Soth
GOA
PALOLEM
Palolem is a cosy beach of white sand
facing a blue bay between two headlands. The little wooded islands
on the northern
headland look alluring and you could try and
persuade one of the fishermen — this is also a fishing beach — to
ferry you across.
They
also offer to take you out to spot dolphins. Tourists have of late
discovered Palolem and so there are quite a few shacks
selling seafood snacks, souvenirs and clothes of
the bright, informal kind. Panaji, the capital, is more than 70 kms
away.
In
recent times, Palolem has become famous for its ‘Silent Noise’
parties, a unique concept which does away with loud blaring
live
music after the 10 pm ban. With your own set of
earphones, you can dance away to different genres of music played
by versatile
DJs.
Palolem is just 3 kms away from Canacona Railway
station, now on the Konkan Railway route. You can hire taxis and
autorickshaws
to
reach Palolem beach from Margao, 40 kms away. There are regular
buses from Margao to Palolem that drop you
off
at Canacona village.
There are now beautiful beach huts and family
rooms to choose from in Palolem. Further south is the cove of
Colomb where you
can
enjoy peace and quiet. Two kilometres away from Palolem is Rajbag
Beach which is isolated and stretches all the way to the
mouth of the Talpona River. And then on to
Galgibaga Beach which is the second nesting site in Goa for
turtles. Further south is
Agonda Beach
AGONDA
If
you continue driving towards Panaji from Palolem, the next beach is
Agonda.
It’s
long and lonely, fringed with palms and casuarinas and dominated by
a large hill to the south.
It’s
not safe to swim out too far on this beach. There are very few
facilities available here and you are needed to carry all
the
essentials.
Agonda is a 3 km long beautiful cove of white
sand, safely secluded in the palms. There are no tourists, no
souvenir stalls, no
restaurants—just peace and tranquility. Just the
trees, the beach, the big beautiful ocean and you.
It
also makes for a great day trip from Colva and Covelossim. For a
real adventure, hire a tent and camp for the night, listening
to
the
crashing of the sea waves.
Not
far from Agonda beach is Cabo de Rama, untouched by most of the
visitors in this region. The atmosphere of the fort
creates
a
sense of history and drama that very few would fail to appreciate.
The fort is named after Rama, hero of the Hindu epic
Ramayana. According to local legend, Rama stayed
here with his wife Sita during the period of his 12-year
exile.
The
best way to reach this beach is by a scooter or motors
bike.
VARCA, CAVELOSSIM, MOBOR
Varca, Cavelossim and Mabor are a trio of the
most alluring beaches south of Benaulim. These beaches are much
cleaner and
quieter than most of the other more famous
beaches of Goa. There are numerous beach shacks offering a variety
of Goan dishes
and
seafood at reasonable prices.
There are several food joints around the grand
‘Dona Sylvia’ resort offering a splendid repast at reasonable
rates. There are also
facilities for Dolphin watching up the River
Sal.
The
beaches here are home to some of the most exclusive and luxurious
resorts in Goa. Accommodation is also available for
budget and economy class travelers, though not
on the beach itself.
There is plenty of transport for these beaches
from Margao. From Cavelossim village, Margao is 18 kms away and
buses and
autos are available easily. You can also hire
taxis from Dabolim Airport (41 – 48 kms) to reach the beach resorts
here. To move
locally, use cycles and scooters that are
available on hire.
BETALBATIM
North of Colva is Betalbatim Beach which begins
a long string of beaches with Majorda, Utorda, Arossim and Velsao
at the north.
It
is a ten kilometre stretch of white sand which is not very
crowded
COLVA (click here for photo)
This
is the most important beach in the South circuit, equipped with all
modern amenities like air-conditioned resort complexes,
tourist cottages, discos, besides several
stalls, eateries and guest houses—all of which have expanded the
village enormously.
