Goa Beyond Pubs, Clubs & Pint of Beer!!
Explore Off Beat Goa in 4 days
Updated 13th July 2019
Goa, a haven of never-ending parties, adventures, sun-kissed beaches, and heritage spots.
During my first trip to Goa straight out of college, I too thought Goa was all about beaches - with golden sand and perhaps a bottle of chilled beer, night parties at clubs and hang out at pubs. However, my last trip to the land changed it all.
I was in Goa in August 2017. Its practically offseason in Goa as all the water sports are closed, some of the great pubs are also closed during monsoon. And Goa became less touristy. But believe me, Goa is amazingly beautiful in monsoon as it covered by lush green like a carpet.
Day 1
We reached Goa around 11 in the morning, and this gave us extra time to explore more. We planned to visit the Naval Aviation Museum or Indian Navy Museum, Bogmalo before directly going to the hotel in the north Goa. We asked a cab for lift and he charged INR 100 from 2 of us.
You can take a local bus to Bogmalo, from the opposite side to the airport. But the frequency of getting the bus is low.
Ask any local people and they will help you out.
Naval Aviation Museum is the only that exists in Asia and is also one of the only seven naval aviation museums that exist in the world. At the museum, real aircraft that span the history of the naval aviation in India is displayed.
If the outdoor exhibits swell your heart with pride, the indoor galleries are no less impressive. Step inside and massive replicas of aircraft carriers INS Vikrant and INS Virat will welcome you.
There is a small shop from where you can buy keychains, coffee mugs, caps, t-shirts, etc with engraved in them “Naval Aviation Museum” as a token of remembrance. There is also a cafeteria where you can relish some snacks.
Timings:
The museum is open on all days from 10 am to 5 pm except on Mondays.
Location:
The Naval Aviation Museum is a military museum located near Bogmalo beach, 2kms from the Dabolim airport, 6 km from Vasco da Gama, 26kms from Margao and 30kms from Panaji, the state capital.
How to Reach:
The Naval Aviation Museum is situated along the Vasco-Bogmalo road where bus service is regular via Dabolim airport. You can also take a taxi or motorbike on rent from any location in Goa.
Goa in Monsoon Pros:
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You will find the lowest price for accommodations during this season.
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Nature at its best, enjoy Lush, beautiful, scenic beauty of Goa.
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Zoop around in a rented scooter or car at dirt cheap rates.
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Not to forget the mesmerizing view of Waterfall
On the way back to our hotel, we visited Vasco Fishing Harbor its walking distance from the Vasco da Gama bus stop.
Vasco da Gama has quite an extensive fishing fleet and boat building/repair area located in and around the harbor.
You can also have fine lunch here along with chilled beer. It’s a great experience to see big and small boats which have just returned back after their trip of fishing. You can find a huge variety of sea fishes.
Finally, we checked in at our hotel and the first thing we did was hired scooters.
You can easily find shops renting scooters, or you can take help of your hotel staff.
North Goa petrol pumps are located at Valpoi and Anjuna. But you can get petrol in open market too, which is a bit costly than the normal rate, quality unknown. So check the fuel level and refuel your scooter accordingly.
you have to submit one ID proof as a guarantee, the rate can vary from 250-500 per day depending on your skills to bargain.
From my own experience, I can tell, keep a bottle of petrol always in your scooter as it can be lifesaver many times
In the evening, ride to Baga beach, walk along the beach and enjoy the sun, sea, and sand in solitude.
Alternatively, you can also hit Calangute beach, which is located less than a mile away from Baga. Calangute is named as “Queen of Beaches”.
As evening approaches crowd in beach increases. Great opportunity for feasting on fresh seafood and Fenni.
Eager hands making sand castles, colorful crowds surging towards the sea, hippies busy remembering the good old times and the young and old alike lazing on the golden sands are some of the images that characterize this Queen of Beaches.
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As soon as the sun sets Tito’s Lane lane wakes up. The most happening lane in Baga, lined with bars, restaurants, tattoo shops, and souvenir shops blasting out the latest commercial and Bollywood hits.
Start with drinks at Hype or Cocktails and Dreams and move on to popular Cape Town Café, iconic Tito’s and it’s sister club Café Mambo's.
You can enjoy a whole night here but remember next morning new venues are waiting for you so according to your comfort go back to the hotel and have a good nap. Tito lane is a magnet and you are the iron ball you will automatically get attracted towards it.
Day 2: Nature Trip with Harvalem Fall
This was one of the best parts of our trip. We got a chance to visit Harvalem Waterfall, the second largest fall after Dudhsagar.
We also visited Tambdi Surla, a 13th century Shiva Temple made up of single Rock.
