Snigdha TiwariKarwar it’s a beautiful town which lies on the west coast of Southern India also referred to as “Kashmir of Karnataka”, Well if you ask me what is Karwar Famous for I would say the Lush greenery and beautiful beaches with golden sand, though tourism is poorly promoted if you go by the nature value for this place it has peaceful and heart soothing places to explore in and around the town limits one of such unexplored treasure is Black Sand Beach locally known as “Tilamati Beach”
Tilamati beach comes as a word derived from the grain called “Tila” in Konkani language which is the most commonly spoken language here, Tila literally translates to sesame grain in English which is black in color, and Mati here as in means Sand, so if when these two words combine to form Tilamati it means a beach with Sand which resembles the black grain called Tila. This beach is an extraordinary exotic place which is hidden between mountains, forest and a lot of lush greenery which needs a bit of adventure to trek around and reach this place to experience the beauty. Now before I take you on a ride here let’s learn why and how this beach has the existence of black sand. It is believed that the black rocks out here when coming in collision with the waves hit by the shore they firmly grind to form a mixture of fine rock and sand combination making the beach have deposits of this back sand.
Now the immediate next question we come across is how do we reach this place on our visit to Karwar, Well Tilamati beach is situated approx. 15kms from Karwar city, we need to take the national highway towards Majali Beach and as we reach this beach we do not have any official parking available but the surrounding Gabit Wada is where you can park your vehicle, well once you walk to Majali Beach don’t be surprised we do have Yellow/White Sand at the beach which looks like every other beach you have probably visited but then when you walk in there and look to your right you will find a rock where you are supposed to climb over. As you get over the rock the rocky path you see on the left side is your trial to the beach, you just need to follow the trail. After trekking for around 12 to 15 minutes you would reach a place that has a mixture of a lot of seashells and white sand and a beautiful scenic view to pose in for a few pictures or selfies.
Once you are at this place it’s an indication that you are very close to your destination, follow the trail path over again and it will lead you to the top of the mountain again where you can again experience breathtaking, windy, and picture-perfect view. Make sure you are very careful while trekking as we have a lot of steep edges, one wrong step can land you deep down so hold your grip on and go ahead with ease. And as you trek for a few more minutes having a beautiful panoramic view of the coast, you reach this place which is covered with lush greenery all around and this place is like the welcome board to your destination a few steps ahead will land you at this unexplored treasure of Karwar Tilamati Beach.
Once you are here you get this beautiful view and there are a few rocks here and there wherein you can plan for some creative shots with your camera if you are a photographer for others this is a place for peace and tranquil and you are sure to have a feeling of accomplishment once you are here after the adventurous trekking.
So finally I can say for all those who love adventure and those who like to be at the edge of the mountain cliff and for all those who are not scared of heights this one is a place you will remember for life as it stands out as an unexplored treasure and one of the most unique beaches you can visit at Karwar.
– Anurag Tarikar
