[Nempuguru]

Kemmannu - Bengre beach, Udupi, Karnataka

Kemmannu - Bengre is small village in Udupi district which lies on the west coast of Karnataka along the river Suvarna. This place is combination of several small islands (locally known as “Kudru”). Bengre is a beach, has a mini port for fisheries. Here the river “Suvarna” merges with Arabian Sea, so this is a sangama (confluence) place. Beauty of this place is seen to believe.



* Kemmannu is situated around 9 kms from district centre Udupi.

* City buses from Udupi make frequent trips to Kemmannu, Hoode and Kodi Bengre (dead end point). From Bengre one can reach Hungarkatte (other side of the river) by boat. From there NH 66 is very near by.

* Some of the islands are: Padukudru, Timmannakudru, Honnappakudru, Baligarakudru etc. Each island has few houses and coconut plantation. Only Padukudru is connected with main land through proper bridge on which bike, car, mini vehicles can ply. Other islands inter connected via mini pedestrian bridges, one even has a hanging bridge (built by military).



* Due to salt water other than coconut nothing else can be cultivated here. There were days when localities used to cultivate paddy, sugar cane, green chilli etc here.

* During heavy rainy days these islands become flooded and one has to depend on boats to reach main land.

* Very few well (source of water) contains sweet water. Remaining all are salt water ponds. If you dig 5 - 6 ft pit anywhere water starts seeping in. Local panchayat supplies drinking water to localities here. Another major hurdle is frequent power supply, many of the time low voltage supply.

* Kemmannu, also known as Thonse is the birth place of famous Manipal Group founders.

* Even a housing boat service started here recently. Other than this there is no other accommodation or proper food facility available, Udupi being the nearest city for stay and food.



* Beauty wise Kemmannu - Bengre is almost similar to back waters of Kerala. But totally unknown to tourists. That is why it is clean, serene and pristine.

Near by places:

* Udupi
* Malpe beach
* Kaup beach
* Saint Marry’s island (visible clearly from Hoode beach)
* Kundapur
* Mangalore

Coordinates: 13°25'45"N * 74°41'3"E

This is not exactly a travelogue but frequently visited, one of my famous getaway place. My uncle’s (father’s elder brother) house is here. So whenever time permits I visit this calm, quite, serene, beautiful place. Exploring all these mini islands by walk, boat, sometime even by bicycle.

I will let photos explain about this place.

Suvarna river - Arabian sea confluence place





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That is famous Saint Marry's island, as seen from Hoode beach



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Look at the state of this bridge. From childhood I am seeing this in same condition. No people movement allowed on this now. Wider bridge constructed some years back next to this. It was fun riding bicycle or bike on this during my childhood days.



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Hanging bridge constructed by district authorities with the help of military. Basically a pedestrian bridge, but localities take their bicycle/bike on this.





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Fisheries boat in action. Other side of the river is Hungarkatta.



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Contd.

[Nempuguru]

More photos of Kemmannu - Bengre:







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That is my brother's Ford Figo.



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These mini bridges connect those islands.

























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Walking paths inside "kudru"





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National bird abundant here.

[majumon]

Wow such a lovely and serene place, actually it has a stark resemblance to kerala, in my dads place also there is similar condition of salt water as soon as u dig a few feet and yes only coconut cultivation takes place.

The places look so cool and inviting, thanks for sharing.

[Nempuguru]

Originally Posted by majumon

Wow such a lovely and serene place, actually it has a stark resemblance to kerala,

Yes majumon. Lot of similarity between these places and Kerala's back water. Even sighting migratory birds from Malabar region is common.

Somehow not familiar with tourists. Students from Manipal institute are the frequent visitors here. Also, some islands either privately owned or inhabited. So people skip these.

[skyliner34]

Nempuguru, it's a fantastic place and thanks a lot for letting us know about it's existence. In case if I plan to visit these places whats your suggestions?
Drive to Udupi and from there take a local bus and explore the place (Which all?) or drive all the way to Kodi Bengere and explore in car/boat/foot? What are the nearby stay options other than boat house?
And how good are the roads in these islands for driving around?
Sorry for so many questions

[Nempuguru]

Originally Posted by skyliner34

Nempuguru, it's a fantastic place and thanks a lot for letting us know about it's existence. In case if I plan to visit these places whats your suggestions?
Drive to Udupi and from there take a local bus and explore the place (Which all?) or drive all the way to Kodi Bengere and explore in car/boat/foot? What are the nearby stay options other than boat house?
And how good are the roads in these islands for driving around?
Sorry for so many questions

Thank you. Let me answer your queries point by point:

* You can drive all the way till Kodi bengre, single lane road is in good condition, some places very narrow. (Route: Udupi - NH 66 - Santhekatte - take diversion from highway - Nejar Kemmannu road - Kemmannu - Hoode - Bengre - Kodi Bengre) Udupi - Kemmannu around 9 kms, Kemmannu - Bengre 5+ kms.

* Hoode to Bengre road is delight to drive, one side beach another side river Swarna. During heavy monsoon high tides enters this road. Sea erosion rampant here.

* Other than house boat no stay options here. Even food option limited. You can stay in Udupi / Malpe and cover these places in half a day (morning or evening time). There is a road connecting Bengre to Malpe directly (bus route), don't know the road condition now.

