How do you describe Bekal?
A sleepy town with serene backwaters
Sun-kissed unexplored beaches
Colourful boats dotting the harbour
With majestic forts standing guard behind them
And endless coconut grooves all around !!
Does it sound like a place you would like to relax at or explore around ? Forget the bustling beaches of Goa. And the popular beaches of Pondicherry. Combine the vibes of the holy town of Rameshwaram or Kanyakumari with the calmness at the Arambol beach in Goa. And add to that a pinch of the Majestic forts of Rajasthan like the Kumbhalgarh Fort and backwaters as beautiful as the backwaters of Kumarakom. Meeting the sea at serene beaches. But devoid of the usual crowd. Rather laid back and slow paced like the coastal town of Varkala. It almost sounds like a perfect blend that makes up a tropical paradise for that perfect romantic escape, doesn’t it? Welcome to Bekal!!
In this post, let me take you on a virtual tour of the small underrated town of Bekal in North Kerala. That I finally visited after planning a trip to Bekal since long. I will also take you through the best things to do in Bekal, places to visit in Bekal and how to go about exploring Bekal. So, let’s get started with our journey today exploring Bekal.
History of Bekal
Bekal is a small town located in the Kasargod district of Kerala, south of Kasargod town of Kerala. Owning to its keyhole like location at the west coast of India, it became a strategically important location since the rule of the Vijayanagara Empire in Karnataka at Hampi. And was ruled under several empires since. During the rule of Tipu Sultan, the strategic location of this region became further important. As the trade with the western countries were picking up around this time. And the Bekal port was emerging as one of the most important ports for these trades.It was at this time that the Bekal Fort, built by Shivappa Nayak in 1650 AD was further strengthened. And it served as an important military base for Tipu Sultan when he led the expedition to capture the malabar region.
Apart from this fort and the historical significance, there are a lot of things to do in Bekal that make this small town one of the top tourist locations in Kerala. It has several ancient caves to explore, serene backwaters to kayak on, beautiful beaches, sleepy fishing villages that look right out of postcards and several ancient temples as well. In fact, Bekal has featured in the Lonely planet as one of the most interesting tourist locations in Kerala.
Best Places to see in Bekal
The Bekal Fort
Undoubtably the top attraction here is the Bekal Fort. As is evident by the way it appears on all the magazine covers and thumbnails of articles that talk about Bekal. But did you know that the Bekal Fort is the largest fort of Kerala? With walls as massive as that we saw in the Kumbhalgarh and Chittorgarh fort of Rajasthan, and structure. very similar to the fort Aguada of Goa. The Bekal Fort stands tall guarding the coastline of Arabian Sea. It is definitely a delight to visit. And visiting the Bekal Fort should be one of the top things to do in Bekal on everyone’s list. We also visited here and thoroughly enjoyed exploring the fort.As well as the 360 view of the coastline and the beaches that we saw from the top of the Bekal Fort. I will soon give you a virtual tour of the Bekal Fort in my next post.
Timings of Bekal Fort : 8:00am – 5:30pm
Entry fee : INR 25 per adult for Indians, entry for kids below 15 years is free
PS: Our complete post on exploring the Bekal Fort
Bekal Beach
Right besides the Bekal Fort lies the Bekal Beach. It is a partially sandy, partially rocky beach. But it is neat and clean and beautiful. Another top thing on my list of things to do in Bekal was to visit the Bekal Beach. The beach is devoid of adventure activities and water sports. Rather it calls for a calm and serene atmosphere you can relax, take long strolls on the long coastline of the beach or just sit and relax the beautiful waves and the views of the majestic Bekal Fort besides the beach.
Timings of Bekal Beach : The beach is open 24 hours in a day.
Entry fee : Rs 10 for adults
Valiyaparamba Backwaters
Think of the backwaters of Kerala and you are immediately transported to Alleppey or Kumarakom, with bamboo houseboats floating on the Vembadan Lake. But this time on my trip to Bekal, I discovered another beautiful backwater canals of Kerala – the Valiyaparamba Backwaters. You can enjoy a plethora of activities on these backwaters including kayaking, boating, bamboo rafting and bird watching. Or just sit on the banks and enjoy the serene atmosphere.
Chandragiri Fort
Another beautiful fort of this region located on the banks of the Chandragiri River is the Chandragiri Fort. Although not as massive as the Bekal Fort, but it is worth a visit by all means. The fort was built by the Nayakas after they declared independence upon the fall of Vijayanagara Empire. And thereafter built several forts in the current Uttar Kannada and North Kerala region. There are two main entrances to this massive fort along with one underground tunnel. Also, the fort contains 8 bastions, each with cannon holes.
