Beaches in India

Goa Beaches

–» BENAULIM BEACH
Named as Benaulim by the Portuguese, lies in the centre of Colva Beach, 7-km west of Margao. As this place is a like a large fishing joint tourists can easily become gourmets and try out various culinary delights of the seafood. Moreover, the sea is safe for swimming, being generally jellyfish-free, while the village area near beach side itself boasts a few serviceable bars and restaurants, serving the most succulent, competitively priced seafood in Goa.

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.

Either side of the sand blown beachfront, the gently shelving sands shimmer away almost to the horizon, litered with photogenic wooden fishing boats that provide welcome shade if the walk from the palm trees to the sea gets too much. Hawkers, itinerant masseurs and fruit wallahs appear from time to time, but one can easily escape them by heading south towards neighbouring Varca, where tourism has thus far made little impact.

Click here for Reservation

---

–» CALANGUTE BEACH
Excellent accommodation facilities are available, particularly at the tourist resort and cottages. Calangute lie on the shores of the Arabian Sea of North Goa in india. It is encircled by Arpora-Nagoa, Saligao and Candolim, in the Bardez taluka. 16 Kms from Panaji. is the most popular holiday resort in Goa and known as The Queen of Beaches.

Being a popular holiday resort, the small houses amidst the coconut groves behind the beach are always in constant demand. Calangute seems to be a distortion of the local vernacular word ‘Koli-gutti’, which means land of fishermen. Some people connect it with Kalyangutti (village of art) or Konvallo-ghott (strong pit of the coconut tree) because the village is full of coconut trees. With the advent of the Portuguese, the word probably got distorted to Calangute, and has stuck till today.

Seemingly not all that long ago, Calangute was the beach all self-respecting hippies headed for, especially around Christmas when psychedelic hell broke loose. If you enjoyed taking part in those mass poojas, with their endless half-baked discussions about `when the revolution comes' and `the vibes, maaan', then this was just the ticket.

You could frolic around without a stitch on, be ever so cool and liberated, get totally out of your head on every conceivable variety of ganja from Timor to Tenochtitlan and completely disregard the feelings of the local inhabitants. Naturally, John Lennon or The Who were always about to turn up and give a free concert.

Calangute's heyday as the Mecca of all expatriate hippies has passed. The local people, who used to rent out rooms in their houses for a pittance, have moved on to more profitable things, and Calangute has undergone a metamorphosis to become the centre of Goa's rapidly expanding package-tourist market.

It isn't one of the best Goanese beaches: there are hardly any palms, the sand is contaminated with red soil and the beach drops rapidly into the sea. There is, however, plenty going on, especially if you don't mind playing a minor role in this stage-managed parody of what travelling is meant to be about.

Try heading off the beaten track unless you need a bit of R 'n' R to recover from life on the road, or want to mix it with the Simons and Sandras of this world who are visiting india to pep up their winter suntans.

The best time of the year to visit this area is between September and March.

Click here for Reservation

---

–» 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. When here do plan a visit to Mabor, South Goa largest, and most obtrusive, package tourist enclave. Crammed together on to a narrow spit of dunes between the surf and estuary, the holiday inns and beach resorts combine to create a holiday camp ambience that has as little to do with Goa as their architecture.

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.

Click here for Reservation