First Ever Solo Trip to Karwar


Prem published on
5 min, 959 words

Categories: Motorcycling

Motorcycle and Hills at Sunrise

I had taken a few days off from work — not because I was burnt out or had any plans, but simply because I needed a break. I believe in the mantra: "Rest while you can, not when you have to ;-)"

I set my status as Out of Office on Webex. That evening, my flatmate Ranjan called me and asked, "Kahin ghoomne jaa rahe ho kya? Tumhare Webex pe Out of Office dikh raha hai." (Are you going on a trip? Your Webex shows you’re out of office.)

I told him I just wanted to rest for a few days.

But this call planted an idea in my mind. Why not plan a bike trip instead of just sitting around?

Planning the Trip

I started looking for places around Bengaluru. I had never been to any beach in my life, So I decided to visit Karwar. Without much delay, I

  • Booked an Airbnb in Karwar
  • Rented an XPulse from Royal Brothers
  • Planned my routes

I was all set!

The Journey Begins

I left Bengaluru at around 5:30 AM, taking this route: Bengaluru → Tumakuru → Kadur → Shivamogga → Sagara → Honnavar → Karwar.

BreakfastMotorcycle and Coconut Trees

Early Mishaps and Beautiful Sceneries

By 8 AM, I already had 2 minor crashes, one with a lady on a scooty and the other with a diversion road blocker. I guess they both were my faults as I was little distracted both the times. I got panicked after these two incidents. I started riding more carefully. At that instant I even had a second thought of cancelling the plan and riding back to Bengaluru. But, Glad that I didn't. While I was riding, there were a lot of beautiful sceneries along the way. I think in general, nature has truly been kind to North Karnataka. Also, The excitement kept increasing as the number of kilometres remaining on my screen was moving towards the double digits.

A river and hills around

Perfect Sunset Arrival at Karwar Beach

The entrance to Karwar was truly beautiful. It began with two successive tunnels in the hills. As soon as I passed through both the tunnels, I turned my head to the left and there it was - the sea! This was my first-ever encounter with the sea. I couldn't believe I was riding right next to it. It was 6:03 PM and I had completed 541 kilometers — the longest motorcycle ride of my life till date.

Even though it wasn't moving properly on the sand, I tried to get as close as I could. Oh man, what a beautiful view it was! I was already in Karwar, and I had arrived at the Karwar beach at the perfect time of sunset.

Karwar Arrival

It felt like a victory. I took off my gloves and helmet and sat there, watching and listening to the waves until it got dark. Finally, I rode to my homestay to rest.

Exploring Karwar and South Goa

The next day, I visited several places:

  • Rabindranath Tagore Beach
  • Karwar Railway Station
  • Polem Beach
  • Palolem Beach
Karwar Railway StationPolem Beach
Palolem BeachSunset at Cabo De Rama Fort

I ended the day with a serene sunset at Cabo De Rama Fort.

The Journey Back

The following morning, I had to leave for Bengaluru. My Airbnb host was extremely kind. She was quite surprised when I told her I came all the way from Bengaluru on a bike. While I was leaving her place in the early morning around 5, she prepared me a cup of coffee and wished me a safe journey.

While returning, I took a different route. Around 8 AM, after covering around 100 kilometers, I heard the sound of a nearby river-stream. I decided to go and explore it. There was a clay home with a lot of banana trees around it. I saw one old lady there, she also had few calves and dogs. She spoke Kannada and didn't understand Hindi or English. But I guess, she understood why I'm here for and guided me the way to river.

And there what I witnessed was truly amazing. A peaceful river flowing between mountains under the gentle morning sun. I accidentally discovered this beautiful underrated hidden gem, No one was there, I was enjoying the view all by myself. I sat there on a rock for almost an hour.

Hidden Gem 1Hidden Gem 2

Chitradurga Stay and Departure to Bengaluru

By afternoon, I had covered more than half the distance to Bengaluru. But the weather was not very nice, and I didn’t feel like riding anymore. So, I decided to stay in Chitradurga that night.

The next morning, I visited the Chitradurga Fort. And after the breakfast, I checked out and left for Bengaluru.

Chitradurga FortMotorcycle and Windmills