Kshitija Nesara Dhama – Ottinene viewpoint

I had seen people posting pictures of the beautiful view from the Ottinene viewpoint or Kshitija Nesara Dhama. They were stunning, but unfortunately, I never got a chance to visit that area in recent years. Recently, as part of our day-long trip from my native place near Jog falls, we visited many places on Jog falls – Bhatkal highway. Ottinene was just a few minutes of drive (but separated by a toll booth!!), and hence we decided to visit it during sunset.

We drove from Bhatkal on the National Highway towards Byndoor. At a place where the road enters into a hilly area, we took the deviation to Kshitija Nesara Dhama. We drove on a narrow road to reach a temple and then we passed through a small stretch of forest and grassland to reach the place. The grassland stretch looked amazing!!

The place looked like a park with some cottages, children’s play area and trees. After paying Rs 10/- per head to the caretaker, we headed to the viewpoint, which was our primary motivation of the visit.

I must say that the Ottinene viewpoint is one of the best sea viewing points in Karnataka. The Byndoor river meets the sea forming a narrow peninsular strip with the sea on one side and river on the other side. It was a stunning panoramic view covering the sea, beach, river and hills. I was surprised to see fewer people in the area. Since it is away from the big cities and not much known, it does not attracts a lot of people.

We then walked down on the nicely laid steps to reach the beach. The beach looked far from the top, but it took us only 10 minutes to go down. It is also possible to drive on the car, but it is a circuitous route via the highway.

We planned to see the sunset, but dark clouds started hovering on the horizon ruined it!!

Information about this place

• This place is about 2.5 km from the National highway. The deviation is before Byndoor if you are coming from Bhatkal side.
• There is an asphalted road, but a small stretch is still not paved.
• Google Maps is not very reliable. It showed a road from the viewpoint to the beach, but there were only steps!!
• It is also possible to stay in cottages, but it needs to be booked at Kundapura forest office.