Eight beaches in India won the coveted “Blue Flag” tag in October 2020. It’s a certification that’s awarded by a jury that includes members of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) & United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), among others.
While I’ve been to four of them much before 2020, I got an opportunity to tick off another name – Padubidri beach in Karnataka. It’s very close to Mangalore and is situated close to a very pretty fishing village.
We were pretty much the only visitors and it felt like being in a private beach. It was serene, calm, clean and beautiful and the pictures I took do no justice to the place.
Except for a small shop selling refreshments, there was nothing around the beach.
To those interested in visiting the beach, it’s best combined with a visit to Mangalore & a few other destinations. There are buses that ply between Mangalore city and Padubidri regularly. We however went by a car from Mangalore and it was a 40 minute drive, the roads are great.
I would suggest that one visit it in either end December or start of January, because it’s quite hot in this part of India throughout the year. Or perhaps when it’s raining, if you are a monsoon fan.