The Arabian Sea, the sun kissed white sandy beaches, the ancient forts perched atop the craggy fertile mountain tops are what make up Malvan’s charms. To an adventure hungry tourist or one who seeks a pleasant peaceful vacation, Malvan holds quite a promise of being a good spot for a holiday. You can get off on a hiking trip with friends up the luxuriantly green slopes, indulge in a host of water adventures or ride on a lovely monsoon trip on the wet country roads to the beach towns close by for more excitement.

Whether it is the sea shores, the enchanting wild waterfalls, the village of artists and storytellers or the quaint island formed by the Tsunami, Malvan has so many places to explore and things to do in. We will give you a choicest selection of things you can do while in Malvan.

If you are hungry for some hiking, the trekking paths of the Sahyadri ranges near Malvan are just apt for an adventure. The seaside forts perched atop the hills are a beautiful sight and a trek up to them in the best of weathers is a delightful experience. Some of the best trekking trails are the hike up Vijayadurg Fort and the Padmagad Fort said to have been built with huge rocks carried over from the island of Kurte.

For the not so adventurous, the lovely sandy shores of the Arabian Sea are some of the best places for a stroll. The secluded beaches or the active ones, with their seafood stalls are the apt places to go for a leisurely walk collecting sea shells as you go, or for a game of beach ball.

Take a weekend break to visit the Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary, situated in the Sattari taluk in the northeastern part of Goa. The Sanctuary that is established to preserve the biodiversity of the Western Ghats comprises of lush evergreen and deciduous forests and protected sacred groves. The Sanctuary has more than 250 species of birds as well as the occasionally spotted Royal Bengal tigers, black panthers, leopards, barking deer, wild boars, Indian gaurs as along with smaller species of mammals and a large number of reptiles.

If you are in Malvan in winter, you could drive over to Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary for a weekend stay for there are ample facilities for a vacation, with private resorts and rest houses. Guided tours and safaris are arranged within the Sanctuary. The Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary is about 100 km from Malvan.

The waters off Malvan’s beaches offer some great opportunities for bird sightings. You would find a number of water birds on the coast as well as the backwaters and creeks of Malvan. The tropical semi evergreen and deciduous forests sees some of the most beautiful birds that range across the Western Ghats. On a nature trail along the wild forests and meadows you are bound to spot the Hornbills, Indian Pitta, the Malabar Whistling Thrush, the White rumped Shama or the White browned Fantail along with pigeons, bee eaters and Orioles.

One of the best places to watch the birds is the Tarkarli beach where you will find flocks of migratory birds wading through the shallow waters of the creek in winter. Bird watching is one of the best activities that would keep you busy in Malvan.

Tsunami Island on the delta of the Tarkarli River is said to have formed when the tsunami hit the region in 2004. When the tides are high, Tsunami Island is a good place for water sports like scuba diving, parasailing, kayaking and banana boat rides. Sindudurg Fort and Rock Garden are a short distance from Tsunami Island. The Island has a number of stalls selling fresh seafood including fish and spicy crabs.

Spending a day in Tsunami Islands is a good experience. If you are not keen on water sports, you could spend some time on the Island exploring the place or watch the others having fun. You can take a boat ride to Dolphin Point from Tsunami Island and try your luck at spotting the friendly fish. From Devbagh beach a boat ride takes you to the Tsunami Islands.

The beaches are one of the best things about Malvan. There are secluded, quiet seashores where you could spend hours in solitude napping or reading a book, or busy thriving ones with people treating themselves to a variety of beach side activities including adventures water sports or just a stroll along the waterfront while the kids build sand castles.

Check out some of Malvan’s most beautiful beaches like the sun kissed waters of the Tarkarli beach, the busy Malvan beach with seaside stalls of seafood and pubs, the secluded Kolamb beach and creek where you could watch the dolphins, the Achara beach nestled along a fishing village with a library and lighthouse and the Wayari Bhutnath beach for more watersports.

Malvan is one of the best beach front towns in the western coast that is popular for its water sports. Be it relaxed boats rides, banana boat or bumper rides for the family to watch the friendly watching the dolphins playing in the seas, to parasailing, scuba diving or snorkeling, there is no dearth to the amount of pleasure you would get indulging in water sports in Malvan. Scuba dive past the schools of colorful fishes underwater in the waters off Tarkarli beach or visit the charming Chivla beach for all sorts of adventure sports.

The serene calm waters off the sandy white beaches that are fringed with coconut and cashew groves attract tourists and adventure enthusiasts to this beach. There are water sport operators that could be contacted for a lovely adventure in the waters.

Amboli is a hill station in the southern tip of Maharashtra, before the coastal plains of Goa begin. Amboli is an ecological hot spot that abounds in lush vegetation as home to a plethora of flora and fauna. The Hiranyakeshi River flows down from the hills of Amboli, which is also said to be the home of about 108 ancient temples for Lord Shiva.

From Malvan you can take a weekend off to visit the picturesque hill station that has a beautiful cascading waterfall called the Nangarta Falls that is at its spectacular best during the monsoons. You could also visit the view points, the Hiranyakeshi temple and the Maruthi Mandir. You could take a cab from Malvan to Amboli or hop onto one of the Maharashtra or Karnataka local buses that travel to Amboli from nearest places like Sawantwadi.

Sawanthwadi is a little town near Malvan that you could visit on a day. A former royal realm founded by Khem Sawant Bhosale in 1580, the town has a charming lake called the Moti Talav which is such a pleasant place for a stroll at sun set. The lake also offers boat rides. Adjacent to the Moti Talav is the Raj Wada or Royal Palace which you can tour, explore the museum galleries within the Palace and watch the local artists pattern the renowned Ganjifa cards.

A short drive away from Sawantwadi is the old port and coastal town of Vengurla which is surrounded by the Arabian Sea on one side and tall stately hills on the other. Sawantwadi is about 52 km from Malvan.

With the arrival of the rains, the landscape of the Konkan rises up in full glory with the slopes turning emerald green and the rivers and stream tumbling down the ravines to form more streams or glassy pools at the bottom. Some of the most spectacular places to visit in and around Malvan are the waterfalls. Some of the most charming waterfalls near Malvan are the Vyagreshwar waterfalls near Manche, close to the Vyagreshwar temple for Shiva, the periodic waterfalls at Kasartaka as well as the Napne Sherpe waterfalls at Vaibhavwadi, said to be the only waterfall in the Konkan regions that flows throughout the year.

One of the best waterfalls you could check out is the Amboli falls at Amboli hill station. You would not miss out this cascade if you are visiting Amboli Ghat from Malvan.

Visit Pinguli village where an indigenous tribe lives, with a life that is woven out of art, painting, puppetry and storytelling. The tribes ancient, tracing their origin way back to the times of the Maratha warrior king Chhatrapati Shivaji. Some of the tribes offer simple homestay accommodation along with food in their houses, so you could watch them create their art pieces, be it Chitrakathi painting, making of musical instruments or puppets or listen to their folktales over a cup of chai and samosa.

Explore the museums that are often run from the houses and you might even be tempted to buy the art pieces as souvenirs or participate in the art workshops held in the village. Pinguli village is in Kudal town in Sindhudurg and is about 30 km from Malvan.