I Love Goa

This is my 50th post in MyTravelTales. This post gives you all the information required for a trip to Goa. I visited Goa 8 times, always goes to the same beach, same restaurants and stays in the same apartment, but I never get bored of Goa. There is some thing special about Goa. The beaches, food, leisure life style are the best things that I like in Goa.


North or South Goa???
If you are in a confusion whether to go to south or north Goa, then this is for you.

• If you want to enjoy the night life, late night parties, yummy goan food, budget accommodations, water sports, then you should go to North Goa. Most of the top pubs, top restaurants in Goa are located in Calangute - Baga strech. But all the beaches are crowded,don't expect peaceful environment. 
• If you want to experience the best beaches in India, then south goa is the best option. One of the top beaches in India like Palolem, Agonda, Varca beaches are located in south Goa. Most of the beaches are clean and less crowded. Almost all the top resorts have their beach properties in south Goa. 

Best Beaches in Goa??

• South Goa: Palolem, Agonda , Varca, Cavelossim, Mobor.
• North Goa: Vagator, Anjuna, Arambol, Baga, Candolim, Calangute.
• I personally love Palolem and Vagator beaches. Prefer visiting both these beaches in the evenings. 

Best Places to stay???

• North Goa: Calangute, Baga, Candolim are the best places to stay in North Goa. There are many budget accommodations available in these locations. There are beach huts available in Arambol. 
• South Goa: Many people say that staying in palolem is one of the must try when you are visiting Goa during winter. Best places to stay is Palolem, Margao, Agonda.
• Panjim: Being capital of Goa, panjim is also one the best options to stay in Goa. But there are no good beaches near panjim, you have to go to either south or north Goa to enjoy the beaches. So please avoid staying in panjim. 

Best Time to visit??

• November - March: This is the best time to visit Goa. Climate will be good. Beach shacks will be available in this period.
• April - June: Summer Time. Evenings are cool. Not the best time to visit, but still you can enjoy the night life.
• June - September: Mostly avoid going to Goa in these months. Beach shacks wont be available. It will be raining all the time. 
• December: Hotel tariffs will be increased by 200%. Too Crowded. Better avoid visiting Goa between December 20 till January 10, unless you want to visit Goa for famous EDM festivals like sunburn, which are organized during the last week of December. 

How many days?

• It depends on how you want to experience Goa. But personally I feel that 3-4 days are sufficient to explore north Goa fully. I usually travel for 3 days.
• If you want to enjoy Goa fully, then a full week is required.

Traveling in Goa???

• Rented bikes/cars will be available through out Goa. Its better to get the rented vehicles through hotel staff. Always carry license while traveling in the rented vehicles.
• Apart from rented vehicles, you will get taxis and autos too. If you are single, then you can opt for bike taxi,instead of taking auto/taxi.
• Goa tourism is also organizing many local trips daily. http://www.goa-tourism.com/gtdc_section.php?sec=T&id=2

North Goa Beaches:

• Calangute Beach: Most crowded beach in north Goa. Famous for beach shacks, shopping, Tibetan market and water sports. If you are planning to do water sports, then you should visit this beach. This beach is located at a distance of 17 km from Panjim. Compared to other beaches, facilities are very good. Even life guards are available. 

• Baga Beach: Goa's best pubs, restaurants, beach shacks are located in baga beach. Crowd will be less compared to calangute beach. The Beach itself is a long stretch, which follows with the Calangute beach and starts at the North with a small river. 

• Anjuna Beach: One of the best beaches of North Goa. Less crowded compared to other beaches of north Goa. Don't miss flee market on every Wednesday. Famous for trance parties.

• Vagator Beach: This is my favorite beach in north goa. There are three beaches in this beach stretch. North Vagator Beach, Chapora Beach and south vagator. I like the chapora beach, a small beach on the foot of chapora fort hill. If you want to reach this beach, either you have to trek down the chapora fort or walk all the way from the starting of north vagator till the hill.

• Candolim Beach: Every year Asia's biggest EDM festival is hosted in this beach. Compared to calangute and baga, this beach is less crowded. Top resorts and resorts of north goa are located near this beach. 

Apart from these beaches, there are many beautiful beaches in north goa like Arambol, Mandrem. For more information about all the beaches of north goa, visit this link: http://www.masalaherb.com/2013/01/the-complete-north-goa-beach-guide.html

Old Goa Tour:

Old Goa is located at a distance of 11 km from Panjim. Drive from panjim to old goa will be a different experience with beautiful views of Back waters, narrow roads, colorful buildings.

• Basilica of Bom Jesus: Dedicated to the worship of the infant Jesus, the Basilica of Bom Jesus is also known throughout the Christian world as the tomb of St. Francis Xavier, patron saint of Goa, who was handed the task of spreading Christianity in the Portuguese colony. The saint's body has "survived" almost 500 years now without ever having been embalmed, and lies in a silver casket well out of reach of visitors. Once every 10 years the missionary's body is exposed to the public at close quarters, drawing thousands of pilgrims. The next such event is scheduled for November 2014.

• The imposing white St. Catherine's Cathedral is the largest church in Old Goa.

• Museum of Christian Art: Inside the Convent of St. Monica, the Museum of Christian Art has a number of objects of Christian interest, including paintings and religious silverware, some dating back to the 16th century. 

• Archaeological Museum: A part of the Franciscan monastery behind the Church of St. Francis of Assisi, the Archaeological Museum has an intricately gilded and carved interior. The museum's collection is not entirely devoted to Catholic objects d'art; it also has bits and pieces from Goa's early Hindu history. It's worth a quick look around, if only to peruse the portrait gallery of Goa's viceroys.

Dudhsagar Trip:
If you are visiting goa in monsoon, then you should visit Doodhsagar waterfalls. For more information about dudhsagar trip visit: http://www.mytraveltales.in/2013/08/doodhsagar-trek-from-kulem.html

Scuba Diving in Goa:
Goa is one the best places to do scuba diving in India. Most of the dives are conducted near the grande island. Out of many groups that organize scuba activity, Goa Aquatics is the best. You can visit their website: http://www.goaaquatics.com/ . 

You can also check: http://www.divegoa.com/, http://www.scubadivingingoa.com/ , http://www.scubadivingingoa.com/

Paragliding in Goa:
If you want to try paragliding in goa, then you should arambol beach. Not many people are aware of the paragliding activity in goa. For more information about paragliding in goa, visit: http://www.paraglidingingoa.com/where-we-fly.html , http://www.goaextreme.com/ordernow.htm


Rafting in Goa:
Rafting on mahdei river will be available between the months of July and September. There are only 3-4 rapids in the whole 10 km stretch. The starting point of this adventure is located close to Valpoi town in Ustem Village and ends in Sonal Village. Suitable for both beginner and advanced rafters, the route you follow is 6.2 mi/10 km long and has class II to III difficulty. The route has many and exciting waves that provide lots of bouncing fun, as well as many rapids that keep the adrenaline going. For more information visit: http://www.goarafting.com/pages/home

Casinos:

India's best casinos are present in goa. The best being casino royale and deltin royale. Most of the casinos are present near panjim. 

Forts of North Goa:

• Aguada Fort: This is located at a distance of 18 km from panjim. There is nothing much to see inside the fort, but you will get good views of panjim and arabian sea from the top of the fort.

• Chapora Fort: This is located at a distance of 22 km from Panjim. One of the best place to enjoy the sunset. You will get beautiful views of vagator and mandrem beaches from top of the fort.

That's all about I know about Goa. If you have any queries, please post a comment below.