Beaches In Goa

Beaches In Goa :

The state of Goa in India, was a Portuguese colony until 1962, and is famous for its Indo-Portuguese culture and architecture. Goa's beaches reflect its colourful mosaic of history. The combination of the "sosegãdo" or laid back lifestyle, bracing weather and Goa's carnival-like nightlife has been known to lure many into a psychedelic trance. As you vacation in Goa and feel the soft sand beneath your feet, you'll find that there is no place like a warm, inviting beach in Goa to make you feel at peace with the universe.Since we usually stay at my parents' flat at Monte-de-Guirim, near Mapusa, the only time we check into a hotel or resort is when we don't have our own transport and want to spend more time at the beach. The transport in Goa being what it is, its always better to have your own car or bike.I love to spend my Goa holiday gorging on the local crab, king prawns and typical Goan delicacies like chicken rechãdo and xãcuti. I also make it a point to visit my aunt's house in Mapusa, where she always has a delicious plate of fresh oyster deep fried in rava ready for me. The local brews, like cashew and coconut "feni," with their strong aroma, are definitely not for the faint of heart (or stomach). If you visit in the right season, you can sample the local "Urak," a lighter and sweeter-smelling distillate of feni.

Goa Beaches are :

Anjuna beach:

Goa Anjuna beach is one of the most popular beaches in Goa. The beauty of the white waves rushing to embrace the pale golden sand on the beach can be witnessed in full form at the Goa Anjuna beach.
Goa Anjuna beach is a perfect haven for the hippies and you will come across some of them who have been staying on this beach for a couple of months. It is in the late 1950s to mid-1960s that Anjuna beach was "discovered" by the hippies. From then on began the trend of moonlit parties which is one occasion the hippies and now the tourists look forward to.

Baga Beach :

Baga, 10-km west of Mapusa, is basically an extension of Calangute; even the locals are unable to decide where ends and the other begin. Lying in the lee of a rocky, wooded headland, the only difference between this far northern end of the beach and its more congested centre is that the scenery here is marginally more varied and picturesque.

A small river flows into the sea at the top of the village, below a broad spur of soft white sand, from where a dirt track strikes across an expanse of paddy fields towards Anjuna. The old red tiled fishers houses behind the dunes have long been swamped by gaudily lit bars, Tandoori terrace restaurants and handicraft shops, but one doesn't feel quite so hemmed in as at Calangute.

Benaulim Beach :

According to Hindu mythology Goa was created when the sage Shri Parasurama, Lord Vishnu's sixth incarnation, fired an arrow into the sea from the top of the Western Ghats and ordered the waters to recede. The spot where the shaft fell to earth, known in Sanskrit as "Banali" and later corrupted by the Portuguese to Benaulim, lies in the centre of Colva Beach, 7-km west of Margao.

Bogmolo Beach :

Immediately south of the airport, the Mormugao peninsula's sun parched central plateau tumbles to a flat-bottomed valley lined with coconut trees and redbrick huts. The sandy beach at the end of the cove would be even more picturesque were it not for the monstrous multi-storey edifice perched above it. Until Oberoi erected a huge five star hotel here, Bogmalo was just another small fishing village, hemmed in by a pair of palm fringed headlands at the northern end of Colva bay.

Calangute Beach :

A mere 45 minute bus ride up the coast from the capital, Calangute is Goa's busiest and most commercialized resort, and the flagship of the state government's bid for a bigger slice of tourist package India pie. In the 1970s and early 1980s, this once peaceful fishing Village epitomized Goa's reputation as a haven for hedonistic hippies.

Cavelosim Beach :

Sleepy Cavelossim, straddling the coast road 11-km south of Colva, is the last major settlement in southwest Salcete: its only claim to fame. A short way beyond the village's picturesque church square, a narrow lane veers left across an open expanse of paddy fields to the Cavelossim-Assolna ferry crossing near the mouth of the Sal River.

If one is heading south to Canacona, turn left off the ferry and carry on as far as Assolna Bazaar, clustered around a junction on the main road. A right turn at this crossroads puts you on track for Canacona.

Chapora Beach :

Crouched in the shadow of a Portuguese fort on the opposite, northern side of the headland from Vagator, Chapora, 10-km from Mapusa, is a lat busier than most north coast villages. Dependent on fishing and boat building, it has, to a great extent, retained a life of its own independent of tourism. The workaday indifference to the annual invasion of Westerners is most evident on the main street, lined with as many regular stores as travellers cafes and restaurants.

It's unlikely that Chapora will ever develop into a major resort, either. Tucked away under a dense canopy of trees on the muddy southern shore of a river estuary, it lacks both the space and the white sand that have pulled crowds to Calangute and Colva.

Colva Beach :

A hot season retreat for Margao's moneyed middle classes since long before Independence, Colva is the oldest and largest of South Goa's resorts. Its leafy outlying 'Vaddos', or wards are pleasant enough, dotted with colonial style villas and ramshackle fishing huts. The beachfront is a collection of concrete hotels, souvenir stalls and fly blown snack bars strewn around a central roundabout.

Dona Paula Beach :

At the place where two of Goa's famous rivers meet the Arabian Sea is the secluded bay of Dona Paula with a fine view of the Marmagao Harbour. 7-km from Panjim, nestled on the south side of the rocky, hammer-shaped headland that divides the Zuari and Mandovi estuaries, this former fishing village is nowadays a commercialized resort. This is an idyllic spot to relax and sunbathe. Water scootering facilities are also available over here.

The official residence of the Governor of Goa, Known as Cabo Raj Bhavan is situated on the westernmost tip of Dona Paula. Along the road leading to this place lies the ruins of the small military cemetery the British built at their brief occupation of the Cabo, to deter the French from invading Goa.