Tourism in Goa – Goa Beaches and Tourist Places – Goa Tour

It was September,2012 and it had been a long time we didn’t go other than the north eastern region of India for a vacation. We all decided to place our shortlisted places on the table and we all agreed and selected Goa to be our next destination and wished to explore the Goa tourism.

When someone talks about Goa and Goa tourism, the only thing that comes in mind is the beaches in Goa. We had the same feeling but when we visited the place, we found that there are so many places and spots to visit, so many things to explore. We felt Goa to be the ultimate destination for a vacation when we were looking for beaches and Goa didn’t let go that feeling of us. Tourism in Goa is just superb and you can get your best holidays there.

I travel in a group which consists of my best buddies. I love being with them and travel along with them ( I mentioned this earlier in my posts). We planned to set off on 5th of Jan and planned a 10 days trip to the land of beaches and awesome natural beauty. We had a tight budget, so planned to travel by train. Amravati Express was the only option from Kolkata. It took 40 hours to reach Madgaon railway station in South Goa when the schedule time is 38 hours; it was late by 2 hours. The train passed across the gigantic and fabulous Dudhsagar Waterfall. It was a pleasure to watch that from the train. The train passed through several tunnels and the route had a nice view.

Madgaon was the railway station we dropped at and headed towards Colva beach, 20min drive from there. Colva beach is located at south Goa and one of the beautiful beaches in Goa. If you are looking forward to visit all the popular beaches both in south and north Goa, then I would suggest you to stay here and hire a vehicle or a bike for the sightseeing and visit other parts of Goa because Colva lies on the middle and make it easy and short to travel other parts on either side. We stayed in Colva and visited all the popular and virgin beaches in both parts of Gia (south and north), forts and other destinations including temples, churches and mosques. The first day we explored the Colva, looked for eateries, hotels etc. We did the water sports in afternoon and spent the evening on the beach. We spent our second day in north Goa and explored the churches and heritage places in old Goa and Panjim. We visited the beach circuit in north Goa on the third day and explored all the north Goa beaches. The fourth day we reserved for the south Goa serene beaches. The fifth day we checked out of our hotel early in the morning and visited Dudhsagar waterfall and the driver dropped us at Madgaon railway station at noon because we had our train to Mumbai from there.

Goa Trip Plan – Goa Tour Itinerary

Explored Goa Beaches and other places of interests in 5 days:
First Day: Exploring the Colva Beach, Adventure activities like water sports, relaxing at our resort
Second Day: Old Goa Tour, Panjim sightseeing along with Dona Paula point and Aguada Fort
Third Day: North Goa Beach Circuit, covered all the beaches in North Goa along with Chapora Fort
Fourth Day: South Goa Beach Circuit, covered the south Goa beaches and Cabo De Rama Fort
Fifth Day: Visited Dudhsagar Water Fall and checked out of Goa to visit Mumbai

5 days are enough to complete and visit all the places of interests and beaches in Goa. If you are looking for some leisure time, relax then you can spend one or two more days in south Goa. Agonda Beach and Palolem Beach are the best beaches in south Goa to relax.

Kolkata To Goa By Train

Amravati Express is the only train that plies between Kolkata (Howrah) and Goa (Madgaon or Vasco Da Gama).

For any query visit Indian Railway website here: www.indianrail.gov.in

The scheduled time duration of Amravati Express is 38 hours from Kolkata to Madgao Railway station but our train was late by 2 hours. On asking co-passengers who are frequent in the route said that the train always delays by 1 or more hours. I would suggest to book AC three tiers or two tiers to travel this long journey in comfort. Train food is really a matter of query and concern. Food provided by authority is just a shit and the hawkers are always ready to make the best deal out of their rolling customers -they don’t worry about branding, quality etc. because they know that passengers are not regular. I would suggest you to pack your food for the journey. The train journey from Kolkata to Goa is fabulous once you are in Konkan Railway jurisdiction. The train passes through several tunnels and over the Dudhsagar Water fall providing a superb photogenic scenic view of the nature.

Car Rental In Goa

You can hire cars on rent in Goa on a full day basis or kilometer basis. The basic rate is Rs 1,800 (Innova, Qualis, Scorpio, Travera etc.) for 8 hours and 80 kilometers. For each extra kilometer after 80 kilometers is over, you need to pay Rs 14 per kilometer and for every extra hour you need to pay Rs 100. For example if you have traveled 120 kilometers and spend 10 hours then you need to pay:

The calculation to find the cost of hiring a vehicle:
Rs 1.800 + (14*40) + (2*100) = Total

If you keep the vehicle at night after 12, you need to pay an extra Rs 200 to the driver.

Bike Rental In Goa

One can hire bikes on a full day basis. You need to carry your license and another photo ID to get a bike. Bike rental is like Rs 300-450 depending on the model. You have to pay for the fuel too. You can either get it from the vendor or visit a local petrol pump to fill up if possible. I would suggest you to fill up the fuel taking from the vendor only. It would save your time and headache. They just charge Rs 5 extra per liter of petrol. I would suggest you to check the bike before you take it, even a scratch because you will be penalized in case there is any scratch on body of the bike after you return it to the vendor.

My suggestions:

• No need to book any agent, you can make your own trip
• It is better to avoid the train journey, it would save time if you fly

• If you are looking forward explore all the beaches and places of interests in Goa, stay in Colva. It is easy to move from there. Colva is located at central.

• Always book a vehicle on kilometer basis for a full day. It is always good to have your car with you. You can stop anywhere as per your wish, click photos and take your car to anywhere you like.

• Take the same car for all your trips. I would suggest you to befriend with the driver, he can act as a guide.

• If you are visiting Dudhsagar Water Fall, wake up early and leave early to confirm your jungle safari vehicle up to the water fall that you need to book for Rs 2500

• If you are looking for happening places, I would suggest you to spend more time in North Goa.

• If you are looking for serene, tranquil beauty with fewer crowds, I would suggest spending more time in South Goa. You can relax and spend the time in leisure.

• Beware of unwanted fellows and strangers just for security reason. It is safe to travel in group at night though there is enough police protection for the tourists.

• There is no need to book hotel or resort in advance; you can book it after you reach the spot. Once you are there, you can bargain on the tariff, have a look at the rooms and then check in. Only if you have kids, ladies then you can book it advance to avoid any mishap.

Stay tuned to TravelDias.com for latest updates on travel and more posts on Goa Tourism, beaches in Goa, Beach circuits, and places of interests in Goa etc.

Keep traveling, keep smiling. 🙂