That's not all, you will also go to Panch Pandava Caves, Goas famous Old Goa church and also you can have Elephant ride and wash at the Spice plantation with buffet Lunch.
We booked a day trip with Goa Tours Planner at INR 1600 per person. Which includes
· AC Transfers
· Buffet Lunch Veg/Non-Veg
· Visit to Harvalem Falls
· Pancha Pandava Caves
· Shiv Temple
· Tambdi Surla Temple
· Elephant ride or wash
Day-3:
We had a heavy breakfast and set Fort Aguada in our GPS and started our journey.
Fort Aguada is located atop a hilltop near the mouth of the river Mandovi.
The fort was named Aguada which means water in Portuguese. Because of the presence of three freshwater springs inside. Overlooking the vast expanse of ‘seeming to be endless’ blue waters in front of it, Fort Aguada is one of the most popular tourist destinations of Goa.
Aguada fort is among the larger in Goa and covers the entire peninsula at the southwestern tip of Bardez Taluka. A part of the fort is converted into a Central jail and a luxury beach resort. Located close to the fort there are two of the best hotels in North Goa, the Taj Holiday Village and the Fort Aguada Hotel.
The latter was originally a part of the fort itself and now has been converted to a resort.
Goan has an amazing taste in food. We searched the location nearby from Top Restaurants To Have Goan Fish Curry and got our tummy filled with delicious local thali.
Post lunch we headed to Chapora Fort aka Dil Chahate Hain Fort. Located in Bardez, Goa and is just rising above the Chapora river. The red-laterite bastion was built by the Portuguese in 1617 on the site of an earlier Muslim structure. Intended as a border watch-post, it fell to various Hindu raiders during the 17th century, before finally being deserted by the Portuguese in 1892.
Chapora continues to remain a perfect vantage point for gazing at the sea as the waves gently nudge the shore in silent harmony. We took a short, uphill walk that leads to the walls of the fort and witnesses the beautiful see.
The three friends from Dil Chahta Hai stood in the walls of the fort in companionable silence, whilst facing the countenance of the sea.
While back from Chapora fort, you can visit Anjuna beach and Vagator beach.
The rocky beaches of Vagator with the splendid background of coconut trees is must-visit on your road trip to Goa. The beach technically starts from the Chapora Fort and extends towards the Anjuna beach. If you want to bathe in the water here, you can head to the southern part known as Small Vagator.
One of the world-famous beaches of North Goa, Anjuna Beach is as bohemian as it gets. Anjuna is known for its trance music and outdoor parties and is considered a haven for ‘hippie’ culture.
In fact, if you go on a road trip to Goa during Nov-Feb, you will find a party every night. The clubs, restaurants, ambiance, rocky beach – people here are in a constant party mood. Many artists and musicians are known to come to the Anjuna beach for inspiration.
Don’t forget to visit the Wednesday Flea Market to pick up knick-knacks and bohemian clothes.
There are many small restro-bar facing the sea where you can enjoy snacks with beer and get relaxed.
You will find many local people in the evening playing football. We also joined then to enjoy beach football.
While returning back to the hotel we enjoyed Go-Karting near the Double Tree Hilton Hotel.
It's right next to the Saturday Night market. You can enjoy INR 10 laps for INR 250.
Day 4:
It was the last day and we planned to go Panji and do some marketing.
But we got to know about Salaulim Dam from a close friend of mine so we planned to visit the place instead.
For travelers on the hunt for spectacles in the lesser known corners of Goa, Salaulim Dam is a sight to behold.
To reach this dam, you have to drive through the countryside of Goa. The Salaulim Dam is located at Sirga, 5km from the Sanguem town. The site is 35km from Margao and 68km from Panjim.
The drive is amazing, roads are super clean and well built. You will drive through little villages & towns of Goa, and you will love it. On reaching the dam, you have to provide ID proof & take the entrance ticket.
You have to walk for some time to reach the dam. The unending, vast expanse of water runs down through a semi-circular outlet and splashes 50ft down at the first level and again falls down to a 100ft deep chasm.
It finally strikes the river bed creating a breathtaking mist cover over the dam. The area around the dam is very well maintained. Do take time to walk around. You have to climb a couple of stairs to reach on the top of the dam.
And the view from there of the reservoir is breathtaking! Photography is not allowed on the top of the dam, and there are guards there to ensure the same.
Also, do not forget to visit the spillway once you come down from the dam, it's a great place to see too. For nature lovers in Goa, the reservoir area around the dam and the surrounding Botanical Gardens offer the perfect shades of green to sit back and relax during the day.
Know the storyteller
Yogesh Singh Bohra
Fondly known as Ghummkar Jammora, I am a globetrotter, passionate photographer, and a travel blogger.
In his own words: "We have nothing to lose and a world to see!"
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