Beaches of Goa

 The beaches of Goa with it's spectacular beauty is enamored all over the world. The 125 km long Goan coastline is dotted with many beautiful beaches. It is the perfect destination for a romantic honeymoon or an ideal vacation. It is the firm favorite for the holidaymakers from across the world. Each year thousands of tourists from all over the world visit Goa. Beaches here are quite versatile by nature. From hippy parties all along night to the silent and lonely world, beaches here offer all kinds of atmosphere to the visitors. Some of the beaches are commercialized and have all kind of upmarket, massage parlours, gyms, night clubs and while in some there is no sign of habitation. Most of the beaches organizes water sports like parasailing, jet skiing, windsurfing and boating. One interesting fact about beaches is most of them have been named after the closet villages.

Anjuna Beach:

It is often regarded as mother of all beach in India itself. This beach was discovered sometimes around 50's and 60's by the group of travelers and since then have become ideal destination of every holidaymakers who visits Goa. With calm waters of Arabian sea slowly waving around the shore, this beach is most famous for its full moonlit hippie parties. Specially during Christmas and new year time this place is full of parties. Parties are mostly centered around Shoe bar which is in the middle of beach. Anjuna beach is so large that it has been divided into north, south and middle. Majority of bars, hotels and restaurants are in north Anjuna, in the middle Anjuna there is flea market and in south is Little Anjuna beach. Flea market is held every Wednesday, where one can buy traditional Gujarati, Kashmiri and Tibetan handicrafts. One can have delicious Goan cuisines beginning from mouthwatering prawns to heavenly pork vindaloo. For sightseeing in Anjuna there's Albuquerque mansion which was built in 1920, another being Mascarenhas Mansion which has beautiful balconies. Chapora fort gives it a historic angle. They say party never ends in Anjuna beach, only condition is that sooner you grove into the party mood.

Calangute Beach:

This is beach also known as 'Queen of Beaches' offers you the calm serenity to escape from party land Anjuna. This beach was first spotted by hippies in the 60's and very soon it became very popular. By 70's many European tourists started flocking here. Many Bollywood stars too have been charmed by this beach. Superstar Raj Kapoor got inspiration for his movie 'Bobby' after visiting this beach. Pristine surroundings and golden sands gives this place a stunning view. Unlike Anjuna here bars closes by ten pm with only few hippie joints remain opened. So, there is hardly any nightlife in Calangute. It is not the ideal place for those party animals. It is one of those beaches which offers lot of water sports. One can go for parasailing, water sailing, water skiing and bump rides. Some boat operators offers dolphin and crocodile spotting trips, island trips and fishing expeditions. One lazy around sun bathing or walk in the calm demeanor of this beach. Church of St. Alex is one of the must see place of this serene beach. One cant dare to amiss hundred of stalls in beach selling different varieties of sea food. This beach is popular among all group of people including many family visitors.

Baga Beach:

Baga is small beach located between its more illustrious cousins Colva and Calangute on either side. This beach is an extension of Calangute and it is hard to make out where one ends or begins. Best thing about Baga is its less crowded than its nearby beaches. The meeting of Baga river and sea here is an stunning sight. As white waves gushes through brown sand to wash your feet marks,a calm feeling will swallow you. It is the best place for restful moments if you want to get away from the hustle-bustle of Calangute and Colva beach. With its uncrowded nature this beach is popular among those tourist who wants to pursue their hobbies. Fishing and water sports is the most popular one.

Colva Beach:

Colva is one of the longest beach stretching around 25 km along the Arabian Sea. It has large presence of coconut palm along its coastline. This beach had the distinction of being retreat zone of the high society of Margoa during pre-colonial era. Few can match the scenic beauty of Colva with sky, sand and land blending a enigmatic natural beauty. This beach gained popularity quite late compared to other beaches of Goa. But off late it has emerged as the major tourist attraction of the South Goa. It is the perfect place for those who seek solitude in their holidays. There is long mile of virgin territory comprising of soft sands, shining sun and music of the waves. Just grab your favorite book and tie the swing net in between coconut tree and laze around in the calmness. Even though lots of foreign and tourist from rest of India throng this beach, it is very popular among the locals. Bull fight which takes in old rice field with no barricades is another showpiece of Colva beach. With local Konkani music playing and lots of local humor, bull fights usually takes place from October to May end.

Condolim Beach:

Starting from Fort Aguada and merging with Calangute beach towards end, it is one of the longest beach located in north Goa. This beach is quite peaceful and is very popular among the foreign tourists. This beach is quite long and straight and is backed by scrub covered sand dunes which is very popular among the tourists. A lot of tourists from Pune's Rajneesh ashram visit this beach, yoga and meditation is also popular activity on the beach. Village Candolim is known for fishing. You can either request and join the villagers in their fishing expedition or go fishing on your own. Here nightlife is almost non-existent. Fort Aguada, Chapel of St. Lawrence and Condolim church are some of the major tourist attractions. Being less crowded this beach is best place to try out water sports. This is place where first revolt against Portuguese erupted.

Benaulim Beach:

This is the place to get closure to the nature and remain totally untouched. It is one special place for Christians as it the birth place of venerable Father Joseph Vaz. The best thing about Benaulim is its still an undiscovered beach. Unlike other beaches commercialization has not creped yet. This is the best place for sun bathing and getting tanned. One can go for swimming too. Though its quite beach during evening and weekend it can get crowded with locals pouring in. The main attraction of this beach is dolphin spotting trips. It is pretty cheap too. Church of St. John Baptist situated atop hill is the ideal place to visit in Benaulim. Water sports like parasailing, jet skiing and wind surfing is available too.