{"id":47,"date":"2007-12-30T10:32:02","date_gmt":"2007-12-30T10:32:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.itravelabout.com\/goa-india\/"},"modified":"2007-12-30T10:32:02","modified_gmt":"2007-12-30T10:32:02","slug":"goa-india","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.itravelabout.com\/goa-india\/","title":{"rendered":"Goa, India"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Goa<\/strong> is a beautiful area of long sandy<br \/>\n<strong>beaches<\/strong> and warm<br \/>\ntropical weather in <a href=\"http:\/\/www.itravelabout.com\/india\/\">India<\/a>    .&nbsp; It&#8217;s a great place to relax and<br \/>\ndo nothing, or party with the many visitors in the north.&nbsp; There is plenty<br \/>\nto do away from the sun-drenched beaches as Goa is home to whitewashed churches,<br \/>\npaddy fields, coconut-palm groves and crumbling forts from the Portuguese influence.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Update<\/strong>: Due to changes in Indian visas,<br \/>\nwhich are now more difficult to get, fewer people visited Goa in the 2007<br \/>\nseason.&nbsp; This meant rooms were easier to find, but some business felt the pinch.<\/p>\n<p>Goa splits into three regions:&nbsp; North Goa&nbsp;is<br \/>\nhome to the party scene, the capital of Panaji, the former capital of old Goa,<br \/>\nthe market town of Mapusa and many undeveloped beaches.&nbsp; South Goa is less<br \/>\ndeveloped and more laid back than the north.&nbsp; Central Goa has several<br \/>\ninland towns, water falls, wildlife sanctuaries and spice plantations.<\/p>\n<h2>Highlights of Goa<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Beaches<\/strong> &#8211; lots<br \/>\n  of them, with varying development, some with a party crowd, some with nothing at<br \/>\n  all. <\/p>\n<li><strong>Old Goa<\/strong> &#8211; the<br \/>\n  former capital with magnificent cathedrals, a city that once rivalled Lisbon. <\/p>\n<li><strong>Anjuna market<\/strong> &#8211;<br \/>\n  the colorful Wednesday flea market, follow with the sunset at Anjuna beach. <\/p>\n<li><strong>Palolem beach<\/strong> &#8211;<br \/>\n  picture perfect, Goa&#8217;s most idyllic beach. <\/p>\n<li><strong>Hire a moped or motorbike<\/strong> and explore all of the pockets of Goa at your own pace.\n<li><strong>Goan food<\/strong> &#8211; fresh fish and<br \/>\n  speciality dishes including the fiery vindaloo.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>The beaches of Goa<\/h2>\n<p>Goa&#8217;s biggest attraction is its beaches.&nbsp; The<br \/>\nbeaches themselves, and the villages and resorts that have grown<br \/>\nup around them, and the people who are drawn to them are all<br \/>\nquite different in character.&nbsp; Some have changed beyond recognition in the past 10<br \/>\nyears, others are just being discovered and a few pockets remain unspoiled.<\/p>\n<p>Goa&#8217;s beaches are spread out across the state.&nbsp; The northern beaches are generally more developed and home<br \/>\nto the party crowd. The southern beaches are more quiet. Most beaches have<br \/>\ntowns with the services you will need, but some don&#8217;t have ATMs yet.&nbsp;<br \/>\nHere&#8217;s a brief rundown of Goa&#8217;s main beaches from north to south:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Arambol (Harmal)<\/strong> -The most northerly<br \/>\n  of Goa&#8217;s developed beaches, Arambol has an attractive rocky headland and a<br \/>\n  chilled-out, but increasingly busy, scene with music bars and some good<br \/>\n  restaurants. It attracts backpackers, and some of the old Anjuna crowd looking<br \/>\n  for a quieter time.&nbsp; Because it&#8217;s a cheaper place to stay the season<br \/>\n  starts a little earlier that in Anjuna.<\/p>\n<li><strong>Mandrem<\/strong> &#8211; The next beach south is<br \/>\n  clean but uninspiring, with a small knot of bamboo huts between the road and<br \/>\n  the beach, and good midrange accommodation among the coconut groves near<br \/>\n  Mandrem Creek.<\/p>\n<li><strong>Morjim &amp; Asvem<\/strong> -Stretching down<br \/>\n  to the Chapora River, the beaches here are nothing special in themselves, but<br \/>\n  travellers have drifted here to escape the scene further south.&nbsp; There<br \/>\n  are bamboo and palm-thatched huts, an upmarket tent camp and a few beach<br \/>\n  shacks but essential it&#8217;s a quiet place to do nothing.<\/p>\n<li><strong>Vagator<\/strong> &#8211; There are three small<br \/>\n  picturesque beaches at Vagator backed by a rocky headland.&nbsp; it&#8217;s the<br \/>\n  center of the night time scene, popular with European and Israeli ravers.<\/p>\n<li><strong>Anjuna<\/strong> &#8211; There&#8217;s a good stretch of<br \/>\n  beach near the flea market, and plenty of accommodation strung out over a wide<br \/>\n  area.&nbsp; Anjuna retains its popularity with the party crown but its days as<br \/>\n  the place to be seen are virtually over.