Tarkarli
Just 5 km off the Tarkarli coast, Sindhudurg Fort built by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in 1664 is one of the finest examples of Maratha naval engineering in existence — spread across a 48-acre island with walls rising directly from the sea. A short local boat hop brings you to the fort where you can walk the full 3-km perimeter walls, visit the Shivaji temple (one of the few featuring his handprint in stone), and learn about the extraordinary challenges of building a sea fort using melted lead to seal the foundation stones.
Start your fort visit from the main landing jetty and walk anti-clockwise around the walls — you end at the best sea-view bastions with the coast visible in both directions.