St. Mary’s Island is actually a group of four islands located about 7 km from Malpe and 12 km from Udupi in Karnataka. The largest of the four islands is the most visited and is about 1 km long and 250 m wide, and has a very beautiful landscape. On one side of this island, where you get off the ferry, you can see lines of coconut trees which provide enough shade to rest under. The water on this side of the island is very mild, and is an ideal place if you want to get into and play in the sea water.

St Mary’s Island

As you enter the other side of the island, you will be astonished by the sudden change in the landscape. From a shady island, it turns out to be a rocky one! There are several rock formations in this side of the island. Scientific study has revealed that these rare basalt rocks are formed out of volcanic activity, which is a surprise as volcanoes are unheard of in this part of the world!

The other side of St Mary’s Island

Secluded island, clear water, sandy beach, exotic rocks, green patches of trees, St. Mary’s Island has all the natural beauties that you can ever ask for. Moreover, this place is not very famous and hence very less crowded. So you can spend enough time at the island all by yourself, enjoying and admiring the beauty.

Basalt Rocks Everywhere

How to reach?

There are several ferries available to reach St Mary’s Island from the port of Malpe. These ferries generally wait until there are enough people on board to make their business profitable. It leaves at fixed timings (or gets delayed/cancelled if there are no enough people).

Ferries to the island

You can also hire a boat from Malpe beach (about one km from the port) to reach the island. This is preferable mode of transport as you need not waste your precious time waiting for others to join. The boat ride from the front seat on the boat is thrilling as you can feel the chillness of the water as the boat advances. The occasional high waves can be good enough to get you drenched completely if you are in the front seat!

Boat Ride from Malpe Beach

Awesome Sunset Views

If you visit the island in the latter half of the day, be sure to witness this amazing sight of the sun gradually disappearing into the sea! You can negotiate with the boat rider to extend your stay at the island for few minutes (of course, you need to get back to Malpe before it is too dark, and it takes about 20 minutes for that).

Sunset at St Mary’s Island

Sunset at St Mary’s Island

Good Bye St Mary’s Island 🙂 See you again sometime! 🙂

How to plan a visit?

The nearest town to St. Mary’s Island is Udupi. Udupi is about 60 km from Mangalore, and is very well connected by bus (both private and KSRTC). Moreover, Udupi is also well connected to Bangalore with numerous overnight buses (again both private and KSRTC) plying between the two cities. You can plan a pleasant weekend trip from Bangalore to Udupi, and include St. Mary’s Island in your trip. In addition, you can also plan to visit Maravanthe (the national highway that divides a river and sea) and Murudeshwar!

Location

Where to stay?

• Udupi
• Mangalore / Mangaluru

Distance Chart