide on Kashid beach, Maharashtra.

See you in our next article, till then Take care!