Slice of West Goa, one of India’s smallest states with a territory of 3,702 sq-km is cradled in the Sahayadri range in the Western Ghats. It is bound by the Arabian Sea on the west, Maharashtra to the north and Karnataka to the east and south.

Those who know Goa already must have found this introduction queer. Not because the information is unauthentic, but because, when it comes to Goa hardly a soul cares about geography, topography, ‘any-graphy’! What matters most it one has just one life to live and it should be BEST LIVED! Warm-hearted, uncomplicated, down-to-earth, fun-loving, humble humans people the landscape and lend their very warmth and humility to the nature the aquamarine sea, the golden beaches, the cashew and teak plantations, palm groves.

The Best of Goa

Goa's best cities: Panjim, Mapusa, Margao, Vasco-da-Gama, Old Goa, Ponda, Canacona


Shop till you are high Goa’s best buys are brassware, terracotta, shell work, crochet, carved furniture, bamboo work, papier-mache?
The Wednesday Flea Market at Anjuna, started by and for foreigners, is a swarm of shopaholics, vendors and lip-smacking options like home-made toddy, carvings, beachware, T-shirts, sarongs, chillium, spices and Port wine (a must buy). The Friday Market at Mapusa has everything from curios and old coins to dried fish and spices. For a different flavor go to the markets at Baga and Calagute known for their Kashmiri carpets, Rajasthani and Tibetan handicraft items. Most deluxe hotels and resorts have their in-house shops for tourists, but the price ranges are usually higher due to the extra taxes. Goa’s presence in the designer map owes to the Wendell Rodrique’s boutique at Panaji. Camelot at Ribandar with its stylish home furnishing and Luisa by the Sea, a grand shopping mall, at Cavelossim (South Goa) are modernistic options.

Good news is that, those who love bargaining can apply their skill to their heart’s content and walk away with the best buys.
Gourmet gossip A Goan dining table has four prime items - fish curry, feni and rice. The unmistakable Portuguese flavor is spiced up with influences of the erstwhile Mauryan and the Turk dynasties making Goa a gourmet’s favorite. Being a beach city, coconut products in the recipe comes naturally along with chilli pepper, spices and vinegar. Pork delicacies like vindaloo, xacuti and sorpotel, the egg-based sweet-dish bebinca (a Christmas darling) - are all as exotic as the sound of their names. And when they are cooked in the clay pots, as done in the rural areas, you will be left “bowled”- is the word.

Scrumptious seafood delights at Goa like crabs, prawns, pomfrets, lobsters, ladyfish, mussels, and oysters. More to the list are fresh seafood, dried and salted fish dishes - new flavors to the tourist tongue.

Incase you don't know what Feni is, thank god you are reading this, because it is near to blasphemy. Cashew feni (the popular one) and coconut feni (made from sap of toddy palms) are fermented alcoholic beverages so popular that you begin to correlate its aroma with the very land.


Goa’s real Wilds A replenishing change from the beach-culture is the wildlife reserves of Goa. Dr Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary, home to a legion of local and migratory birds, is at binocular-view distance from Panaji, on the western tip of the island of Chorao along Mandovi River. Bondala Wildlife Sanctuary at 50 km south-east of Panaji in the foothills of the Western Ghats, has a botanical garden, a fenced Deer Park and a zoo. Molem & Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuaries are larger than Bondla, but you will need your own transport to get there.
Reaching Goa: All flights to and from Goa operate from the International-cum-domestic Airport at Dabolim near the port town of Vasco-da-Gama. They have regular train connections to Belgaum, Bangalore, Hubli and Hyderabad and via Miraj to Bombay, Delhi and Agra. Kadamba Transport Corporation. MSRTC and KSRTC operate frequent bus services between Panaji, Vasco da Gama and Margao. Ship services between Bombay and Goa organized by Damania.


Goa's Off the Beaten Track Secrets

• The Indian sub-continents most ancient rocks (3600 million old) are discovered here in Goa. These rocks are found between Molem and Anmod on Goa's border with Karnataka, along the NH-4A, linking Panaji to Belgaum city in Karnataka.
• Some sights not-to-miss are the majestic rock arch at Keri beach at Pernem, the wind blown cliff of Canaguinim Betul, the deep trench known as "choramchim Baim" at Baga (opposite the jesuit retreat home), the tunnel like cavern at Verna, the Limestone caves of Bhimgarh-Krishnapur in Sattari on Karnataka border, the Thumb-shaped rock at Padi Canacona, the meteorite well at Partagal-Canacona, the ancient rock pools of Palolem carved by nature (wind, rain, salt and waves) from 2600 million years old Granite.
• Goa is a land of islands, but what is lesser heard of is that it has more than 40 estuarine, 8 marine and about 90 riverine islands some that don’t even find a mention in any record book.
• The Portuguese had recorded and classified more than 100 medicinal springs in Goa. The remaining ones are Pomburpa, Kesarval, Salmona etc.

So take your time to explore Goa bit by bit, for every bit will have a surprise you least expected.


When to go Goa has visitors all the year round. The weather gets fairly hot around May and by end of June, Goa receives the full blast of the Indian monsoon with sudden downpours and tropical thunderstorms. However it is also during the monsoon that Goa is probably at its most beautiful, with greenery sprouting all around.