Sitapur Beach

Overview

Sitapur is where Neil faces the open sea. Unlike the sheltered lagoons at Bharatpur and Laxmanpur, this east-tip beach gets proper swell, which gives it a wilder feel: waves breaking on the sand, wind in the casuarinas, low limestone cliffs at the northern end. It’s the island’s sunrise beach and, apart from a small knot of early risers, is usually empty.

Getting there

From Bharatpur Jetty follow the road east through Sitapur village; the beach is about 5 km. It’s a flat, pleasant 20–25 minute cycle in the cool of the morning, or ten minutes by auto (arrange the return the night before if you’re going for sunrise — autos are scarce at 5 am).

What to do

• Sunrise. Be on the sand 15 minutes before; the sun comes up straight out of the sea.
• Walk the beach — a few hundred metres of open sand, cliffs to explore at the north end at low tide.
• Swim with care — the water is clean and inviting but there’s genuine surf and, at times, a longshore current. Stay in your depth, don’t go alone, and skip it altogether if the sea is up.
• Tide pools in the rock at low tide.

Practical notes

• No lifeguard, no shade, no facilities on the sand. A stall or two near the road sell tea and coconuts, not always at dawn.
• Carry water and a torch for the ride out in the dark.
• Waves and rip currents are the hazard here — this is not the beach for children to swim unattended.
• Leave shells and coral where they are.

Nearby

Laxmanpur for the opposite end of the day; Bharatpur for a safe swim afterwards.