Chandragiri Fort timings : 9:00am to 5:00pm
(Friday holiday)
Entry fee : free entry
Top things to do in Bekal
Go Bird Watching in Bekal
The backwaters attract a plethora of birds. This might be due to the abundant greenery and thick rainforests that surround the region. While taking walks around in our resort, we saw a peacock fly across the backwater canal, a beautiful blue kingfisher. And several other birds on the backwaters, hunting for fishes. Mighty eagles, little sparrows and many other cute birds that I enjoyed watching but didn’t recognise were all feast to the eyes.
Try Kayaking on the backwaters
The backwaters at Bekal are extremely calm. They make for a perfect opportunity to enjoy some kayaking. Our resort also had kayaking facility at the premises. But unfortunately, when we visited, due to monsoons it was not operational. However, I can definitely imagine what an experience it will be to Kayak through the backwater canals of Kerala – which I have experienced only through a houseboat stay in Alleppey and a sunset cruise that I did on my road trip to Kerala.
Enjoy a bamboo rafting on the backwaters
Bamboo rafting is another beautiful experience to enjoy on the backwaters of Bekal. In fact, some resorts like the Taj Bekal take the experience to another level. Where they arrange for bamboo rafting in the backwater lagoon on full moon night. With assortments to enjoy on a decorated bamboo raft with comfy mattress. Reading about this experience somehow always reminds me of our relaxing cruises through a Shikara ride in the Dal Lake on our trip to Kashmir. And this is one experience for which my stay in Taj Bekal is still due. Let’s see when that materialises.
Go boating with the locals on the backwater lagoons
As fascinating as the backwaters of Kerala are for travellers and tourists, for the locals, they are their lifeline. You will see them cruising all the time in their small boats through these backwaters to their homes along the bank. What will be a more authentic way to experience the local vibe than to take a ride in one of these boats on the backwater lagoons of Bekal ? Don’t forget to tip them for their generosity of giving you a lift and taking out time to chat with you!
Explore some of the caves around Bekal
Bekal is home to some very old caves. Some of these have religious significance as well. Many a times, enthusiastic explorers come to Bekal only to explore these caves. Particularly famous are a group of 40 caves named after the sage Nithyananda for their religious significance. Also, one of the interesting facts about these caves is that they are all carved out of a single rock and have 6 entrances in total.
Enjoy the authentic local cuisine of Kerala
When in Kerala, you have got to enjoy the local cuisines of Kerala. Most of the resorts you stay in Bekal have a lot of local specialities on their menu. And when you head out, particularly near the attractions, there are food joints selling the local food. Do try them out. The most famous ones that I could find were the steamed and fried preparations of Bekal. Such as Puttu, idiyappam, iddali, ada and fried bananas. Amongst sea food, people highly recommend trying the local fish curry made in coconut oil and fish fry.
Take long walks on the sea beach in Bekal
The beaches of Bekal are totally devoid of crowd. As such, I definitely were up to my all time favourite activity – taking a walk on the beach. Letting the waves stroke my feet every now and then.(If you remember, it has been my ritual ever since my workcation in Goa) However, the sea at Bekal is rough. So, beware of the strong waves. Particularly because Bekal is a small town. And lifeguards are not present on most of the beaches here. So, you need to look after yourself.
Pamper yourself in a luxury resort in Bekal
Bekal has several luxury resorts to pamper yourself. Try staying in one of these to make the most of your time relaxing in Bekal. We did the same. You can read more about in the “Where to stay in Bekal” section below. In short, you get to experience all the beauty of Bekal topped with pampering and luxury when staying in one of the five star resorts here.
Most of these luxury resorts have swimming pools, big lawns, private access to backwaters and sea beach. Along with spa, several indoor and outdoor games, yoga, a large assortment of multicuisine recipes and water related activities like boating, kayaking, bamboo rafter ride etc. Many also have specific activities to engage kids like drawing, pottery, play area etc. So in short, highly recommend staying in one for a short weekend getaway in Bekal.
Enjoy Shopping in Bekal
There are small shops in Bekal dotting the tourist attractions and the highways, which sell beautiful local handicrafts, souvenirs etc. I was particularly attracted to the bamboo baskets and home decor items displayed at the road side shops that I saw on the road sides. Also, there were tons of earthenware and clay vases, clay toys etc. One can also buy Kerala chips, magnets and other small souvenirs to take back home from Bekal. The main town of Bekal has a couple of major shopping centres. But here, you will find the branded shops that you get in any other towns of India.
