Netrani Island (Pigeon Island)

Location

Locally known as Netragudo, the Netrani Island is an excellent picnic spot off Bhaktal coast. The Indian navy often uses this island for target practices. Besides them, the only inhabitants of the island are wild goats. To get there, one has to hire a fishing trawler from Bhatkal or Honawar.

The lee of the island, a seamount supporting a soil layer overgrown with trees and plants, looks like a cake with its vertical sides topped by a gentle sloping plateau. There exists a subterranean cave with openings in the south and north above the high water mark.

The island is enveloped by untamed growth of trees and climbing the step hill is not that easy. The ruins of a temple, a Roman catholic church and a mosque show the ancient past of the island. The place looks like a botanist’s paradise and at night, it is a still world from a city dweller's point of view. Really a remarkable place to visit!