&nbsp; Market day (Wednesday) should<br \/>\n  not be missed.<\/p>\n<li><strong>Calangute &amp; Baga<\/strong> &#8211; The long<br \/>\n  stretch of very crowded beach here is overlooked with beach shacks and sun<br \/>\n  beds, backed by midrange concrete-block hotels.&nbsp; This is package tourism<br \/>\n  central, though many travellers still prefer the upbeat atmosphere here to that<br \/>\n  further north.&nbsp; It&#8217;s also possible to find quiet accommodation in local<br \/>\n  houses set back from the beach.<\/p>\n<li><strong>Candolim &amp; Sinquerim<\/strong> &#8211; A<br \/>\n  continuation of Calangute, Candolim is a mix of upmarket resorts, package<br \/>\n  hotels, beach shacks and some good restaurants, culminating in the sprawling<br \/>\n  Taj complex at Sinquerim.<\/p>\n<li><strong>Miramar<\/strong> &#8211; Miramar, Panaj&#8217;s town<br \/>\n  beach, is no place for swimming but it&#8217;s a popular spot from which to watch<br \/>\n  the sunset.<\/p>\n<li><strong>Bogmalo<\/strong>&#8211; A small, sheltered beach<br \/>\n  just 4km south of Dabolim Airport, Bogmalo has a feeling of exclusivity and<br \/>\n  can be used as a base for diving.<\/p>\n<li><strong>Majorda &amp; Velsao<\/strong> &#8211; Blighted by a<br \/>\n  petrochemical plant in the distance, these beaches north of Colva have a few<br \/>\n  upmarket resort hotels but little tourist activity.<\/p>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.itravelabout.com\/colva-benaulim-goa-india\/\"><strong>Colva and   Benaulim<\/strong>  <\/a> &#8211;<br \/>\n  The beach here is similar to Calangute, but it&#8217;s much quieter and still has a<br \/>\n  noticeable fishing industry. There&#8217;s a mix of package tourists, India tourists<br \/>\n  and backpackers, but no party scene.&nbsp; Benaulim village is quieter still<br \/>\n  and a good place to stay long-term.<\/p>\n<li><strong>Varca &amp; Cavelossim<\/strong> &#8211; Five-star<br \/>\n  luxury resorts here front relatively empty, undeveloped beaches.<\/p>\n<li><strong>Agonda<\/strong> &#8211; North of Palolem, Agonda is<br \/>\n  an average looking beach but a good place to chill out.&nbsp; It mostly<br \/>\n  attracts laid-back travelers doing as little as possible.<\/p>\n<li><a href=\"\/travel-guide\/asia\/india\/goa\/palolem-beach\"><strong>Palolem<\/strong><\/a> &#8211; Palolem is<br \/>\n  still the most idyllic beach in the state, but it&#8217;s fast filling up with<br \/>\n  travellers and the businesses set up to service them. Accommodation is mostly a<br \/>\n  string of bamboo huts fronting the beach.<\/p>\n<li><a href=\"\/travel-guide\/asia\/india\/goa\/patnem-beach\"><strong>Patnem<\/strong><\/a> &#8211; Patnem, a short<br \/>\n  walk south of Palolem is quieter and has some decent surf.   <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>When to visit Goa<\/h2>\n<p>Late October to February is the perfect time to visit;<br \/>\ntemperatures are warm and rain occasional.&nbsp; December to January is peak season and accommodation is<br \/>\nsnapped up quickly, despite prices doubling.&nbsp; Humidity starts to rise in<br \/>\nMarch.&nbsp; The monsoon hits Goa between June and September, when many places<br \/>\nclose up shop.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>Christmas time in Goa<\/h2>\n<p>Roman Catholic is the major religion in Goa so Christmas<br \/>\nis not only celebrated by the locals, but also thousands of visitors who descend<br \/>\nfor the holidays.&nbsp; It&#8217;s a great place to spend Christmas, whether you want<br \/>\nto party or relax.&nbsp; Accommodation prices double around the Christmas<br \/>\nperiod.&nbsp; With so many visitors places soon get snapped up, but you can<br \/>\nnormally find somewhere to stay.&nbsp; Arrive before December 15th to make life<br \/>\neasier.&nbsp;If you are staying for more than a few weeks ask around for<br \/>\nlong-term discounts.&nbsp; If you arriving into Goa at Christmas time book well<br \/>\nahead, especially on the Mumbai-Goa trains.<\/p>\n<h2>Accommodation in Goa<\/h2>\n<p>You&#8217;ll find the following accommodation options in most places:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Beach huts<\/strong> &#8211;<br \/>\n  they vary in quality, but the best have fans, power, private bathrooms and<br \/>\n  restaurants.&nbsp; Being on the beach is great.&nbsp; Prices are about INR800 &#8211;<br \/>\n  INR1200 around Christmas, and half that at other times. <\/p>\n<li><strong> Guesthouses<\/strong> &#8211;<br \/>\n  normally set a short walk away from the beaches, and family run.&nbsp; Better<br \/>\n  for long term stays as prices are typically INR350 &#8211; INR500, less outside of<br \/>\n  Christmas.&nbsp; Some are as cheap as INR100, but you&#8217;ll need to look around. <\/p>\n<li><strong>Hotels<\/strong> &#8211; mainly catering for the<br \/>\n  package tours, and hardly the authentic Goan experience.