Where to stay in Bekal
Personally, for me, for a long time, I was eyeing two resorts in Bekal – Taj Bekal and the Lalit Bekal Resort and Spa. Both of these resorts are five star. They are loaded with amenities. And pamper you to your core. So, when the time came to finally materialise this trip, I ended up staying in the Lalit Bekal Resort and Spa Bekal. And each member of my family, including the kids, enjoyed our overnight stay in Lalit Resort and Spa Bekal to the max. So, will highly recommend the same to you. I will soon detail out my experience staying in the Lalit Resort Bekal in a separate post.
While the above two are top end luxury resorts in Bekal, there are a lot of mid budget properties and budget friendly accommodations as well. The Malabar Ocean Resort and Spa was one such property I wanted to experience as well. Maybe sometimes in future when we return to Bekal. And then there are many more. You can use “this link” to browse through the list of accommodations in Bekal.
Best time to visit Bekal
Winter months of October to February are the best to visit Bekal as the weather around this time is better and cooler compared to rest of the year. The monsoon showers start in May in Bekal and monsoon continues till August. During this time, it’s really pleasant to explore around when it is cloudy. As the greenery around and the monsoon clouds make it a perfect time to explore the region. We ourselves visited Bekal in August. But it was not very cloudy here. However, the temperature was bearable at 29-30 degrees max.
But you will need to check the weather forecast closely when visiting Bekal during monsoon months. As sometimes it might rain very heavily in this area. And when that happens, you will not be able to step out at all. And explore around. We had a close eye on the weather. And we booked our stay just 2 days before traveling here. Since we knew we were visiting Bekal in off season. And there were chances of rain.
Having said that, if you plan it right, you will save a lot of money exploring the region during the off peak season.
How to reach Bekal
You can reach Bekal through road as well as air transport. I have observed that most of the tourists that visit here land at Mangalore Airport. Which is the nearest airport to Bekal. And then take a taxi from Mangalore to Bekal (A road trip from Mangalore to Bekal takes a little less than 2 hours to complete). Or, one can also take a train as well. As the Kotikulam Railway Station (3km from the town center) is well connected to rest of Kerala and Karnataka through train network.
You can also drive to Bekal. Or hire a taxi to Bekal or take a bus from Mangalore to Bekal. We drove from Bangalore to Bekal. The road trip from Bangalore to Bekal usually takes 7-8 hours. We started early in the morning around 5:00am from our home in Bangalore. And inspite of taking a long break for breakfast and two other smaller breaks, we reached Bekal by 1:30pm. Bangalore to Bekal road trip via Madikeri is one of the most beautiful road trips of India that we have taken so far. I will dedicate another post to it soon.
Our Bangalore to Bekal trip was an extension to our Coastal Karnataka Road trip on which we visited Mangalore, Udupi, Murudeshwar and Gokarna as well. Here’s resources from our Coastal Karnataka Road Trip
- Exploring Udupi in a day
- Things to do in Gokarna in a day
- Kapu Beach & Malpe Beach Udupi
- Udupi Sri Krishna Temple and Math
- Tannirbhavi Beach Mangalore
If you want to plan a staycation from Bangalore or a relaxing weekend getaway from Bangalore, I will highly recommend driving to Bekal. And staying in one of the many beautiful accommodations that Bekal has got to offer.
General tips on visiting Bekal
- Carry an umbrella with you on your trip to Bekal – a must have in your packing list. It will protect you against the sun as well as rain.
- You must pack sufficient sunscreen and apply the same generously when traveling to Bekal.
- Wear a hat and comfortable cotton cloths when exploring around. As the weather in Bekal is hot and humid all through the year.
- Pack comfortable slippers and beach footwear for exploring the beaches of Bekal and shoes for forts and hilly terrains around.
PS: We did a trip to Bekal along with a coastal Karnataka trip. Since, Bekal is located at only 1 hour drive from Mangalore. We took this 5 days coastal Karnataka road trip –
Bangalore -> Bekal -> Mangalore -> Udupi -> Murudeshwara -> Bangalore
We will soon update here other resources from the rest of this trip to help you plan the complete trip like we did.
PS: Some of our links are affiliated, this means we will earn a commission when you buy a service or product by clicking those links. However, this will have no extra cost for you.