St. Mary's island - Karnataka - India

St. Mary's Island is located at a distance of 6 km from Udupi and 65 km north of Mangalore. It is a collection of small islands in the Arabian Sea off the coast of Malpe in Udupi district.

 St. Mary's Islands are also known as Coconut Island and Thonsepar, since there are coconut gardens which make it the shadiest of all the islands and give it a true South Sea color.

 Saint Mary Island is one of those destinations that is still to be ravaged and commercialized, as can be observed by According to local legends the island was discovered by Vasco De Gama in 1498, before he reached Kozhikode, who fixed a cross on the island and named it ‘El Padron de Santa Maria’, after Mother Mary.

 The western coasts of the islands are a seashell haven with seashells of various shapes and sizes littered along the coast. There is no sand beach to swim and relax since it is scatted with basaltic rocks. But there are flat slabs to sit and enjoy the serenity of the place.

 These islands are just rock projections arising out of the sea near Malpe. The St. Mary's Island beach is special for the unique formation of basalt rocks that have crystallized into whole columns and split into vertical hexagonal blocks.

The first boat to leave for St. Mary's island starts off at 9.00 AM provided there are at least 30 people for the journey. The ticket cost INR 70/- for adults and INR 30/- for kids (aged between 3 and 10). It takes about less than 30 minutes to reach the island. At the island another small boat will ferry passengers back and forth from the bigger vessel.

How to Reach

Air

The nearest airport to the St. Mary's Islands is the Mangalore international airport which is well connected to various other domestic airports across India and to other international airports. One needs to get to Udupi from Mangalore which is well connected by roads.

Rail

The nearest railway station is Udupi which is well connected to Mumbai, Thiruvananthapuram, and Mangalore.

Road

Malpe is 58 km North of Mangalore and is well connected to Mangalore by road and is 4 km away from Udupi The region is well connected by roads to various parts of Mangalore and can be easily reached by various bus services from Mangalore. There are city buses as well as the Mangalore-Udupi Express buses.

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