The uninhabited St Mary’s Island is a couple of kilometres off the coast. It is believed to have been the site of the first landfall that Vasco da Gama made when he arrived in India.
 
The island is just about 300m long and 100m wide and the only cover available are a few palm trees.
 
In particular the island is notable for the strange rock forms (columnar lava), which cause hexagonal crazy

paving on the rocky outcrops around the shore. The island is a popular spot for day-trippers, especially at weekends and it is possible to swim in the sandy inlets at the south end of the island.
   
There are boat services from the beach to the island. The rate varies on the number of people wanting to visit the island. If the boat is full the rate is between Rs 35 to Rs 40. Or else it is a whopping Rs 800.
 

About 10 Kms from Mangalore, Udupi is a fairly large and upcoming town that was sanctum of Madhvacharya, the great Sanskrit Philosopher. The famous temple here, has a fascinating idol of Lord Krishna that is richly adorned with jewels. The main attraction of this temple is the 'Kanakana Kindi' -a small window through which Krishna is believed to have given darshan to his ardent devotee, Kanakadasa.