India is a many – splendored land but a few of its corners are more favoured than Goa. With a 105km coastline embracing many of the finest beaches India can offer, a wealth of accommodation from international luxury resorts to budget – side guest house, a cultural background (and mouth- watering local cuisine) that drawn on an enchanting fusion of Indian and Portuguese traditions, and a warm, relaxed and generous welcome, Goa has got all it takes to entice and enthral and holiday- maker.

SUN, SAND, SURF and SOCEGADO
Cocooned within its natural boundaries, the azure expanse of the Arabian Sea upon the one hand, the leafy foothills of the western Ghats upon the other. Goa is scarcely to be rivalled as a holiday destination. It is not just a matter of glorious beaches, for the beyond the beaches you will find historic cities and picturesque villages, wildlife parks and bird sanctuaries, and the cultural heritage (and mouth- watering local cuisine) that takes as its inspiration an enchanting blend of Indian and Portuguese traditions.

Goa has drawn travellers for thousands of years although, until recently they had business not pleasure on their agenda! The earliest were seafarers, possibly Phoenicians. Though now lost in the mists of Time, they were undoubtly drawn by the riches of Goa’s spices- pepper, ginger, cardamom and saffron – and the notable advantage of one of the finest harbours on India’s western flank.

SMALL BUT PERFECTLY FORMED
Although the smallest of India’s many states, Goa is rich in attractions and history, a sublime combination of nature and terrain, climate and geography. Visitors prefer to travel to Goa by train from Mumbai, most fly in, allowing them a bird’s eye view of the forested Western Ghats, followed by contoured terraces, verdant paddy fields, white-washed churches, deeply shaded groves of coconut palms and finally the Arabian Sea, fringed with an idyllic necklace of enticing beaches.

A network of roads thread deep into the countryside and no destination is more than a few hours’ drive from the Capital, Panaji. More adventurous souls may forsake the road for village tracks, take the metre gauge railway or even board a large motorized canoe fashioned from a mango wood and lashes together with a coir, and go chugging up the rivers into the interior.

In Goa, Small is truly beautiful.

BEACHES GALORE

Goa’s beaches are its crowning glory. In reality the coastline is one long, palm-fringed delight – the powdery sands – usually silver, occasionally dusted golden – only interrupted from time to time by inlets, estuaries or headlands. Whether secluded and peaceful or broad and lively, they exist for all to enjoy for none are private.

The most popular stretch of beaches in North Goa is the triumvirate of Sinquerim (Aguada Beach) Calangute and Baga forming a graceful arc extending for 7 kms. The road that snakes behind the beaches contains hundreds of hotels, restaurants, shops selling souvenirs and travel agencies, making the stretch the best developed infrastructurally. North of this side is Anjuna, guarded on either of its side of its length by a rocky promontory. Further north are the much quieter beaches of Vagator and Chapora.

7kms from Panaji is the beach of Dona Paula overlooking Marmagoa Harbor. This is where water scooters and motor boats are available on hire.

In the South, a 25km span of beach extends from Velsao through Uttorda, Majorda, Colva, Benaulim, Fartrade to Cavellosim. Much quieter than the North Goa Beaches, Cavellosim has a sprinkling of first class and luxury resorts along it. All the other beaches have private homes which rent out rooms, and simple restaurants. Palolem in the extreme South near Goa’s border with Karnataka is considered to be the best beach with a backdrop of the Western Ghats, their thickly-wooded hills offering trekking trails.

THE EXHILARATION OF THE SEA

If lazing on the beach is not your idea of a good time and you crave the excitement of action, Goa is the perfect place for you. The sea holds out immense promise of stimulating the adventurer in you. Water sports available vary from passive to the highly active. You can begin your trip with an exhilarating water-scooter ride.

For the slightly more adventurous, there is the sheer thrill of windsurfing, a sport known locally as body breaking! There you are, alone on a board with a single sail, in full command of your craft, flying, along in front of a brisk land breeze.

Gliding along in the air, you can look down on the beaches, the sea, and all the lesser mortals who merely walk on the Earth below. If you choose, you can also go diving, snorkelling or even scuba diving with harpoon guns in pursuit of your own fish.

THE MONSOON – MAGIC MONTHS

To invoke an old saying, In Goa is never rains but pours. The majestic onslaught of the monsoons on this coastal region begins in June and continues for three months. If you ask the locals, many will tell you that this is the best time to visit Goa, when it is at its loveliest. Most visitors would endorse that, for Goa in the monsoons is a truly impressive sight.

The monsoon clouds sweeping in from the sea make a spectacular of sheer grandeur, one which many visitors miss out on. And with this arrival, the hours waft into wonderful, lazy, rain-soaked days. Sit out on a veranda and watch the world at a standstill. Meditate on the simple pleasures of a holidays in this unforgettable land. Toss down a fenny or two and make plans for the next break in the weather. The sea, angry and active, puts on a grand show for this occasion. Entire slopes of hillsides turn a luxuriant green as the trees greet the storm clouds and the undergrowth grows rapidly. The rivers, swollen with rainwater, flow with a renewed gusto which typifies the mood prevalent at the time. And peace reigns unchallenged in this idyllic land.

THE FISH, THE FOOD AND FEASTING

Among the many mantles that Goa dons, one of the most distinctive is that of a gourmet’s paradise. The coastline is a rich trove of seafood. Delectable prawns, oysters, lobsters, crabs, squid, mussels, pomfret – the specialities abound. Each imbued with the inimitable flavours of Goan cooking – the inspired use of spices, the snap of chillies, and a truly formidable variety of curries.

These flavours lend themselves to the exotic meat and chicken dishes of the land. The tingling vindaloo, the cutting sorpotel, the unique chicken cafrial, and xacuti, and the succulent goan sausages.

For vegetarians, there is the delicious Konkani cuisine, as well as a multitude of South Indian restaurant that dot the towns of Goa.