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South Goa is the more serene half of the state, and for many travelers that’s the attraction. There are fewer activities and not as many bars, clubs or restaurants, but overall the beaches of the south are cleaner and not as crowded as those in the north.
Bordered to the north by the wide Zuari River and to the south by the neighboring state of Karnataka, South Goa’s coast is a series of resorts that range from the five-star hotel strips of Cavelossim and the village feel of Benaulim, to the backpacker-friendly beach-hut bliss of Palolem, Patnem and Agonda.
These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout South Goa.
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About 8km southeast of Chandor is the busy small town of Quepem. Here the Palácio do Deão, the renovated 18th-century palace built by the town’s founder, Portuguese nobleman Jose Paulo de Almeida, sits across from the Holy Cross Church on the banks of the small Kushavati River.
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Artist and restorer Victor Hugo Gomes first noticed the slow extinction of traditional objects – from farming tools to kitchen utensils to altarpieces – as a child in Benaulim. He created this ethnographic museum from the more than 4000 cast-off objects that he collected from across the state over 20 years. Admission is via a one-hour guided tour, held on the hour. Goa Chitra is 3km east of Maria Hall – ask locally for directions.
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Approximately 14km southeast of Margao near the village of Paroda, a number of hills rise out of the plain, the highest of which is Chandranath Hill (350m). At the top, in a small clearing stands the Shri Chandreshwar (Bhutnath) Temple, a small but attractive 17th-century building in a lovely, solitary setting.
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Smaller and less crowded than Palolem to the north, Patnem makes a quiet and friendly alternative. It’s backed by relaxed beach shacks and has a lively surf, making it great for swimming some days and impossible on others, when an equally lively undertow is present. Its main beach road hosts a string of stalls selling the usual variety of clothes, Kashmiri jewellery and trinkets, without the attendant hard-sell of Palolem.
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Agonda’s beach is wide, quiet and picturesque, with a forestry department–staffed turtle centre at the northern end protecting precious olive ridley sea turtle eggs. This is not, however, the place for a leisurely swim; the beach shelves steeply at high tide and the surf can be rough. For a sunset walk or a long lazy day, however, Agonda encapsulates romantic Goa at its very best.
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One of Goa’s least visited but most fascinating sights is deep in the countryside at Usgalimal: a series of prehistoric petroglyphs (rock art), carved into the laterite-stone ground on the banks of the Kushavati River, and depicting various scenes including bulls, deer and antelope, a dancing woman, a peacock and ‘triskelions’ – a series of concentric circles thought by some archaeologists to have been a primitive means of measuring time.
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Margao’s whitewashed main church (1675) remains in use as a parish church and is finely decorated inside. The impressive reredos (ornamental screen) is dedicated to the Virgin Mary, rising from ground level to the high ceiling, made more distinguished by the gilded and carved archway that stands in front of it. The church doors are usually unlocked throughout the day, and access is via the side entrance on the northern side.
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About 9km southeast of Palolem, and a good day trip, is the beautiful, remote-feeling Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary, Goa’s second-largest sanctuary and easily its most accessible if you have your own transport. Don’t expect to bump into its more exotic residents (including gaurs, sambars, leopards and spotted deer), but frogs, snakes, monkeys, insects and blazingly plumed birds are in no short supply.
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It's the hilltop views, rather than the plain little chapel itself, that should entice you to take the steep road east off the coastal road up to Three Kings Chapel. On clear days, you’ll have a gorgeous, camera-friendly view south across thick palm groves, paddy fields, beaches and the Arabian Sea.