St. Mary’s Island Malpe | Why You Need To Visit This Hidden Gem In Karnataka?

St. Mary’s Island is blessed with stunning natural beauty. Think golden sands under your feet, tall palm trees grooving to the music of the wind, and white foamy waves crashing against the rocks. Second, this island is special because it has these unique hexagonal, basalt rocks that were formed millions of years ago when Madagascar broke away from the Indian subcontinent. Yes, we are literally talking about a relic from prehistoric times.

St. Mary’s Island is actually a collection of 4 small islands in the Arabian Sea, just off the coast of Malpe beach. The 4 islands are called Coconut Island, Darya Bahadurgarh Island, North and South Islands. Collectively, they are also known as Coconut Island or Thonsepar. When you visit, you will be doing a tour of the Coconut Island that is open to public.

Rare geological formations in form of hexagonal basalt rocks make the island group a unique place to visit in coastal Karnataka. Also, the reason why St. Mary’s Island was classified as National Geological Monument in 2001. Come let’s dig deeper into what made these islands so special.

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✅ Best things to do on St. Mary’s Island:
Even though St. Mary’s Island is not a huge place (the ferry takes us only to the Coconut Island), there are so many exciting things you can do there. You can easily plan this as a half-day trip from Malpe. Here are my 5 favorite things to do on this Malpe island.

✅ Learn all about the giant basalt rocks:
Like we have already spoken, this island is full of hexagonal basalt rocks that were formed when Madagascar rifted away from India. It is fascinating to realize that these rocks have been there for millions of years now and have seen so much. A bit of pre-reading can fill you with wonder when you get to see these rocks.

✅ Explore a beach filled with shells:
What is interesting is that the island has two beaches – each of them different. The one where you alight from the ferry is filled with soft white sand like any typical Karnataka beach. But the other one right at the end of the island is filled with sea shells. Yes, there are so many of them you cannot even see the sand. A special shell beach!

✅ Millions and millions of pretty sea shells of all colors and sizes adorn this part of Malpe Island. Even though it is forbidden to bring any sea shell with you, it is always fun to watch them closely and play with them. A fun activity for families traveling to Karnataka!

✅ Click the picturesque palm trees:
Whether you are an amateur photographer or a professional one, you cannot really go wrong with your clicks at St. Mary’s Island in Karnataka. Swaying palm trees against tiny red and blue huts make for an amazing picture frame. Couple that with the backdrop of black rocks and a foamy sea and you are all set for your next Instagram photo shoot.

✅ Spend some time watching marine life:
Not many people realize this but it is actually a good idea to spend some quality time watching sea animals and birds here. You can catch up with tiny crabs, snails, seagulls, and sometimes dolphins too!

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