I have divided the tiny state of Goa into three parts, and you might be wondering why so? And yes, I have covered states in one post because I saw a glimpse of important places and not the whole of it! But yeah, I covered almost all important sites. Though small, Goa has lots on offer; South Goa is just one of them. If you are looking for less crowded beaches with peacetime with yourself-South, Goa it is! Some beaches say Cola beach or Honeymoon beach, you’ll find merely a bunch of people and if you are lucky -none! What’s so special about South Goa beaches is the tranquility and clean beaches. If camping and picnic is something you love all day, be right here!
27 Reasons why you must visit South Goa:
- Kayaking in the waters of the Sal and Nerul rivers of South Goa for an hour or two will be lots of fun, considering that these waters are super transparent and peaceful too.
- Scuba diving in South Goa is a great way to go below waters and discover the sea world!
- Jet skiing, surfing, banana boat rides, parasailing, and water scooters are some water sports mainly available on Palolem, Benaulim, and Colva beaches.
- When you think of relaxing beaches, shacks come to the rescue, especially on quieter beaches like Patnem, Cola, Polem, and Cabo de Rama Beaches.
- If it’s monsoons, then how can you miss Dudhsagar falls! Just grab a bag, light clothes, and raincoat, and go off to visit India’s most happening waterfall in Goa.
- A cashew-coconut product of fermentation known as feni is served as local liquor here in Goa; you shouldn’t miss that!
- Goa Carnival, one of the main highlights of Goa, happens in February for four days, and you can’t miss the showcasing of Goa’s culture and traditions and the fun and music!
- DJ at Neptune’s Point in Palolem beach is known for silent beats that get you grooving every Saturday night, so jump in!
- The fireworks in the evening by professionals on many beaches is a beautiful event to be part of and awed at!
- Majorda is a fantastic beach with beach shacks known for European bread, cookies, and cakes.
- Zuri White Sands Resort on Varca Beach is well known for its Casino called Dunes.
- Cavelossim Beach is known for its sandy beaches and fantastic sunset views. Also, River Sal is close by meeting the Arabian Sea.
Location: Cantona is 550 km northwest of Bengaluru and 100 km south of Panjim(Goa)
Tourist Attraction on the spot:
A lot of beaches— Palolem, Patnem ,Mobor ,Carmona, Varca, Zumbrai, Benaulim, Sernabatim, Colva ,Betalbatim, Betul, Sunset, Majorda, Utorda, Arossim Cansaulim,Canaguinim,Honeymoon, Butterfly, Cabo De Rama, Agonda, Cancona ,Fatrade, Velsao, Polem, Xandrem, Galgibagh, Talpona, Rajbagh, Patnem, Cola, ChhotaCola, Kakolem, Colomb beaches, Cabo De Rama Fort
Tourist Attraction in Vicinity:
You can visit Old Goa, Panjim, North Goa, Gokarna, Ratnagiri, Doodhsagar Falls, Murudeshwar, and Jog Falls if you want to!
Distance Charts:(Madgaon | Cantona)
- Ahmedabad(1120 | 1130 km)
- Jaipur(1640 |1650 km)
- Chandigarh(2140 | 2150 km)
- Shimla(2240 | 2260 km)
- Kolkata(2200 | 2250 km)
- Bhubaneshwar(1760 | 1740 km)
- Mumbai(610 | 630 km)
- Hyderabad(700 | 690 km)
- Cochin(750 | 710 km)
- Mysuru(590 | 550 km)
- Chennai(930 | 900 km)
- Bangalore(580 | 550 km)
- Rameswaram(1200 | 1060 km)
- Kanyakumari(1250 | 1120 km)
- Delhi(1920 | 1950 km)
How to Reach South Goa:
Road Routes:
Mumbai-Ratnagiri-Malvan-Margao-Cantona(South Goa)-Karwar(halt for the night here)
IMPORTANT NOTE FROM MY EXPERIENCE:
1)Karwar undoubtedly is the best place to halt-Its in Karnataka; it is very close to the Goa border, and hotels are cheap with so-so rooms and decent food-if. But, you are getting to stay at 300-500 INR; what’s the big heck!
2)A day shall be okayish, but you need two days to cover all of south Goa, and yes, it’s time taking, and you’ll be on the beach to relax-not to the marathon!
3)Have a tent and camping essentials so that you can rest all day watching clean beaches and calm seas. Let the drinks join in!
4) There’s a lot of walking uphill and downhill on beaches like Cabo Da Rama or, say, Cola Beach, so you must have some stamina to walk quite a bit and then have some rest. Through forested areas, though!
5)Public transport is limited in south Goa with fixed timings. For remote places like Cola, it’s even less numbered-so plan things accordingly; sometimes, you’ll need to walk for kilometers and trek down beaches because of lack of public transport.
RAIL: Cantona is the nearest railway station where few trains stop; otherwise, Karwar can be the next better stop.
AIR: Goa Dabolim Airport, Panaji is the nearest one-50-60 km is what it takes(2 hrs)
ROAD: Roads are good all over, goa-just a bit of hard luck with local buses. KTCL buses might help in a few places. The Mumbai-Mangalore route also runs through Goa, so it’s easy to be here anytime with frequent bus services.
Map:
Time to Visit:
October ends in February. Even Feb end becomes a tad warm!
Spend Time With:
Friends, Groups, Couple, Family(selected areas)
Food and Lodging:
Hotels are there in Cantona region and a few dispersed over Pallolem-Polem region but, advise you to save bucks and be at Karwar where the so-so accommodation will hardly cost you a grand.No bookings in advance if Karwar is your choice otherwise, better book one using Goibibo or Makemytrip or Yatra websites if peak season is when you be here. Food is a bit of an issue price-wise as most hotels will be on the beach side, and some beaches are barren of facilities. So better get some bread-cookies and snacks and spend your day-add some fruits too in your diet.
Expense:
A 2 day trip to South Goa with a one-night stay at Karwar:
Food: INR 100/person/day(3 times a day)X2
Transport: I will take INR 300 for public transport and INR 500 for Pallolem-dolphin-honeymoon boat rides(as walking is trekking through lost jungles here)-INR 800 in total!
Lodging: INR 700/day X1
Entry Fees include various places (varies): Zero it is!
Total: 2100 INR
Nearby Attractions(Margao | Cancona)
- Gokarna(170 km)
- Jog Falls(260 km)
- Ratnagiri(220 km)
- Aihole(280 km)
- Mahabaleshwar(370 km)
- Udupi(320 km)
- Pune(410 km)
- Wayanad(600 km)
- Coorg(500 km)
- Ooty(720 km)
- Hampi(340 km)
- Mumbai(610 | 630 km)
- Hyderabad(700 | 690 km)
- Mysuru(590 | 550 km)
- Chennai(930 | 900 km)
- Bangalore(580 | 550 km)
- Cochin(750 | 710 km)
