Category: Goa

A series of rusty cliffs and headlands bursting out of thickets of greenery help to give Vagator and charming Chapora one of the prettiest settings on the north Goan coast. It’s this back drop, rather than the beaches (which are largely forgettable) that have made these two little villages the centre for the wild, outdoor parties that made Goa (in) famous. Large contingents of long-stay backpackers and party people religiously set up camp here for months on end every season.

South Goa includes territory from the provincial town of Margao (Madgaon) all the way to the border with the state of Karnataka. This area includes destinations such as Colva and Benaulim down to the popular resort of Palolem.

Panaji (also known as Panjim) is a town of shades; the pastel shades of the buildings, romantic shades of the Mediterranean, excitable shades of Latin America and noisy shades of India. It’s a town utterly unique to the sub-continent, yet for most travellers it tends to be a quick after thought to a Goan beach holiday. This is a grave mistake because the narrow winding streets of its old Portuguese quarter, and its fine location at the mouth of the broad Mandovi River, make Panaji one of the indisputable highlights of Goa. To get the most out of Panaji spend a couple of days here and make it a base for explorations of nearby Old Goa and central Goa.

Palolem is the most southerly of Goa’s developed beaches and was once the state’s most idyllic. Nowadays its beauty is very much dependent on your point of view. For those who believe a beach cannot be paradise without a decent selection of cheap restaurants and hotels, a dose of nightlife and plenty of likeminded people then Palolem is still top of the pops. For those who prefer their paradise to be a little less claustrophobic then Palolem will make you feel queasy. Whatever your opinion one indisputable fact is that Palolem is far from undiscovered – the sheer number of ramshackle camps protruding out of what was once almost pristine jungle has turned Palolem into a kind of tropical Glastonbury – with all the associated good and bad points. In September 2006 the government destroyed all unlicensed businesses and buildings and, for a short time afterwards, Palolem was very much down in the dumps. However it hasn’t taken long for the village to get back on its feet and Palolem is once again back in the driving seat and sitting pretty at number one.

Gazing at Old Goa today it’s hard to believe that this fallen city was once able to stand up to Lisbon and demand, ‘Who’s the man?’. But back in the 1500s and with a population exceeding that of Lisbon and London, that’s exactly what Old Goa was able to do. However the good times didn’t last long and both the Inquisition and a major epidemic did their best to decimate this decadent and immoral dollop of Portugal. Finally, in 1843, the capital was shifted to the far more prim and proper Panaji.

In North Goa, Panaji, also know as Panjim, is a quiet achiever offering a glimpse into small town life for those who decide to hang their hat here for a spell. From here you can explore the still-Portuguese flavoured town of Old Goa, with its World Heritage listed churches and convents. The market town of Mapusa comes alive on Fridays with its raucous markets, and the beaches of Candolim and Sinquerim, though mainly visited by package-deal travellers and charter groups, offer some spectacular views.

The capital of Salcete province, Margao (also known as Madgaon) is the main population centre of south Goa and is probably the busiest town in the state. If you’ve just arrived from the cities of ‘real’ India then the first thing that will strike you is how clean and tidy Margao is. Even though there is little to see or do here it’s worth stopping by to see how Goa lives beyond the beaches.

Those who haven’t visited Goa tend to imagine it as some kind of Indian Costa Brava but with more cosmic karma and, thanks to this image, many people vow never to set foot there. However, Goa, like everywhere in India, is never quite what you expect. In places the infamous hash-fuelled days of Goa’s golden hippy years are still alive and kicking, especially around Vagator & Chopora, while in others, like Calangute & Baga, the all-inclusive package holiday is king. But these are two very narrow sides of the Goan experience and anyone who spends much time here will discover that Goa contains more variety and vitality than almost anywhere else in India. Head into Panaji (Panjim), one of India’s smallest and most likeable state capitals, and, instead of self-contained tourist resorts and trinket-selling dreadlocks, you’ll discover a Portuguese pantry of flaking architectural delicacies spiced up with Indian exuberance. Inland, you can stand in greener-than-green fields picking vanilla pods, bathe with elephants or visit market towns like Mapusa.