The holiday hub of the country, Goa is divided into two districts: North Goa with the headquarter, Panjim and South Goa with the headquarter at Margao.
South Goa is the southern part of Goa, with the stretch of white sand and rolling waves of the Arabian sea. The top 5 beaches in South Goa are aligned in rows of tall coconut and palm trees, giving a perfect landscape forming an incredible view of the combination of white sand, blue sky, and green tall trees.
The South Goa beaches are the cleanest and least crowded compared to North Goa beaches. Most of the beaches have arrangements of shacks with great eateries, serving authentic Goan dishes and western food.
There are many hidden and famous beaches in South Goa. I am going to share the best of all, Below is the list of the top 5 beaches in South Goa.
What are the Best Beaches in South Goa?
Varca Beach
Varca Beach is a famous and beautiful beach in South Goa. The beach is around 2 kilometers from Benaulim beach. The beach is famous among the couples who came for their honeymoon in Goa as it is not at all crowded and gives enough privacy.
The beach is clean with white sand and is an amazing place to relax and watch the seashore peacefully.
The vast greenery of trees and vegetation adds to the beauty of the beach.
This natural magnificence is around in a 12-kilometer stretch, the seawater is calm and blue mixing with white sand forming a fascinating view. You will find the black-colored rocks in between the sea on the sides of the beach and the greenery complementing the scene. If you are interested you can take a boat ride from Varca Beach to the mid of the sea to watch the Dolphins.
You can come here for a relaxing vacation to spend time with yourself. In addition, you can come here with your next of kin on a special date. There are a lot of beaches in line giving the same flavor as Benaulim beach, Colva Beach.
There are many shacks available on the coastline of Varca Beach, you can drink, enjoy the authentic Goan cuisines. You will also get the luxury resorts, hotels, and private villas around the Varca like Club Mahindra, Caravela Beach Resort, etc.
There are options for water sports activities like Water Skiing, Jet Skiing, Windsurfing, Banana Boat riding, etc. You can enjoy all these activities here.
What are the places to eat on Varca Beach?
Misha Beach Shack: This is a small shack, but is an amazing choice in terms of delicious food. They have a lot of varieties of seafood, Goan cuisine, prawns, and crab. This is like a hidden gem in Varca beach. I am
Farm House Bar & Bistro: This is an open-air restaurant with a beautiful view of the Arabian sea just in front. You can choose the fish for yourself and they will cook for you.
Caravela: This is inside the luxurious Resort Ramada. They serve the best food and are only open on the night for dinner.
Serene Varca Beach, South Goa |
Benaulim Beach
Benaulim beach is one of the most charming beaches in Goa, located around 41 kilometers from Panjim city. This evergreen beach is full of greenery as much as it has an Arabian sea shoreline.
Benaulim beach is known as the fishing beach as the fishing trawlers are all over the beach. This clean beach with white sand is almost hidden from the crowd, unlike the northern beaches. The weather is tropical, the same as the rest of Goa. Summer is hot, winter is pleasant and heavy monsoons.
You will find yourself in a peaceful, relaxed, and calm between nature on this captivating beach. You can spend a smoothing and rejuvenating holiday here, away from the noise and crowd.
There is also Hindu mythology about this beach, an arrow, which was shot by Lord Vishnu was landed here, and the original name of the beach was Banavli, which means arrow. Later the name was changed by the Portuguese to Benaulim.
During the weekends, especially nights, the beach gets crowded. People come here to witness an incredible sunset and spend a memorable evening with loved ones and friends.
What are the restaurants and Shacks in Benaulim Beach?
Lobster Shack: This shack is actually a part of Taj Exotica and is very famous for seafood. The serving and the ambiance of the restaurant are outstanding. You need to enter inside the Taj Exotica Resort to reach here. You will have an amazing experience here. Although the restaurant is a bit costly, still it's worth it.
Popeye's Corner: You will get delicious and flavorful North Indian and Chinese cuisine here, but the ambiance is not so good. It looks like a roadside fast food center. But the dishes are really mouthwatering and worth trying and also the rates are reasonable.
How is the Nightlife in Benaulim Beach?
The nights in Benaulim are pretty exciting, there are plenty of things to do, be it hookah, mocktails, cocktails, hard drinks, live performances, or good music.
Pedro's Benaulim: An amazing place with great ambiance and delicious food. The staff is attentive and cheerful. There is an open dance floor and live performances every Saturday. The margaritas here are just wonderful.
The Red Ginger: As the name Red Ginger, the interior of the restaurant is decorated with warm red and fancy designs. The Red Ginger is situated just in the center of Colva. They serve delectable sushi in South Goa.
Shopping at Benaulim Beach
Yes, you can do shopping also here at Benaulim Beach. Shopping of Jewelry made of seashells, hippie style dresses, home decor, fridge magnets, etc. The prices are very reasonable after asking for discounts.
Fisherman's with their Boats in Benaulim Beach, South Goa |
Palolem Beach
Palolem Beach is one of the most gorgeous beaches of south Goa and is especially famous among foreigners. The beach is around 40 minutes drive from Margao. The beach is naturally stunning with rocks covered by the tall trees on one end of the beach, embracing the view of Palolem beach. Palolem is less crowded and is one of the best beaches among couples.
The beach looks semi-circular and is only a mile long. There are many shacks and restaurant options around the beach. This small beach offers natural attractiveness along with the party vibes after evening.
There are numerous water sports activities available on this beach, so if you are interested you can opt for that, or else if you don't like water activities, you can book one of the shacks and enjoy. The shacks in the Palolem are quite luxurious and satisfactory. You can just sit and watch the magnificent natural scene along the shoreline of the beautiful Arabian sea.
