Udupi opens St Mary’s Island to tourist

Team Udayavani, Sep 17, 2018, 12:06 PM IST

Udupi: After three months of prohibition by the district administration on boat services to St. Mary’s island during the monsoon season, boat services to St Mary’s Island situated about 6.5 km from Malpe beach resumed on Sunday, September 16^th.

St. Mary’s Islands are known for their distinctive geological formation of columnar basaltic lava. It is one of the 26 Geological Monuments of India and is considered an important site for “Geo Tourism”.

7 boats ferry tourists

A total of seven boats ferry the tourists to the island. Three boats leave from Tegma jetty and four from the tourist jetty located near the Malpe Sea Walkway, said Malpe Beach Executive Officer Sudesh Shetty.

The weeds growing on the island has been cleared and the toilets have been cleaned. The island will wear a new look in the next 10 days, he added.

Each boat has the capacity to ferry 143 people plus seven crew members. The ticket price per adult is Rs 250, while it is Rs 150 per child. The boats are equipped with lifejackets. The service will be available till the end of May.

Since 2015-17, a total of 300 tonnes of garbage has been collected and disposed of the St Mary’s Island. There are five personnel deployed to collect the garbage on the island. Food stalls have also been opened, he informed.

Floating jetty at St Mary’s Island

There are plans by the Udupi district administration to start constructing a floating jetty at St Mary’s Island. The floating jetty will help the tourists to alight and board the boats. Currently, the tourists have to go in a big boat near the island and then shift to a small boat to reach the island.