Mattu Beach – A Tropical Paradise

Our auto took a turn and quite unexpectedly we found ourselves on a narrow but perfectly tarred road that was lined with coconut trees on one side and the vast Arabian Sea on the other. Peeping through the coconut trees and scattered all along were quaint little colourful houses painted in red, blue, yellow, pink. It was the long weekend of Independence Day and we were gallivanting around Udupi.

Rajesh, our auto driver, did mention that he was about to take us to a place that we would really like but we hadn’t paid much attention thinking that he hardly knew what would interest us. And, here we were in a state of complete euphoria mesmerized with the scenic and picturesque setting around us. We had grossly underestimated Rajesh’s capability of gauging the interests of tourists riding with him and customising the trips accordingly. His experience and zest in delighting his customers is something he repeatedly proved to us in the next few days.

Sensing our excitement, Rajesh stopped the auto somewhere in the middle of nowhere. It was only when we stepped out that we saw the backwaters beyond the coconut trees. The narrow strip of road was flanked by coconut trees, palm trees, and backwaters on one side and the deep blue sea on the other. Nature has uniquely blessed this place. There were very few people around and it wasn’t the least bit touristy making it the most pleasant place at that moment. There were no hawkers, no shops, no restaurants. The air was filled with the gentle sound of waves splashing into the golden sands, the swishing coconut trees dancing to the tune of the breeze emanating from the sea, and the pleasantly fluttering Indian Flag – it was the day before Independence Day.

The thought that I had never heard about this beach before was astonishing, especially in this digital age of social media. Such a charming beach remains lesser known is a blessing till word spreads and it gets discovered. I just hope the beach remains empty as it is today, which is a possibility so long eateries and hawkers don’t set up shop here. Thoroughly delighted to discover this hidden gem, we had clearly fallen in love with this place. The blissful, pristine, clean, and quiet surroundings exuded the perfect therapeutic feeling of peace and joy. The next few days saw us coming here at least once every single day and spending time in nature’s heavenly solitude.

Just two weeks before I had been to South Goa, which is known for its stunning white sandy beaches, clear blue seas, swaying palm trees, and the amazing sea food. Therefore, it was only natural for me to make a quick comparison of the beaches in South Goa to Mattu Beach. The latter won hands on for reasons more than one. The soulful and serene Mattu Beach is grossly underrated, which is not a bad thing at all, especially for travellers seeking to enjoy nature’s inherent quietude.

The 30 Km. long Mattu Beach is also well known for bio luminescence – the sea sparkles at sun down because of the production and emission of light by some bio-luminescent microorganisms. Unfortunately, I got to know of this only after getting back to Bangalore when my friend, unable to get Mattu Beach out of her mind, went into a research mode and started reading up about the place. That was certainly a big miss for us as we never stayed back after sundown. Well, I will certainly visit Mattu Beach once again and bio luminescence will be an additional attraction.