Few visitors know that you can walk the whole sand spit at Kasarkod. Start at Tonka Beach, cut across to the sea and turn north. For about 2.5 km the shoreline runs straight and empty, with waves on your left and casuarina, scrub and the river behind the dunes on your right, until the sand ends at the mouth of the Sharavathi River.
At the tip you can watch fishing boats run the gap between river and sea, terns diving in the channel and, across the water, the wooded Basavaraj Durga island. Then walk back the way you came. The return feels quicker with the sun behind you in the morning or setting over the sea in the evening.
This is not a path that many people take and there are no signs. Ask locals at Tonka before you set off. They are generally helpful and will tell you about the tide and the state of the sand that day.
Near the estuary end, the port construction area is closed off by a compound wall with a gate. You cannot enter the compound, but the shoreline outside it stays open: access to the beach is everyone's common right. Keep to the wet sand along the water's edge and walk past.
The upper beach here is a nesting area for Olive Ridley turtles from October to April. Stay on the firm sand near the water, keep away from fenced nests and don't use torches on the beach at night.
The sea here has strong currents and there are no lifeguards. Don't swim at the river mouth. Avoid the walk in the monsoon (June to September), at high tide and after dark.
Tips
- Check the tide on a tide app: low tide gives you a wide, firm beach.
- Wear a hat and carry water. There is no shade on the spit.
- Take your rubbish back with you.
