Guide · Beaches
Malpe Beach — The Complete Guide for 2026/27
Water sports and prices, the sea walk, the fishing harbour, the ferry to St Mary's Island, when to go and when to avoid it — everything about Malpe in one place.
Photo: Sridhar Rao · CC BY-SA 4.0 · resized for the web
Malpe is the busiest beach in Udupi district and the reason most visitors come to this coast at all. It is about 6 km west of Udupi town, it has everything a beach day needs, and it is the departure point for St Mary's Island.
It is also completely different on a Tuesday morning and a Saturday evening. Both are worth knowing about before you go.
What is actually there
The beach itself runs for a couple of kilometres of hard, wide sand — good for walking, and shallow enough near the shore for paddling. Swimming is at your own risk; there are rip currents and lifeguard cover is patchy.
The Sea Walk is a raised walkway out over the water, added in recent years and now the most photographed thing in Udupi. Go at sunset and join everyone else, or go at eight in the morning and have it.
The fishing harbour is a working port, one of the larger ones on the west coast. It smells like a working port. It is also the most interesting thirty minutes in Malpe if you like watching things happen — boats unloading, ice being broken, the auction.
The food stalls cluster behind the beach: fried fish, corn, ice cream, sugarcane juice. Cheap and decent.
Horse rides along the sand, if that appeals.
Water sports — what runs and roughly what it costs
Operators cluster at the main beach entrance. You walk up, you pay, you go. No booking needed except on peak weekends.
| Activity | Roughly | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Banana boat | ₹300–500 pp | The standard group ride |
| Jet ski | ₹500–1,000 | Usually a short circuit with a driver |
| Speedboat | ₹300–600 pp | Quick blast offshore |
| Parasailing | ₹1,000–1,500 | Weather dependent |
| Bumper / sofa ride | ₹300–500 pp | Same idea as the banana |
| Zorbing, water scooter | ₹300+ | Seasonal |
Treat those numbers as a range, not a price list. They move with the season, the operator and how busy the day is. Confirm before you get on.
Two things worth insisting on: a life jacket that fits, and an operator who does not argue about it. If the boat looks overloaded, wait for the next one.
The ferry to St Mary's Island
This is the main event for a lot of visitors. Ferries generally run from around 9 am to 5.30 pm, leaving every twenty to thirty minutes as boats fill, with a crossing of about half an hour. The last boat out is usually around 4.30 pm.
During the monsoon, roughly June to September, the ferry does not run at all. The sea is too rough. This is the single most common wasted trip on this coast.
Full detail, including what to bring and how long to stay, is in our St Mary's Island guide.
When to go
Best: a weekday morning between November and February. The light is good, the water sports are running, and there is room.
Busy: every Saturday and Sunday evening in season, all Karnataka school holidays, and the days around any public holiday. Parking gets difficult and the beach fills.
Avoid: the monsoon, June to September, if the beach is the point. The sand narrows, the sea turns brown and dangerous, and the boats stop.
One to plan around: the Spring Zouk festival in February brings music, crowds and a very different atmosphere. Look it up before booking those dates — you either want to be there for it or well away from it.
Practical notes
- Parking is available near the entrance and fills at weekends.
- Cash is worth carrying. Some operators and stalls take UPI; not all do.
- Shade is limited. Bring a hat.
- Toilets and changing rooms exist near the main entrance and are basic.
- Sunset is between about 6.15 and 6.45 pm all year. Be there by six.
What to combine it with
Malpe sits well in a half day. From the beach, Udupi town and the Sri Krishna Matha are fifteen minutes inland — a good place to be during the hottest part of the afternoon.
If you are coming from the north, the drive down through Kaup makes a natural loop, and the lighthouse there is open late afternoon for the sunset.
Where to stay
Short version: on the beachfront if you want the activity, north of it if you want the quiet. We wrote the honest comparison — including where we sit in it — in where to stay near Malpe.
The short version
- Where: 6 km west of Udupi town, ~28 km south of Parampalli
- Season: November to February is best; monsoon is a write-off
- Ferry: ~9 am to 5.30 pm, last boat out ~4.30 pm, closed in monsoon
- Water sports: walk up and pay, roughly ₹300–1,500 depending
- Go early on a weekday if you have the choice
