Awesome GOA trip

Goa has something for everyone. People intending to study culture, relish sea food, adventure sports, just chill on the beach with a can of beer , go for long walks or a run on the beach, click away on the camera, chill in the beach side shacks- you name it - it has it all. When intending to visit a place one targets a certain location in a state. But remember here you are visiting an entire state. So one needs to plan the trip and if on a 3-4 days break focus on the area of your choice.

Now for some trivia: Goa is India's smallest state falling in the Konkan region with Panaji as the capital. Portuguese landed in the early 16th C as merchants and was annexed by India in 1961.Due to  location on the Western Ghats has rich flora and fauna. Major rivers are Mandovi, Zuari, Terekhol, Chapora, Khushavati and Sal. Soil cover is laterite which is rich in ferric aluminium oxide which gives it the red color.

Administrative division is  into : North Goa ( headquarters at Panaji) and South Goa ( headquarters at Maragao )

So if on an extended weekend trip to Goa you could divide it into the following regions to visit :
North Goa (crowded)
South Goa( tranquil)
Old Goa ( churches)

If these are known holidays that you are embarking on the trip- remember others would be doing the same. Advisable to book hotels in advance. The day I landed most hotels were filled up and ended up paying extra for a substandard room situated midst of busy Vasco da' Gama market area. Is that your idea of a hotel when visiting beachy Goa ( compare to staying on a beach side hotel/resort/cottage).
So please book a good place in advance via the net.
Took advantage of the market area and purchased Cashew (Rs.300 for 500gm) and Kokam syrup ( cool drink for hot summers) . Best had mixed with water.

SOUTH GOA EXPLORATION:

Major beaches in this area :

1. Benaulim
2. Agonda
3. Bogmalo
4. Cavelossim
5. Colva
6. Majorda
7. Mobor
8. Palolem
9. Varca

Reviewing beaches visited in South Goa:

 COLVA beach :

Most important beach in the south circuit running for about 2.5km. This is equipped with all amenities like resorts, cottages,refreshments. Colva is a small village in south Goa on the shores of Arabian Sea It has pristine white sands and is palm fringed. We had gone there early in the morning and just loved it . Could see loads of families having fun in the water and saw couple of hermit crabs doing their morning chores..(rolling away)..


Me at the Colva Beach

Early catch of Mackerel

 


Can't get enough of this beach!!!

Silver mackerels can be viewed on the golden sand. Highly recommend this beach visit.

BENAULIM BEACH :

2km ahead of Colva is Benaulim beach.What I loved about this beach is the tranquility. Since it is peace I crave for , we decided to stay in this area. We took up a home stay (this comes at a nominal price of 500 per day). Following are the details of the place:

Paulrina Tourist Home
Bandar, Vasvaddo, Benaulim Beach Road
Contact person : Sucorina Fernandes
Email: royren.fernandes@gmail.com
Phone : 0832-2770591
This is about 700 mtrs from the beach and what an amazing beach it was.

Uploading few pictures clicked here :

Oh the waves take my breath away!!

Can't get enough of this!!!

Sea shells at the sea shore




Home stay where we stayed
 

Towards the evening we headed towards the Benaulim beach again. Shacks there served amazing food ( reasonable and tasty). Posting pictures taken in the evening :

Check out the evening sky

More of the evening sky!!!




star fish/shells at the beach

Evening sky took my breath away!




Enjoying bear mugga looking at the beach




Yummy food at the shacks

VARCA BEACH :

A much cleaner and quieter beach. A must visit . Words can't do justice so just enjoy the pictures :




Enroute the Varca Beach

Almost reaching the beach

My husband posed away to glory!!




 

Jelly Fish has swum ashore

Picture perfect!!

MOBOR BEACH

 

Parasailing away to glory!!

:

 



BETUL :

 

Betul is one of the most important fishing ports where all the mechanized boats and deep sea trawlers bring in their catch.You can see the Western Ghats protruding onto the shores. Beyond the beach is the hill where the Portuguese have built a fort. This beach can be given a skip.

