North And South Goa Itinerary Ideas

I board the train from Mumbai at night and reached Goa the next day in the morning. Train no. 06084 / NMZ TVC SF SPL. I got down at Karmali railway station in North Goa. From the railway station, I hitchhiked to the main road. From the main road, I walked towards the bus stop. I took a bus to Panjim bus station. From Panjim bus station, I board another bus to reach Candolim. Goa was colonised by the Portuguese for 4 centuries before its liberation in 1961 by the Indian Army. Konkani is the official language of Goa. Local native people are known as “Goans”. Goa has two districts i.e. North and South Goa. Panjim is the HQ of North Goa and Madgaon is the HQ of South Goa.  I stayed in North Goa for around 2 weeks and almost a week in South Goa.

Candolim beach is adjacent to the party beaches of Calangute and Baga beach. I visited Calangute and Baga beach once during the Ganesh Chaturthi Festival to witness the Ganpati Visarjan(Immersion of Lord Ganesha’s Idol in a Sea). It was a really nice experience to patriciate with locals during the festivities. I really enjoyed witnessing sunsets on Candolim beach. It is a relatively less crowded beach as compared to Calangute and Baga beaches. One day, I begin walking from Candolim beach and after passing through the Sinquerim beach, I reached the Sinquerim Fort. From Sinquerim Fort, I kept walking and crossed a mountain/hill to reach the famous Aguada Fort. It was such a beautiful hike. I witnessed the mesmerising sunset from the Sinquerim Fort. It took me an hour or so to reach Aguada Fort from Candolim beach. Aguada Fort is a 17th-century fort built by the Portuguese colonisers. From Aguada Fort, I hitchhiked to reach the Sinquerim. Sinquerim is a quiet area with some nice restaurants. Do visit the “All About Alcohol” Museum located in between Candolim and Sinquerim. The most famous local drink that originated from Goa has to be Feni. It is made from Cashew or Coconut. I totally enjoyed covering this stretch.

On one of the days, I decided to cover this stretch by walking and hitchhiking. From Candolim, I hitchhiked to Nerul bridge. From the bridge, I walked to Coco beach. It is a quaint beach with a lot of fishermen’s boats. From the beach, I took a road and kept walking towards Reis Magos Fort. I passed through the Kegdole beach before reaching the fort. Adjacent to the fort, Reis Magos church is located. It is a beautiful 19th-century church. From the church, I walked to the main road. On the way, I discovered a hidden 17th-century church. If you are into museums, you can visit the Museum of Goa (MOG). It is a contemporary museum around 4 km from Reis Magos.

One can take a ferry (free of charge) from Betim to reach Panjim. The Betim ferry terminal is around 2 km from Reis Magos. At Panjim, I rent a bicycle to explore the Islands of Goa. At Panjim, you can visit the Goa state museum to know about Goa’s history and the Fontainhas neighbourhood. It is a colourful Latin quarter. The neighbourhood reminds me of many Colombian towns I have visited. After renting the bicycle, I ride it to the Ribandar ferry terminal. From the terminal, I took a ferry (free of charge) to Divar Island. There’s also a ferry terminal at Ribandar to reach Chorao Island. I skipped the Island. Chorao Island is famous for its bird sanctuary. I had a great time exploring Divar island by bicycle. It has so many picturesque spots. From Divar Island, I took another ferry to Vanxim Island. A really small island with 2-3 lanes. After getting back to Divar Island, I ride to the ferry terminal of Old Goa. On the way, I made a pit stop at Avinash Restaurant to have a typical Goa Fish Thali. It was the best thali I had in all of Goa. After reaching Old Goa, I visited the famous churches of Old Goa i.e. St. Cajetan Church, Church of St. Francis of Assisi and Se Cathedral. Se Cathedral is a World Heritage Site. Other notable sites in Old Goa are the Archaeological Museum of Goa, the Basilica of Bom Jesus, Carambolim lake etc. From Old Goa, I cycled all the way back to Candolim via Panjim in the rainy season. It was one hell of a ride.

Colva is the most touristic beach in South Goa. There are many resorts in Colva. From Colva beach, I walked to Majorda beach via Sunset beach. It is a beautiful walk. There are rocks to sit and chill at Sunset beach. Really liked their placement. Majorda beach is the quietest beach on this stretch. It took me about 30 minutes to reach Majorda beach from Colva beach.

Alright, hiking to one of the tallest waterfalls i.e. Dudhsagar Falls in India was an exhilarating experience. From Madgaon, I board a bus to Curchorem. From the Curchorem bus station, I took another bus to reach Colem or Kulem. It was an hour or so long journey. There’s a railway station at Kulem and one can take a train from Madgaon railway station to reach Kulem. So from Kulem, there’s a designated path via the forest to reach the Dudhsagar falls but it was closed due to waterlogging. So I decided to take the railway track path. This is not a regular path. Take it at your own risk. At one point, one can enter the forest from the railway track. Hiking into the forest to reach the falls was an amazing experience. I paid 100 INR as an entry fee. It took me around 90 minutes to reach the waterfall. Dudhsagar waterfall has this larger-than-life feel to it given its four-tiered structure. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Do check the train timings of the first and the last train between Kulem and Madgaon and plan your trip accordingly. It is a convenient option as compared to the bus journey.

Many people recommended that I visit Cola or Khola beach but due to time constraints, I didn’t make it. You can plan your day by starting with Cola or Khola beach. The beach is famous for the Cola beach Lagoon. Buses ply to Cola village from Madgaon. After Cola beach, one can explore Kakolem beach. There’s a small waterfall on the beach. Lastly, you can head to Cabo de Rama Fort and Cabo de Rama beach. There are several viewpoints near Cabo de Rama fort. It is a medieval hillfort. Also, Do check out the Shiva waterfall nearby.