Oyster Island and lighthouse - A must visit place off the coast of Karwar

Ever since my first visit to coastal Karnataka town of Udupi, I had decided to not miss a chance of visiting coastal Karnataka again. What I love the most about it is pretty much everything on offer, Though coastal Karnataka is heaven for sea food, I love the veg options of South Indian food. I love the clean and not so crowded serene beaches and coastal villages, With Karnataka rich in heritage, its heritage temples are yet another attractions. After Udupi, Mangalore and Dharmasthala had been checked off my bucket list and i was looking at some other places to visit. On one of the travel related discussion with a friend, She suggested her native town of Karwar and yet another friend gave the option of Ankola, Voila !! The ball was set rolling for yet another trip to coastal Karnataka towns combining Ankola and Karwar. My earlier visits were solo trip but this time it was with group of friends.

On searching for attractions in Karwar, It came as pleasant surprise that this town known for its naval base has so much to offer. Beaches, heritage temples, river cruise, forts and above all group of 5 small islands off the coast of Karwar. Anjudeep which is now part of navy, Kurimgad which is a private resort island with a small temple of Lord Narsimhan, Sanyasi island, Devgad and Sadashivgad islands. What interested me the most was the island called Oyster rock island and also known as Devgad or Devadgudda, It is home to one of  oldest lighthouse in India which is still in use. 

The lighthouse was constructed in 1860 and became operational in 1864 and ever since then it has been performing its duty diligently of guiding the ships passing through the Karnataka coastline of Arabian Sea. Oyster rock island is located off the coast of Karwar at a distance of 10 kms and has to be approached by a hired motor boat. On the southern end of Tagore beach lies the Karwar port, the boats can be hired from the port if they are free or from Aligadda beach in Baithkol which is just touching the southern tip of Tagore beach. Baithkol has been an ancient trading port and Arabs were frequent visitors here. In Arabian the name means "Bay of safety".

We hired a boat from Aligadda beach after some hard bargaining. The 8-10 kms boat ride takes around 40 minutes to an hour as the sea waves get rough as we move away from the shoreline and it could be a bumpy ride if the sea is not calm. As we moved towards our destination it was quite interesting to see some huge rocks protruding out of the sea at various places.The hill harboring the Karwar port stretches into the sea for quite a distance covered with forest foliage and also is home to tiny beach called "Ladies beach". 

The approach to the island is from the eastern side where a proper jetty has been constructed. The island gets divided into two parts by the sea on eastern front and during a low tide the shallow reef between the two can be seen and area around the eastern side is ideal spot for fishing.The approach area to the jetty is quite slippery as one of our group member had a nasty fall while getting down from the boat. There is a proper uphill path to go to the lighthouse which is situated on top most part of the island hill. It takes a small hike of around 10-15 minutes to reach the base of light house. The island is covered with dense forest and is perfect setup for "stranded on a deserted island".

The base of lighthouse has a small cannon on wheels painted in orange, and solar panels lined around which powers the lighthouse as well as the cottages. One of the cottage even has a telescope but it was lying in shambles. On the western side there are cottages to stay which is currently being used by the lighthouse caretakers, all infrastructure seems to be from the British era, Britishers really had an eye for such beautiful locations.

There are two caretakers stationed on the island while a third joins them during the 3-4 months of rainy season when approach to the island is stopped and they are stationed permanently for those few months. As we spoke with the guard he mentioned that he gets 5 days of leaves in a month during which time he travels to the mainland to meet his family and to buy essential groceries and necessary items for themselves. 

As we descended further towards the western side, there were two wells with potable drinking water which we were told is being used by the stationed caretakers and also storage tanks have been constructed to store water for daily use. It still makes me wonder that right in middle of  Arabian sea on a small island lies a dense forest with mangoes and fig trees and two wells which carries potable water. Only sore eye was that the entire area was littered with plastics and empty alcohol bottles left by picnikers. We were informed that many groups do come here for camping purpose and leave the litter around, drink alcohol, cook food and spoil the serene environment. Though staying is not allowed here but no authority to overlook, caretakers allow them and these activities goes unnoticed.

At the far end on western side, lies the best surprise on the island, There is a natural wall of rocks blocking the sea waves from hitting the island, The ocean waves hitting the rocks forces water inside from between the rocks and during low tide drains it. This has created a small pool, perfectly safe for kids and with crystal clear water. This pool area was the highlight of the visit. One can even climb the rocks and sit on it and see the vast ocean around with waves splashing the rocks below. This was most amazing spot on the entire island. The forest on the island is home to coconut trees, mangoes and even figs. 

On our last leg of our journey, we were given a guided tour of the lighthouse. They charge Rs 20 per person for the tour. The guard updated us with how the lighthouse is operated and its functions. How it is run on dual power of solar and battery. The entire equipment, the lens, lamps is still from the Britishers era. The old lamps and other things have been carefully kept in display for the visitors. It was good knowledge gaining experience.

On our return journey we made a small halt at the ladies beach. A small hidden beach is a beach cove surrounded by the harbour hill and only approach is through motor boat. Though some locals do approach this beach from the hill side. Away from the rush this is the best kept secret of Karwar. The clear water of sea waves, glistening sand, serenity and isolated location is sure to cast a charm on you. You could spend all the time in the world sitting on the beach doing just nothing. Interesting fact about the name of this beach is because it was favorite place to hangout for the wives of British officers in Karwar as it provided seclusion and hence it got the name "Ladies beach".

The Oyster rock island and the lighthouse along with Ladies beach were the highlights of our trip and is must visit places according to me in Karwar. Hope the visitors to these places keep its natural surroundings clean and allow it to prosper as must visit tourist destination rather than litter it and make it a dumping ground.