* Coming to islands, near Kemmannu bus stand there is a bridge connecting Padukudru. On this car, mini vehicles can ply. Inside island roads are narrow (one way kind, concrete roads). You can go all the way till hanging bridge which is the other end of that island (max 2 kms). You can park your car near hanging bridge and roam around by walk, or by boat. No commercial boats, just ask village people if they are willing to offer a ride for nominal fee. Generally people are friendly.

[skyliner34]

Originally Posted by Nempuguru

Thank you. Let me answer your queries point by point:

* You can drive all the way till Kodi bengre, single lane road is in good condition, some places very narrow. (Route: Udupi - NH 66 - Santhekatte - take diversion from highway - Nejar Kemmannu road - Kemmannu - Hoode - Bengre - Kodi Bengre) Udupi - Kemmannu around 9 kms, Kemmannu - Bengre 5+ kms.

* Hoode to Bengre road is delight to drive, one side beach another side river Swarna. During heavy monsoon high tides enters this road. Sea erosion rampant here.

* Other than house boat no stay options here. Even food option limited. You can stay in Udupi / Malpe and cover these places in half a day (morning or evening time). There is a road connecting Bengre to Malpe directly (bus route), don't know the road condition now.

* Coming to islands, near Kemmannu bus stand there is a bridge connecting Padukudru. On this car, mini vehicles can ply. Inside island roads are narrow (one way kind, concrete roads). You can go all the way till hanging bridge which is the other end of that island (max 2 kms). You can park your car near hanging bridge and roam around by walk, or by boat. No commercial boats, just ask village people if they are willing to offer a ride for nominal fee. Generally people are friendly.

Thanks for the in-depth details Nempuguru, I hope to visit this place soon

[rjstyles69]

Beautiful man. Moderator Samurai should know this place and trust me in a long time I haven't seen something so soothing to the eye. Must say this place is a hidden gem and in a way it's good we don't have tourists here.

[Dieselritzer]

Boss this looks like a hidden gem. The pics are so nice, it looks a quite peaceful place yet to be discovered. The road along the sea is really pretty. Thanks for sharing this man.

[Nempuguru]

Originally Posted by rjstyles69

Beautiful man. Moderator Samurai should know this place and trust me in a long time I haven't seen something so soothing to the eye. Must say this place is a hidden gem and in a way it's good we don't have tourists here.

Originally Posted by Dieselritzer

Boss this looks like a hidden gem. The pics are so nice, it looks a quite peaceful place yet to be discovered. The road along the sea is really pretty. Thanks for sharing this man.

Originally Posted by skyliner34

Thanks for the in-depth details Nempuguru, I hope to visit this place soon

Thank you skyliner34, rjstyles69, Dieselritzer.

Yes! This place is hidden gem, and wish stays as is without much commercialization.

Samurai must be familiar with this place as it is near to his office/residence (hardly 10-15 kms).

[KD007]

Thank you for sharing this. Absolutely a place to visit. Some more questions

The house boat - by any chance will you have the name or number? To check on booking purposes

Security and language barrier - You are a localite there however travelling with family and late night excursions, is it safe? . Also, will hindi/english work in terms of basic communication? (no offence meant to people over there just generally checking)

Other basic needs - Water, Snacks etc easily available or should we carry from Udupi?

Last question - the small red/orange growth on the trees, what exactly is it?

[Nempuguru]

Originally Posted by KD007

The house boat - by any chance will you have the name or number? To check on booking purposes

Security and language barrier - You are a localite there however travelling with family and late night excursions, is it safe? . Also, will hindi/english work in terms of basic communication? (no offence meant to people over there just generally checking)

Other basic needs - Water, Snacks etc easily available or should we carry from Udupi?

Last question - the small red/orange growth on the trees, what exactly is it?

Thank you KD007.

* House boat: Sorry, I don't have contact number. Even I have not stayed in those. But seen many times there. Just did a google search for "Houseboat Kemmannu", groupon deal and website of 'Paradise Lagoon' displayed with same landmark info (Timmannakudru, Kemmannu etc) what I shared. That must be the one I guess.

* Getting basic food/water/cool drinks absolutely no issues (at Kemmannu, Hoode or Bengre), even small eateries are there for local snacks. But tough to get tender coconut even though surrounded by thousands of coconut trees.

* Local languages are Kannada and Tulu. But people can understand Hindi/English. Many families here has links with Mumbai or Gulf countries. Generally people are friendly and soft spoken. Late night excursion in those island not a good idea I feel, as it is pitch dark without street lights. Not much people movement after 8 o'clock here.

* Those small red/orange growth on trees are kind of mushrooms, commonly seen during monsoon.

[Samurai]

Lovely pics I must say.

Originally Posted by rjstyles69

Beautiful man. Moderator Samurai should know this place and trust me in a long time I haven't seen something so soothing to the eye.

Originally Posted by Nempuguru

Samurai must be familiar with this place as it is near to his office/residence (hardly 10-15 kms).

Can fish swim? It is known to Udupi BHPians and we even had our last TeamBHP meet here.

[srikrishna717]

Nempuguru,
Thanks for sharing this. Did'nt know such a place existed in KA.
Really a serene and beautiful place.
Thanks a lot for sharing!

[Stryker]

Looks like an amazing place, an unspoiled paradise. Are there any facilities available here? Upcoming resorts and such? I find it hard to believe that such a serene place is still hidden away. I never knew about this.

Great photos and thanks for sharing.