&nbsp; Prices are INR800+.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Activities in Goa<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Watersports<\/strong> &#8211; parasailing,<br \/>\n  jet-skiing and windsurfing are available on the more developed beaches.&nbsp;<br \/>\n  Patnem has <strong>surfing<\/strong><br \/>\n  potential.&nbsp; Scuba-diving is also available, but the water isn&#8217;t crystal<br \/>\n  clear in Goa. <\/p>\n<li><strong>Boat trips<\/strong> to<br \/>\n  spot dolphins, go fishing or cruise the backwaters are available.&nbsp; An<br \/>\n  interesting trip is to the spice plantations near Ponda. <\/p>\n<li>Yoga, reiki, Ayuervedic massage and reflexology are<br \/>\n  available in most places.<\/p>\n<li><strong>Mopeds<\/strong> and<br \/>\n  <strong>motorbikes<\/strong> can be rented from INR200, and are the<br \/>\n  best way to explore.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Dangers and hassles in Goa<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li> Drugs are easily available in the party areas, but<br \/>\n  take care.&nbsp; They are illegal, and in the past corrupt police have<br \/>\n  threatened to plant drugs on people unless baksheesh is paid, but this is less common now.&nbsp; If you<br \/>\n  are hassled by Police and money is demanded inform the local people<br \/>\n  and make a complaint at a Police station.&nbsp; Corruption is taken very seriously<br \/>\n  in Indian now. <\/p>\n<li>  On the beaches in Goa a guy will approach saying<br \/>\n  you have&nbsp;soap in your ear.&nbsp; If you stop and check he will pretend to<br \/>\n  clean your ear and show you the ear wax.&nbsp; Don&#8217;t stop for these guys,<br \/>\n  unless you want your ears cleaned, but I would question the cleanliness of<br \/>\n  their tools, and their training.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Getting to and from Goa<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Trains<\/strong>: Most people arrive in<br \/>\nGoa by Train.&nbsp; There are several train stations in Goa, check your guide<br \/>\nbook maps to see which is<br \/>\nthe    best one for your chosen beach.&nbsp; Many people catch<br \/>\nthe overnight train from Mumbai to Goa,&nbsp;so book several days in advance at Christmas.&nbsp;<br \/>\n<strong>Margoa<\/strong> station has a pre-paid taxi booth outside<br \/>\nthe station.&nbsp; If you have small luggage the motorbike taxis are much<br \/>\ncheaper.<br \/><strong>Planes<\/strong>: There is an international airport in Dabolim<br \/>\nwith cheap flights from many cities around India.<br \/><strong>Bus<\/strong>: There<br \/>\nare long distance interstate buses from various locations.&nbsp; Trains    are better    though.<\/p>\n<h2>Getting around Goa<\/h2>\n<p>Taxis and autorickshaws are quite cheap for getting<br \/>\naround with your luggage.&nbsp; Motorbike taxis are even cheaper, if you luggage<br \/>\nisn&#8217;t too heavy.&nbsp; <a href=\"\/travel-guide\/asia\/india\/renting-riding-motorbike-moped-scooter-goa-india\">Renting<br \/>\na motorbike or moped in Goa<\/a>          <\/p>\n<p>        is the best way to<br \/>\nexplore.&nbsp; Bicycles are easily rented too.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Note<\/strong>:&nbsp;Many taxi drivers have a<br \/>\ndeal with gift shops whereby they get vouchers for ever potential customer they<br \/>\nbring.&nbsp; You only need to browse in the shop for 5 minutes and they get the<br \/>\nvouchers.&nbsp; The shops often have good genuine Indian goods.&nbsp; If<br \/>\nyou&nbsp; drive a hard bargain with the taxi drivers, especially for long trips, they<br \/>\nmight mention the vouchers.&nbsp; It can be a good way of getting<br \/>\na cheap taxi ride.&nbsp; I got a ride from Colva to Palolem for<br \/>\nINR600, which would normally be INR800+.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Goa is a beautiful area of long sandy beaches and warm tropical weather in India .&nbsp; It&#8217;s a great place to relax and do nothing, or party with the many visitors in the north.&nbsp; There is plenty to do away from the sun-drenched beaches as Goa is home to whitewashed churches, paddy fields, coconut-palm groves [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.itravelabout.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/47"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.itravelabout.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.itravelabout.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.itravelabout.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.itravelabout.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=47"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.itravelabout.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/47\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.itravelabout.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}