St Mary’s Island — Ferry Times, Tips and What It Is Really Like

St Mary's Island is a cluster of small islands about six kilometres off Malpe, and the reason to go is geological: the shoreline is made of hexagonal basalt columns, standing in tight vertical bundles like something built rather than formed. India has declared it a National Geological Monument. The rock is thought to be connected to the volcanic activity that accompanied Madagascar splitting away from India, which is a fairly extraordinary thing to be standing on while eating an ice cream.

Getting there

The only way is the ferry from Malpe, roughly 6 km from Udupi town. There is no other access — no private boats, no swimming across, and no staying overnight.

Typical operating pattern:

• Ferries run from around 9:00 am to about 5:30 pm
• Departures roughly every 20 to 30 minutes as boats fill
• Crossing takes about 30 minutes
• The last boat out to the island is usually around 4:30 pm
• The last boat back is usually around 5:30 pm

Treat those as the shape of the day rather than a timetable. Sailings depend on sea conditions and on the number of passengers waiting, and they change between seasons. Check on the day.

During the monsoon — roughly June to September — the ferries do not run at all. The sea is too rough. This is the single most common way people waste a trip out here.

How long to stay

Two to three hours on the island is plenty. It is small, there is no shade to speak of, and once you have walked the columns, taken photographs and sat on the sand for a while, you are done.

Go on the earliest ferries if you can. By late morning in season the island can be busy, and the light on the basalt is better early anyway.

What to bring

• Water. Facilities on the island are minimal. Do not rely on buying anything.
• A hat and sunscreen. There is almost no shade.
• Shoes with grip. The columns are uneven and slick where wet.
• Cash for tickets and for the beach at Malpe.
• A dry bag if you are carrying a camera — boarding can be splashy.

Things worth knowing

Swimming is restricted. The water around the islands has strong currents and the authorities limit where you can enter. Follow what the boat crew tell you.

Do not take the rock. Chipping pieces off a protected geological monument is both illegal and, if enough people do it, the end of the thing you came to see.

Sea sickness. Thirty minutes in an open boat on the Arabian Sea is not always calm. If you are prone to it, take something beforehand and sit at the back.

It gets crowded. Weekends and Karnataka school holidays fill the ferries. A weekday morning is a different island entirely.

Combining it with the rest of the day

Malpe itself is worth an hour once you are back — the fish market is genuinely interesting and the beachfront has food. From there, Udupi town and the Sri Krishna Matha are fifteen minutes inland.

If you are coming from the north — from Saligrama, Parampalli or Kundapura — Malpe is about 25 to 30 minutes down the coastal highway. That makes a comfortable structure for the day: early ferry, island by mid-morning, back at Malpe for lunch, temple in the afternoon, and home along the coast in time for sunset.

Quick reference

• Where from: Malpe pier, ~6 km from Udupi town
• Season: October to May. Closed through the monsoon.
• Ferry: ~9:00 am to ~5:30 pm, every 20–30 min, ~30 min crossing
• Time needed: half a day, including the drive
• Best time: the first ferry of the morning, on a weekday
• Do not: swim outside marked areas, or take rock home