What are the water sports activities on Palolem Beach?
Paddling: Paddling is a very common activity on Palolem beach. If you know how to paddle a boat, then you can take part in this water activity. There will be professional helpers to help and take care of.
Paragliding: Another fun activity option available here for adults is Paragliding. To experience an amazing view of Palolem and around the beach, you can go paragliding. For safety purposes, they will provide a parachute and a professionally trained helper.
Water Scooter: Another famous water activity here is water scooter, almost the same as kayaking, as you will glide through the water without paddling as there will be a motor engine for that.
What are the Clubs and Restaurants near Palolem Beach?
Silent Noise Disco: Out of all of the attractions, Silent Noise Disco is the most famous one, which is just a few steps away from Palolem beach. The club is very famous for the headphone parties for adults. There are different colors assigned to each station so that your friends would know what music are you on. The charges are between 800 to 1000 INR per person. This would be a different experience than a normal club, that you must try.
The Olive Room: This is a modern-style restaurant that offers pizzas. Actually, this is a renowned pizza restaurant. They serve veg, non-veg, and seafood as well. The Olive Room is open from 11 AM to 11 PM.
Havana, Cuba Bar: This is a beachfront seafood restaurant, just in front of Palolem beach. They also offer amazing options of Goan, North Indian, as well as international cuisines. You can enjoy your time here with loud music, good food, and the stunning scene in front of you.
Cafe Del Mar: This cafe is just at the center of Palolem beach. With the beachfront view, you can have delicious seafood, prawns, and Goan dishes.
Capturing the beautiful sunset in Palolem Beach, South Goa |
Agonda Beach
This universal beach is an ideal beach for people looking for relaxing, sunbathe, swim, and spend time with their friends & family. The Agonda beach is best for couples, they will enjoy some privacy on this beach. The beautiful white sand with colorful shacks gives an amazing vibe on this beach. The cool breeze from the sea and bright Sun offer the perfect habitat to spend your time on Agonda beach.
Agonda beach is famous for turtle nesting hundreds of Olive Ridley Turtles lay eggs between November and April.
The rolling waves of the Arabian sea touching the sand of the shore passionately, surrounded by the lush greenery of tall palm and coconut trees are the most captivating scene to oversee.
Agonda beach is one of the cleanest beaches of Goa, less crowded and very clean. This is the best beach to relax in peace, watching the waves coming towards you. There are black-colored big rocks on the sides of the beach in one corner. In the early mornings, dolphins come to the rocks. If you wish to witness these amazing creatures, you may try to reach there early morning.
There are plenty of cozy shacks just in front of the seashore, serving a variety of cuisines. They supply the umbrella and the beach bed if you want to take it. Other than relaxing you can go for water sport activities. If you are interested, professional trainers are available to train you like surfing and jet skiing.
The nights in Agonda Beach are also pretty good and amazing. All shacks will switch on the colorful decorated lights, play good music along the shoreline of the beach. This is an incredible experience to have.
What are the Activities to do at Agonda Beach?
Surfing: If you know surfing, the Agonda beach shows the perfect waves to enjoy surfing. You can try surfing here.
Kayaking: You can enjoy kayaking in the seawater of Agonda beach. You can paddle on your own in the kayaking to the surroundings and explore.
Banana ride: You can also try the banana ride, on a giant banana boat tied to the motorboat. This is really fun water activity. You will surely enjoy this one.
Cruise: You can also opt for a cruise ride to have an amazing view of the beach. The cruise goes slowly away from the beach, till the middle of the sea, from where you will be able to see the stunning view of sunset on one side and on the other side, white beach creating the scenic beauty with tall coconut and palm trees.
What are the places to eat on Agonda Beach?
Sea Breeze: This is an amazing shack, bright in color, serves good and delicious food. They have good varieties of Asian and Goan dishes.
Mandala Cafe: The cafe is good serving all types of authentic cuisines, local as well as international, and that too at a very reasonable expense. You will have a pleasurable meal here with good staff.
Duck and Chill Restaurant and Beach Hut: The restaurant itself gives the Goan vibe. They serve good varieties of seafood, Indian and International cuisines.
Blissful morning in Agonda Beach, South Goa |
Colva Beach
Colva beach is the oldest and the most popular beach among the Indians. The Beach is 6 kilometers from Margao. This vacation spot for visitors stretches for almost 2.5 kilometers. The sand is white and the water is clear, is an amazing and perfect spot to relax and sunbathe.
The awesome blue waves of the sea and a gorgeous sunset is the reason tourists from all over comes to this beach. In fact, the Colva beach was the prime vacation spot for the Britishers and Portuguese. You will find the huts and hotels old-style here around the beach. These are from that time.
This beach is quite famous among the rich folk of society. They choose this beach to buy homes or villas in beachside, Goa.
The coconut tree plantation is stretched from Bogmalo to Cabo de Rama Fort. You can plan to come here for a relaxing and rejuvenating holiday in solitude. The beach, tall trees, and the breeze are just perfect for quality time here.
There are also many options for water sports activities if you want, you can opt for that also.
The Colva beach has a number of cafes and shacks to try.
What are the places to eat on Colva Beach?
The Madras Cafe: Famous for the European dishes and amazing cocktails, this cafe is nearby Our Ladu Marry Church. They have a delicious and a special Goa flavor in their dishes.
Leda Balcao: They serve amazing seafood with special style finger food items. You can try pineapple salsa and prawns here.
Shacks at Colva Beach, South Goa |
I hope this helps you in planning your next trip to South Goa. Let us know if you need any help.
Thank you for Reading!
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