Note: Javascript is disabled in your browser.
To see the gallery in all its glory, you'll need to enable Javascript.
Introducing Goa
It's green, it's glistening and it's gorgeous: just three of the reasons why Goa has allured visitors – both of the friendly and invading varieties – for so many hundreds of years. Today, the biggest drawcard to its over two million annual visitors is the silken sand, the cocohut culture and the sossegado (clunkily translated as 'laid-backness') of which its residents are justifiably proud.
Advertisement
Nowhere else in India will you find the warmth of a Goan household and the lack of hassle when haggling for goods in its bustling marketplaces. Pour in a dash of Portuguese-influenced wine, food and crumbling colonial-era architecture, infuse with a colourful blend of Hinduism, Islam and Catholicism, pepper with parties, and you've got a happy, heady mix that proves just too enticing to long-staying foreigners, who’ve been clinging to its crystalline shores since the '60s.
But there's far more to discover here than the exquisite pleasure of warm sand between your toes. Pep up your stay with a wander around a vanilla-scented spice plantation, stroll the bird-filled banks of the state's gentle rivers, poke around centuries-old cathedrals, and venture out to white-water waterfalls.
All is not perfect in paradise, however, and Goa has problems aplenty – the state's environment, in particular, is sorely taxed. Nevertheless, with a slowly growing group of environmentalists and ecofriendly individuals on the scene, the picture remains relatively rosy for this most magical of miniature states. So, come, minimise your impact as much as possible, and unwind to the swaying palms and Portuguese rhythms of Goa's still-irresistible charms.
Last updated: Dec 15, 2009
Goa
Recommended things to do & see
Our Top Picks For Goa
-
1 Panaji
Explore laneways lined with crumbling Portuguese buildings and age-old charm
-
2 Old Goa
Shiver in the shadows of grand cathedrals, once the ecclesiastical wonder of the Eastern world
-
3 Ponda
Spice up your life with a buffet lunch at a spice plantation
-
4 Anjuna Beach
Buy souvenirs from hippies who never left then head for parties that never end
-
5 Chapora to Terekhol
Burble through rural splendour on a cranky scooter to magnanimous Terekhol Fort
Fast Facts about Goa
- Main languages
Konkani, Marathi, English and Hindi
- Telephone code
0832
- Area
3701 sq km
- Population
1.34 million
- Capital
- When to go
October to March
Our favourite Goa Blogs (beta)
-
It’s Better in Goa
Blog: Passed Ports: images and anecdotes from our travels - 5 January 2010
The last leg of the journey of our 3-day long journey from Kerala to Goa was an overnight bus (with no shocks) from Mangalore. The bus, 24 rows of 4 seats across, was full. There were a whopping five other women on board. We had intended to stay in Palolem, a beach in the south. But [...]
-
iPhone Hook Up Hell in India
Blog: Canada's Adventure Couple - 18 December 2009
Bringing and unlocked iPhone to India seemed like a good idea at the time. We thought that if we couldn’t get to an Internet Café, we would at least be able to check our email. It is three weeks into our trip and we have finally managed to make our iPhone and Data Plan work. Here is what we had to go through to make our iPhone work in India.
-
A Day in Goa
Blog: Canada's Adventure Couple - 17 December 2009
Everyone says “you’ve got to go to Goa.” So we did. Patnem Beach is a little slice of paradise. The water is warm, the surf is mellow and the sunsets are to die for. It is an easy place to spend time in. Calm waters flow into fine white sand. Days are spent practicing yoga, taking long walks and working on tanning our Canadian white skin. Goa is different from the rest of India. Alcohol flows freely, bikini clad tourists flaunt their skin and vendors are laid back when selling their wares. I can see why people spend their entire winter on these beaches and never venture far away.