 

Small track along the beach

Continuing along the path

Busy fishing community!

Walking along

Some more walk!!

click...click

That's me posing!!

Some more shots

 

 

AGONDA :

 

Agonda is a 3 km long beautiful cove of white sand. Its long lonely path is fringed with Palms and Casuarina. Again recommended for people who like the peace and quiet.

 

 

 

NORTH GOA BEACH EXPLORATION :

 

Welcome to the zone of party animals. Major beaches in this circuit include :

 

1. Anjuna
2. Arambol
3. Baga
4. Bambolim
5. Calangute
6. Chapora
7. Donna Paula
8. Miramer
9. Morjim
10. Candolim
11. Sinquerim
12. Vagator





DONA PAULA :

 

The place is named after Paula Amaral Antonio de Souto Maior, a historical figure in Portuguese India. She was the daughter of the Portuguese Viceroy of Jaffnapatnam, in Sri Lanka. She and her family arrived in Goa in 1644 and she married a Fidalgo from Spain in 1656.

It is today home to the National Institute of Oceanography, and just alongside it lie the Goa University and the International Centre Goa.

A large part of the famous Hindi movie Ek Duuje Ke Liye was shot here, popularising the place further. An action sequence from Rohit Shetty's movie Singham was shot here. The idyllic rocky tourist attraction lies at the spot where the Mandovi and the Zuari rivers meet and confluences with the Arabian Sea at a distance of 1 km from this point.

 

Enjoy the pictures :

 

Enroute Dona Paula Beach

Recognize this from the movie Singham?

 

ANJUNA :

This is part of a 30 km stretch of beach coastline along the west coast of Goa by the Arabian sea that begins at Fort Aguada continues as Sinquerim Beach, then as Candolim Beach and merges into Calangute Beach and then to Baga Beach and then Anjuna Beach and then to Vagator Beach, finally ending at Chapora Beach and Chapora river and Fort.

 It has an unusual rocky formation overlying a cove of white sand and black rock that juts into the Sea.

Walking towards Anjuna from the car park

First view of Anjuna

Rocky formations at the beach

Some more rocks!!

 

 

SINQUERIM :

 

 Sinquerim is located some 13 km from Panaji.
There is uninterrupted firm sand from here all the way to north to Baga and if you want a long beach walk, there cannot be a better place to start from.
Magnificent 17th C Aguada fort overlooks the beach. Aguada means watering place in Portuguese.
It served as a chamber for storing water.
Taj Hotel group has set up the Heritage Complex here which dominates the headland around the historic Fort Aguada.

Resplendent Taj Vivanta- in all its glory

First view as you walk from the parking lot

Part of the fort visible

Love the old Fort and beach combo!!

Take a few steps down to reach the beach

Aguada fort can be visited. When we made an attempt we were refused as the area was closed due to

VIP visit.

 

 

BAGA :

As per the tourism website this is supposed to be a quiet beach but I found it to the contrary. Being fond of quieter places beat a hasty retreat..but then each to his/her own

 

Busy Baga !!

Crowded Baga!!

More people!!

Life guards at work

 

 



 VAGATOR :

Another secluded beach!!!What a find...The beach adjoining Anjuna, is secluded, crescent shaped and situated on the Caisua bay along the Chapora river basin, in the shadow of Chapora fort. During the tourist season, it is a favorite venue for mid night parties.

On the path less treaded

First view of the beach

See how secluded this is!!

OLD GOA EXPLORATIONS :

 

OLD GOA

 

Pictorial Explorations :

 



Best season to visit : Oct- March

Distance covered from Bangalore to Goa: 580 KM

Route taken : Tumkur-Devanhalli-Chitradurg-Hubli-Karvar-Goa

Vehicle used : Tata Indigo CS

Toll paid: approx. 400+ 250(Goa entry)

Interstate liquor check while exiting Goa - Feni not allowed