HOME | ABOUT US | CONTACT US | E MAIL | RESERVATION

Discover the World with us...

Beaches In India Beach Resorts In India Beach Holidays In India

Beach Holidays in India

Goa: Colva Beach

About 6 kms from Margao. Colva beach is the pride of Salcete and the only rival to Calangute by its scenic splendour. Here, sand, sea and sky blend in enchanting natural harmony unspoilt by men. Has good accommodation facilities, particularly at the tourist cottages.

It is the pride of Salcete and the only rival to Calangute in scenic splendor. Here sea, sand and sky blend in enchanting natural harmony. Colva is one of the most popular beaches in South Goa.The beach offers good accommodation.

Colva stretches sun-drenched, palm fringed and virtually deserted for kilometers. 20years ago precious little disturbed its soft white sands and warm crystal-clear turquoise their waters, except the local fishers who pulled their catch in by hands each morning, and the few of the more intrepid hippies who had forsaken the obligatory drugs, sex and rock and roll of Calangute for the smoothing tranquility of this corner of paradise.

It is the main evening and weekend day-trip destination for the people of Margao, so it becomes packed with cars, motorbikes, scooters and pedestrians. On the road into Colva from Margao you pass the large Church of Our Lady of Mercy (Nossa Senhora das Merces, 1630, re-built in the 18th century). The statue of Menino Jesus housed here is said to have miraculous properties. Colva is at heart of the longest unbroken stretch of beach (25 kms) in Goa from Mormagao peninsular in the north to Cabo de Rama in the south.

A hot-season retreat for Margao's mediocre classes since long before Independence, Colva is the oldest and largest - of south Goa's resorts. Its leafy outlying vaddos, or wards, are pleasant enough, dotted with colonial lection of concrete hotels, souvenir stalls and fly-blown snack bars strewn around a bleak central roundabout. Colva is pleasant and convenient place to stay, swimming is relatively safe, while the sand, at least away from the beachfront, is spotless and scattered with beautiful shells.

Calangute's heyday as the Mecca of all expatriate hippies has passed. The local people, who used to rent out rooms in their houses for a pittance, have moved on to more profitable things, and Calangute has undergone a metamorphosis to become the centre of Goa's rapidly expanding package-tourist market.

It isn't one of the best Goanese beaches: there are hardly any palms, the sand is contaminated with red soil and the beach drops rapidly into the sea. There is, however, plenty going on, especially if you don't mind playing a minor role in this stage-managed parody of what travelling is meant to be about. Try heading off the beaten track unless you need a bit of R 'n' R to recover from life on the road, or want to mix it with the Simons and Sandras of this world who are visiting India to pep up their winter suntans.

The best time of the year to visit this area is between September and March.

Special Offers on Booking Colva Beach in Goa