7 Best Beaches to Visit in India

Just a day ago, I was searching for some beach houses on the internet to create my “dream list”. Well, that is a story I will tell you another time. However, it is these kinds of simple things which inspire my hubs most times. So, when I was searching for some beach houses online, I got inspired to write this hub. This hub was also partly inspired by my other two hubs where I wrote about the best places to visit in India. Hence, I present to you the 7 best beaches in India one must visit.

1) Palolem

Talk about beaches in India and the first place to immediately pop up in anyone’s mind is Goa. Goa’s major tourist attractions are its beaches and the churches from the Portuguese colonial era. There are quite a few beaches in Goa I have personally visited, but Palolem stands out. It extends a mile, is shady and is enclosed by a thick forest of coconut palm trees. It offers activities such as dolphin spotting, kayaking and other water sports. The beach is plain picture perfect and is increasing in popularity every year.

2) Lakshadweep

Lakshadweep is one of the Indian union territories. The name literally translates to a 1 lac or 100,000 (laksha) islands (dweep). As per its name, Lakshadweep is a group of islands. Most of the islands are uninhabited (the rest being inhabited by indigenous tribes and off-limits for tourists) and highly mesmerizing. These islands are the only genuine coral islands in India. With turquoise waters, coral reefs, coconut canopies, swaying palms, blue lagoons, silvery sand beaches, opulent marine life and water sports, Lakshadweep is nothing less than heaven.

3) Kovalam

The state of Kerala is famous for its culture, wildlife, beautiful scenery and back waters. However, it also has some of the best beaches in India. Kovalam is one such beach in the “god’s own country”. It is one of the most prominent beaches in South India due to its paradisiacal surroundings, natural beauty and sand washed shores. Some of the activities you can do include surfing, sunrise and sunset cruises, angling and if nothing else, sunbathing.

4) Daman

Daman is another union territory and former Portuguese colony. This too, like Goa, is popular for its beaches. The sensuous beaches in Daman attract tourists from all over the world every year. It has three beaches out of which the Devka beach is less popular due to its black sand and rocky terrain. Nonetheless, the best part of these beaches is that they are amazingly blue. The beaches offer variety of activities such as boat rides, pony rides, sunrise and sunset cruises and sunbathing.

5) Gokarna

Gokarna is a holy town in the state of Karnataka, South India. It also has one of the most pristine beaches in India. The Mahabaleshwar (Siva) temple here in fact is built on the beach of Gokarna. The beach entertains not just pilgrims who come there, but also people who come here just for fun. Though there are not many attractions around here, you can still catch a glimpse of the Lingam at the Mahabaleshwar temple and the huge chariots near the Ganesha temple. You can still have your fun on the beach, nonetheless.

6) Mahabalipuram

All the beaches I have mentioned above are part of the western coast of India. If you want to visit the eastern coast, Mahabalipuram is the place to go. This is another important holy place in India. Mahabalipuram not only attracts pilgrims from everywhere, but also tourists who want to chill out on a beach. Though there is nothing much to do on the beach itself, you can visit the nearby town of Mahabalipuram. The town is famous for its stone carvings and temples with interesting mythological stories. The 2004 tsunami has also made the beach an active site for marine archaeology in recent times.

7) Marari

There are quite a few people out there who would love to visit a quiet and calm beach without much action. They like to lie down on the beach sunbathing and tanning, and do nothing else. Marari beach grants this wish to you if you are one of them. This beach is not a popular tourist destination and hence, there is nothing much that happens there in terms of action. People who visit Kerala for back waters and then want to visit a beach may go to Marari. It is a quaint beach with white sand. The surrounding attractions include the Kumarakom bird sanctuary and the backwaters.

So, the next time you are visiting India, make sure you visit some of these best beaches in India.