Goa Beaches and Water Sports

(Goa, India)

Goa offers visitors a magnificent coastline, which stretches for almost 100 km / 62 miles and remains almost completely unbroken and features many superb sandy beaches The many spectacular beach resorts and beach villages around Goa are without doubt its number one attraction and tourists will find that most of the beaches offer their own unique character and attractions.

Beaches around Goa are suitable for a range of activities, including sunbathing, swimming and bathing, water sports and even partying, with a number featuring open-air parties and raves at night-time. Many of Goa's beaches and resorts are at their most popular between November and March, with a number offering bamboo, palm-thatched beach hut accommodation, with sandy floors and superb coastal views.

Agonda Beach

Agonda Beach is a fairly average resort and located directly north of Palolem. This is a good spot to relax and sunbathe, attracting holiday makers who aren't looking for activities and attractions.

Anjuna Beach

Full of large palm trees and known for its open-air moon parties, Anjuna Beach is a good place for bathing and swimming, offering particularly calm waters due to the rocky headland. Anjuna Beach features fine white sand, basic accommodation and a good nearby flea market, held every Wednesday.

Benaulim Beach

Benaulim Beach is a fairly quiet beach within the Colva Beach area and a popular place to base yourself if you are planning to stay in Goa long term. The sea is usually completely free of jellyfish and suitable for swimming. Nearby are a selection of budget guesthouses, the bustling Margao market, and a number of beachfront restaurants specialising in seafood.

Arambol Beach

Arambol Beach is the most northerly beach within Goa and features a picturesque rocky headland and a rather laid-back atmosphere, with a good selection of music bars, restaurants and cheap lodging suitable for backpackers, with the season often beginning slightly earlier than other nearby beach resorts, such as Anjuna.

Bogmolo Beach

Just 4 km / 2.5 miles to the south of Dabolim Airport, Bogmolo Beach enjoys a sheltered setting with a feeling of being fairly exclusive. Usually uncrowded, many visitors to Goa come to Bogmolo Beach resort for its lively cafe bars, red-brick huts, and scuba diving, with a number of wrecks worth exploring.

Baga Beach

One of the most popular beaches in Goa, Baga Beach is brimming with beach shacks, sunbeds and crowds of sunbathing tourists. Baga Beach is lined with many mid-range hotels and is where many package deals are based.

Calangute Beach

Located next to Baga Beach and one of Goa's leading tourist hotspots, Calangute Beach is home to long, spectacular stretches of sand and crowds of Goa tourists regularly flock here to enjoy the facilities, sand dunes, seafood restaurants, many bars and excellent sunbathing opportunities. Much of Calangute Beach is backed by modern hotel blocks, offering reasonably priced accommodation with good sea views.

Candolim Beach

Candolim Beach lies within the Sinquerim area of North Goa and is a fairly upmarket beach resort, with many package hotels, a group of beach shacks and a number of good eateries. Sinquerim's Taj Holiday Village complex is a definite highlight here.

Cavelossim Beach

An undeveloped and sleek beach resort, Cavelossim Beach boasts a number of five-star hotels and is close to the Varca area. Cavelossim Beach usually remains quite empty and is just a short distance from the Catigo Wildlife Sanctuary.

Chapora Beach

Overlooked by the historic Portuguese Old Fort, Chapora Beach lies to the north of Vagator's headland and approximately 10 km / 6 miles from Mapusa. Remaining fairly busy and known throughout Goa for its fishing industry and boat building, Chapora Beach offers plenty of shopping opportunities, numerous cafes and eateries, and is located next to a river estuary. Anjuna lies nearby and to the south.

Colva Beach

Next to Benaulim Beach and generally quiet for most of the time, Colva Beach is one of the most historic beach resorts in South Goa and features a series of fishing huts, concrete hotels and stalls selling a range of gifts and souvenirs. As night-time approaches, Colva is transformed into the party capital of the South Goa region and is home to many lively nightspots.

Dona Paula Beach

A secluded and appealing bay, Dona Paula Beach offers impressive views of Mormugao Harbour and is around 7 km / 4 miles from the city of Panaji, connected by regular buses. This part of Goa is becoming increasingly popular with tourists, who come here to enjoy its selection of water sports, which include water scooters and speedboats.

Miramar Beach

Miramar Beach is Panaji's very own beach and extremely close to Goa's capital city. Whilst the waters and not considered to be suitable for swimming, the views are excellent and many people gather here each evening to enjoy the sunsets. Other highlights include fine silvery sand, coastal walking trails and good views of the nearby Aguada Fort.

Palolem Beach

Considered to be one of the most idyllic spots in the whole of Goa, Palolem Beach has never been more popular, resulting in many businesses arriving to cater for the demand. North of Patnem Beach, accommodation in Palolem Beach comes in the form of bamboo huts, which line the beachfront and offer the ultimate holiday experience, being backed by large palm trees.

Vagator Beach

Vagator comprises the main areas of sand, all of which are backed by a scenic rocky headland. Very much central to Goa's party scene, Vagator comes alive at night-time, when many European ravers arrive to party and soak up the atmosphere. The main attractions here include Chapora Fort and a number of good restaurants.

Varca Beach

A luxury resort just 2 km / 1.5 miles to the south of Benaulim Beach and close to Mormugao Harbour, this appealing spot is filled with local fishing boats and thatched houses and huts. Although facilities around Varca Beach are fairly basic at best, family houses offer affordable accommodation and are particularly popular here.