Ankola and Gokarna, two of the most scenic and historic towns of North Canara, are just a short drive from Red Earth Gokarna. Nestled in between these two places steeped in history, culture, and more, Red Earth Gokarna sits on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea with exclusive access to undisturbed and gorgeous Honey Beach. Given our SPA, Ayurveda, and Yoga, with scenic location, one could spend days, weeks and months on end at Red Earth Gokarna and many guests do, particularly those that come for Yoga Teacher Training Programs.
But for those of you who have never been to Ankola or Gokarna before, we highly recommend taking the opportunity of your stay at Red Earth Gokarna to explore these two beautiful towns with their many temples, tribal hamlets, bustling markets and verdant fields.
Keeping in mind that you are on a vacation here is a simple, leisurely itinerary for a day trip to Ankola, where you cover few things but in depth, indulging and experiencing the true spirit of the place through slow travel rather than rushing in and out never getting into the skin of the destination. At Red Earth Resorts, we are staunch believers in slow travel.
Start your day early and catch a beautiful early morning at Belambar Beach. It is less than 2 km from Red Earth Gokarna and can be accessed by road or by hiking route through the awe-inspiring terrain with flooded paddy fields and lower Western Ghats overlooking the turquoise field of the Arabian ocean with its white wave heads crashing into the rocky borders. We definitely suggest that you walk to Belambar Beach and carry your binoculars to spot some exotic avifauna as you traverse. When you reach Belambar Beach the early morning waking-up and walking will feel rewarded. A gentle sea welcomes you to a pristine beach with its soft sands, a stretch with pebbles strewn around, crabs rolling up and down, ducking into the burrows at the slightest hint of intrusion.
Belambar is a fishing village with the beach accessible to the fishing community that lives there. Not popular amongst tourists yet, Belambar Beach maintains its sanctity and cleanliness along with the true essence of a rural coastal village. There are no shacks playing music or serving food and beverages, so carrying your own picnic meal which we at Red Earth Gokarna could arrange for along with a glass bottle of water for you to carry and bring back. We request you to maintain the cleanliness of the beach leaving it pristine as you found it.
Belambar Beach is a balm for those of us engrossed in fast-paced life with very little time for reflection or relaxation. You will find yourself doing nothing and enjoying it too on the piece of heaven on earth.
Witness the fishing boats pull back inland after an early morning spree of fishing, and suddenly the beach comes alive with a flurry of activity as the fishermen haul the boat with the day’s fresh catch. You certainly will enjoy some of this catch later in the day made delicious by our chefs at Red Earth resort in Gokarna.
Walk or ride back to the resort in time for a hearty and well-deserved breakfast. Post breakfast as the sun peaks up, it is time to head to Ankola town to visit a historic temple with a rather interesting origin.
Sri Lakshminarayanan Mahamaye Temple in Ankola has a rather interesting legend attached to it. When the Goan Saraswath Brahmins were being persecuted by the Portuguese, they fled Goa in search of safe haven for themselves and their deities. This is how a group of them came to Ankola along with the form of Lakshminarayana and Mahamaye as a coconut. They decided to rest in a forest at Hanumatta in the precincts of a temple. When they woke up the next morning, an anthill had grown around the coconut for of Mahamaye. Reading this as a sign from the gods they settled here, building a temple, and have lived ever since, for over six hundred years now.
After exploring the beautiful architecture of the temple and offering your prayers, it is time to head back to the resort for a delicious Konkan feast with the fresh catch of the day your perhaps witnessed in the morning at Belambar Beach. Although Goans have made the concept of Sosegad famous, the afternoon siesta is a natural inclination of those who live in the Konkan-Canara region. Who would not want to hit snooze after a happy meal of fresh fish and crunchy vegetables, that too when the sun is showering his largese on the vegetation around that fills your heart with glee!
As evening approaches, wake up to the fragrance of coffee or tea, whatever is your choice of beverage and get ready to explore yet another uniqueness of the land. Just down the road from Red Earth resort in Gokarna, across the paddy fields and vegetable patches is a small settlement who take care of these lands. An indigenous tribe compared with Aboriginals, the Halakki Gowdas are known by many names such as Halakki Jana, Halakki Vokkaliga among others.
Although the men from Halakki Vokkaligas do not have a discernable attire, the women are known as Gowdathi, on the other hand, are easily recognizable by their beautiful style of donning the saree with their jewels forming not just an accessory but an essential part of their clothing. Interestingly, the style reminds one of the tribes of Masai Mara and even the Aborigines of Australia. Halakki Vokkaligas settled down around Ankola Gokarna and took up agriculture giving them the title of Vokkaliga, one who tills the land. Halakkis was known to be a nomadic tribe in the distant past though. The name Halakki in Kannada means milk rice, Halu is milk and Akki is rice.
The name Halakki has an interesting story behind it. When Parvati made rice porridge with milk for Shiva and was bringing it, the bowl slipped out of her hand and fell to the ground. Shiva fashioned a tribe with the ensuing mix of milk, rice, and mud who came to be known as Halakki! This is just one of the many stories the Halakkis have in their repertoire. Speaking and singing in a different dialect of Kannada called the Halakki Kannada, the collection of songs and stories is awe-inspiring. Although a small and perhaps vanishing tribe with less than two lakh population, the Halakki Gowdas have nonetheless made some remarkable contributions to indigenous literature and art. This is evident in the fact that two Padma Shri awards, one of the highest civilian awards in the country, have been awarded to two individuals of this community. One for singing and performing arts, to the legendary Sukri Bommagowda, and the other to Tulasi Gowda, for her encyclopedic knowledge of medicinal herbs. Time spent with the Halakkis is assured to be memorable with their singing and sweet smiles.
As you bid audie to the Halakki with a heavy heart, trek up the hills from Red Earth Gokarna, sit down wherever you feel like, and let your heart unburden watching the gorgeous sunset across the Arabian Sea. As you are lost in the burst of colors in the sky and sea, with the cool breeze blowing in, you notice a hint of spices and herbs in the air enticing you. Your entire body knows what it is, time for yet another hearty dinner at Red Earth Gokarna. You smile at the setting sun as you think of the day that has been and the deliciously comforting meal that awaits and the promise of tomorrow. All is well!