With
20 kms of virgin white sands, palm fringed, sun drenched beaches,
Colva is the most loved beach in Goan. Unlike Anjuna or
Calangute, Colva has gained popularity only
lately. Located just 39 kms from the capital Panaji, it was
relatively little disturbed
and
life moved on quietly.
The
Church of Our Lady Of Mercy in Colva is famous for its miracle
statue of Menino Jesus. The busy road leading from the
Church to the beach is where all the facilities
are located.
While taking a stroll on Colva Beach, silver
carpets of mackerels can be seen shimmering and drying on the
golden sands.
Fishermen’s motor trawlers huddle in a line
offshore. Tourists and locals frequent the beach for a dip or a
walk for a change of air
or
to sunbathe on the golden sands. The trinket stalls and drink
stands on the sands under the moonlight add to the aura
of
Colva Beach.
Blessed with white powdery sands, Goa’s longest
beach, Colva, is fringed with palms and
Blessed with white powdery sands, Goa’s longest
beach, Colva, is fringed with palms and
drenched with the sun. A walk on the beach is
full of small delights, where fishermen’s motor
trawlers lie in a line offshore, and tourists in
colourful dress throng the beach. Colva at night
with
its silvery grey sands glittering in the moonlight make moonlit
evenings incredibly
romantic.
MAJORDA
This
small stretch, about 5 kms north of Colva Beach, is as pretty as a
picture, studded with several hotels, the most prominent
being the starred Majorda Beach
Resort.
Majorda is the village where the Jesuits, fond
as they were of the good things of life, discovered the best Goan
toddy (sap from
the
coconut palm), which they used to leaven the bread. Naturally,
then, Majorda is the place where the Goans were first trained
in
the
delicate art of baking European breads. The Majordans are still
Goa's best bakers.
The
delights of the beach, however, were discovered much earlier, in
mythical times. Legend has it that in the Goan version of
the
Ramayana, Lord Rama was kidnapped as a child and
brought up at Majorda. Later, in pursuit of Sita, he camped at Cabo
de
Rama
- a headland further south - where the stretch of developed beaches
ends.
BOGMALO
This
beach, dominated by a 5-star hotel located right on its edge, is
cut apart from both the North and South beach circuit.
Just
4
kms from the airport at Dabolim, it is a favourite among the elite
classes and has an air of exclusivity.
Although the resort hotel towers above the
village, there are still a few smaller and appealing places to stay
in. Windsurfing and
water skiing facilities are
available.
BENAULIM
Less
than 2 kms south of Colva is the more tranquil beach of Benaulim,
is one of the few places in Goa where one can glimpse
handicrafts typical to this area. The best of
the traditional rosewood furniture is made here. Also, mythically
Benaulim is famous
as
the place where the legendary Parashuram's arrow landed by which
Goa was created.
Among the more attractive aspects of Benaulim is
that it is still rather undiscovered by domestic tourists even
though it is a
fishing beach. It gets fairly crowded in the
evenings and on weekends with local visitors who get off buses
about a kilometre away
and
pour onto the beach.
The
Church of St John the Baptist is situated on a hill beyond the
village and worth a visit. On the arrival of the monsoon,
the
Feast of St John the Baptist (Sao Joao) is
celebrated as thanksgiving. Young men wearing crowns of leaves and
fruits tour the
area
singing for gifts. To commemorate the movement of St John in his
mother’s womb and Mary’s visit, the young men of this
area
singing for gifts. To commemorate the movement of St John in his
mother’s womb and Mary’s visit, the young men of this
village jump into the locals wells in
celebration.
BETUL
Betul is an important fishing port where all the
mechanized boats and deep sea trawlers bring in their catch. Here
headlands from
the
slopes of the Western Ghats protrude into the shore, imparting an
imposing backdrop.
Beyond this secluded beach is the hill of Cabo
De Rama where the Portuguese built a fort. From the fort, a great
view of the
sunset on the beach can be viewed. However,
there are very few places to stay in Betul.