Kudal is the fourth largest town in Sindhudurg after Sawantwadi, Malvan and Kankavli.

Kudal is situated in centre of the Sindhudurg district and also considered one of the fastest-growing towns in the Konkan region.

The Desai's were the original rulers of Kudal, who were tributaries of the Bijapur Sultanate, later the Marathas and then under the British.

It has a market for Alphonso (Hapus) Mango, which is exported to various cities in India and also other countries.

The town is renowned for the annual fair (Jatra), which is organized at the Kudaleshwar temple.

Here the biggest annual fair of shri dev kaleswar which is the temple of Shiva.

Kudal Railway station offers a convenient access point to visit the beach getaways of Malvan and Tarkarli (both 35 kilometres (22 mi)).

Kudal is connected by overnight train with Mumbai, Cochin (Ernakulam), Ahmedabad, New Delhi.