Mypadu Beach- Along the Bay of Bengal...!!

It was nice early morning drive along NH-4 from Bengaluru to Chittoor, past the many rocky hills of Kolar. However the broad four lane tracks turned into a single track after crossing Mulbagal. The construction work was underway and hopefully would be a smooth drive all the way till Chittoor very soon. Though the roads were single lanes after crossing over to Andhra Pradesh, it has been beautifully maintained. We drove through the Koudinya wildlife sanctuary with numerous boards of animal crossings. Unluckily, we did not encounter any. The hills of Tirupati loomed shortly after that and then it was a long drive along NH-5 to Nellore. After a couple of enquiries, we were on the long 22 km village road to Mypadu.

From the dusty roads of Nellore, the drive to Mypadu was a refresher. The road was lined with prawn hatcheries, coconut trees and paddy fields till it ended at the dark blue waters of Bay of Bengal. Mypadu is a small village with a crossroad and a few shops, a kilometer before the road hits the blue sea. Apart from the locals who are basically the fisher folk, there are hardly any visitors during the weekdays. Haritha resort, run by the state tourism board is located right next to the beach. The vistas that my room provided were magnificent. In fact all rooms face the sea and the roar of the waves hit your ears all through the night. Even though it was mid noon the beach was crowded being a weekend. Weekend travellers from Nellore and a few who stayed at the resort were happily frolicking the salty waters of Mypadu beach. There are a couple of thatched shops near the beach that sells tea, water, biscuits etc.

Prawn hatcheries on the way

Haritha resort

View from the room

 I got into the waters only after the sun had fairly come down. The beach is vast and uninterrupted but the tides were quite strong. The distant blue waters turned brown as it came closer to the shore. However, the water was clean and the tides brought a lot of shells along with it. The golden sands blended beautifully with the blue waters. I chased a few crabs that peeped out of its holes. Colourful fishing boats were neatly lined up and were all set to hit the rough waters early next morning. There was a water scooter which was jetting around, but decided to give it a miss and enjoy the blue sea.

Boats lined up

I walked along the shore for a distance and after a while the fishermen, their boats, the frolicking visitors and everything seemed distant. All I could see was the sea and the horizon, both melting in brilliant shades of blue. It was blissful to sit on the sands and hear to the waves thrashing and frothing as it touched my feet. Numerous shells in various shapes, sizes and colours got dropped on the shore each time a wave came by. Slowly the sky turned grey and I could not sit for long as the crabs started chasing me. All the hidden ones were all over the place and I had no option but to walk back to my resort. I went into the waters and then strolled along with knee high waves splashing on to my trousers. There were a few people who were enjoying the cool breeze as I trod past them to my room.

Ready for a catamaran ride?

Crab holes

The day ended listening to the roar of the sea and the next day began with the same. Quite keen on witnessing the sunrise, I headed to the beach at 5.30 a.m. It was still dark but very surprisingly there were a few early birds at the beach already. They were not from the resort and neither were they the fisherfolk. They had driven down so early from Nellore to enjoy the sea and the sunrise. I walked along the shore in the cool morning breeze past the fishermen who were all set to sail into the waters. Boat after boat left the golden sands and plunged into the blue sea. Amidst this, I hoped the sun would come out of the horizon spreading its warmth all over the place. That however was never meant to happen. The day dawned, more boats went into the roaring waters and more people walked into the beach to enjoy the sunrise. Dark clouds hovered everywhere and the sky remained grey for a long time. A glimpse of sunlight was seen in one corner but that is all one could see and I had to be content with that. It was my first experience and I found it immensely refreshing to stroll on a beach early in the morning.

Dark clouds

Fishermen all set to sail

Into the roaring waters

 After a cup of tea from one of the thatched shops, I kept gazing at the boats as they sped past each wave deeper and deeper into the sea. How I wish I could get into one of those boats and head into the horizon. Suddenly I noticed something that kept appearing and disappearing amidst the waves. It was not a boat. Dolphin fins they were! It was absolutely a pleasant surprise to find loads of them swimming away and popping up in between for my lens to click. It was an exciting moment as I was least expecting to see them and to have them so close to the shores was definitely a memorable experience. 

Can you spot the fins towards the right side of the frame?

After enjoying the dolphin sighting, it was time to head back to the resort, pack up and drive the long road back to Bangalore. En route we also took a detour to Kothakoduru beach which is 12 Kms away from Mypadu through a village road. This beach was quite crowded, littered and badly maintained and I did not spend more than 10 minutes there.

Mypadu beach is quite a secluded one but is slowly gaining prominence on the tourist map and is sure to lose its charm once the frequency of travellers increase. The beach also needs to be maintained as the entrance was quite littered. The vastness and golden sands are the big attraction of this beautiful beach along the Bay of Bengal.

Signing Note- Blue waters and golden sands await you at this little explored beach along the east coast...!!

Route- Bengaluru- Kolar- Chittoor- Tirupathi- Naidupeta- Nellore- Mypadu
Distance- 405 Kms