St. Mary’s Island - Darya Bahadurgarh, Coconut, North and South Islands
Located just 4 miles off the coast in the Arabian Sea, St. Mary's Island is a geological treasure and an important Geo-Tourism spot in the country. It is a group of four individual islands namely Darya Bahadurgarh, Coconut, North and South islands. The islands are famous for their rows of columnar basaltic lava; the formations rise up like blocks on a column graph, rectangular rows pushing up from the ground. Most of these rocks are hexagonal in shape. The basalt on this island has been shown by scientific study to have formed by volcanic activity, a completely rare occurrence, proving that India was at one point of time attached to Madagascar.
It is well known that Vasco da Gama first landed in Calicut in Kerala. However, the folklore of Malpe says he made a pit stop at St.Mary's Islands (Bahadurgarh Island) before he took off to Calicut. He only named it as “O Padrão de Santa Maria for Mother Mary”. The hexagonal shaped pillar-like rocks perched on the Northern Island of St.Mary's is a unique attraction with basaltic rock formations making it a photogenic destination for sure. In fact, it is because of these 'columnar joints' or 'laminar lava' that it is listed as one of National Geological Monuments. Boat/Ferry is the only option to reach the islands and can be boarded from Malpe fishing harbour.
One has to walk around half a kilometer inside the harbor to reach the boarding point. While walking, you will pass through boats parked in harbor, trucks loading fishes and people knitting fishing nets giving you a full feeling of being in a fishing town. One can buy tickets on the spot and it takes around 30 minutes for the ferry to reach islands. The ferry ride is amazing that one can witness many birds. These islands do not have a sandy beach due to the rocks along the shore. A large variety of seashells are found along the rocks. Benches have been installed near the shoreline for the benefit of tourists. And there are no facilities for the night stay there and so, taking excursions from Udupi will be the ideal option.