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Palolem Beach
Palolem is a beach of white sand facing a blue bay between two
headlands. This is also a fishing beach. Panaji, the capital,
is more than 70 km away. Palolem is just 3 km away from
Canacona Railway station. You can hire taxis and
auto-rickshaws to reach Palolem beach from Margao, 40 km away.
There are beautiful beach huts and family room to choose from
in Palolem. Try to avoid the weekends, as there is a big crowd
of picnickers who throng the beach on weekends.
Agonda Beach
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 three-kilometer long beautiful cove of
white sand, safely secluded in the palms. There are no
tourists, no souvenir stalls, no restaurants, nothing. Just
the trees, the beach, the big beautiful ocean and you. It also
makes for a great day trip from Colva and Covelossim. For 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 the local legends, Rama stayed here with his wife Sita
during the period of 12-year exile. The best way to reach this
beach is by a scooter or motors bike.
Varca, Cavelossim, Mobor Beaches
Varca, Cavelossim, and Mabor are the most beautiful beaches
south of Benaulim. These beaches are much cleaner and quieter
than most of the famous beaches of Goa. There are numerous
beach shacks offering a variety of Goan dishes and seafood at
reasonable prices. There are facilities for Dolphin watching
up river Sal. These beaches are home to some of the most
exclusive and luxurious beach resorts in Goa. Accommodation is
also available for budget and economy class travelers though
not on the beach itself. There are plenty of transportation
facilities available to reach these beaches from Margao. From
Cavelossim village, Margao is 18 km away and buses and autos
are available easily. You can also hire taxis from Dabolim
Airport (41 – 48 km) to reach the beach resorts here. To move
locally, use cycles and scooters that are available on hire.
Colva Beach
The Colva Beach is the most beautiful beach situated in the
Southern Goa. The Colva Beach is also known as the Queen of
the beaches of Goa. This beach is equipped with all modern
amenities like air-conditioned resort complexes, tourist
cottages, discos, seashell artefact stalls, refreshment
stalls, guest houses. 40 kms. of uninterrupted white sand,
fringed with swaying palms, calm turquoise waters, and sun
drenched beaches marks the extent of Colva beach. Colva is a
small village in south Goa on the shores of the Arabian Sea.
It lies 39 km away from Panaji. Colva gained popularity only
lately. While taking a stroll on the Colva Beach, silver
carpets of bangdde (mackerels) can be viewed shimmering on the
golden sands for drying. Fishermen’s motor trawlers can be
seen anchored in a line offshore. Many tourists as well as
local people can be seen having a sunbath on the golden sands.
Finding a stretch of beach is easy here, as only some parts of
this beach have been properly developed. In the moonlight, the
water here takes on a magical luminescence, adding to the
wonder of this loveliest Goa’s beach. There are various small
and five star hotels like the Goa Renaissance Resort and the
Leela Beach Resort here.
Majorda Beach
The Majorda Beach is located to the south of the Bogmalo
Beach. This small stretch beach stretches about 5 Kms north of
Colva Beach along the coastline. The beach is the location of
many hotels. This beach has one of the finest 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 the mythical times when the gods above went
through a lot of turmoil. There is a Goan version of Ramayana
and therein 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 Beach
The Bogmalo Beach is one of the irresistible beach of Goa. It
is a secluded, crescent shaped cove. This beach is dominated
by a huge 5-star hotel located right on its edge and is cut
apart from both the North and South beach circuit. Being just
4 kms away from the Goa Airport, it is favourite among the
elite classes. Although the resort hotel towers above the
village, there are couple of smaller places to stay.
Windsurfing and water skiing facilities are available.
Benaulim Beach
Less than 2 kms south of Colva is the more tranquil beach of Benaulim. Benaulim is one of the few places in Goa where one
can glimpse handicrafts typical to this area. The Benaulim is
a pretty fishing village, with quaint old Portuguese houses
and a secluded beach. The best of the traditional rosewood
furniture is made here. Also Benaulim is famous as the place
where the legendary Parashuram's arrow landed, by which Goa
was created. The best thing about 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. The family house accommodation is also available
here, which gives a terrific insight into the local tradition.
Betul Beach
The Betul Beach is the secluded, magical beach and offers a
wonderful view of the sea. It is one of the southernmost beach
in Goa. The Betul beach is situated in the estuary of the Sal
river where it flows into the Arabian Sea. Betul is one of the
most important fishing ports where all the mechanized boats
and deep sea trawlers bring in their catch. A jetty form the
water’s edge leads to a gaily-festooned cluster of fishing
boats, each brightly coloured. When the catch comes in, the
little harbour buzzes with the happy sound of fishermen
returning to unload their vessels. Beyond this secluded beach
is the hill of Cabo De Rama where the Portuguese have built a
fort. From the fort a great view of the sunset on the beach
can be viewed. There are various lodges where the tourists can
have a comfortable stay. |
