Calangute beach is definitely one of the most frequented
beaches in Goa and people from across the country head here. You are sure to
rub shoulders with a Kanyakumari fisherman, smile at a Ladhaki monk or even
click a photo for a Mumbai dweller. There is also no dearth for foreign
travelers and locals on the most famous beach of Goa. There are numerous water
sports activities and beach shacks on the beach to keep the visitors busy. The
road that leads to the beach from the Calangute- Baga road is filled with
numerous eateries and shops. From where the road ends it is a nice little walk
over the brown sands to reach the tides. It can get quite hot and humid during
the day and the blazing sun is not going to help either. It is best advised to
visit Calangute beach in the morning or evening.
It is a beach destination with one of the most beautiful
beaches of Goa. When we were in search of a place to stay at Goa, someone
suggested that Calangute will be the apt one due to its proximity to lot of
good places around.
Calangute is a town on the northern coast of Goa.
Calangute is well connected to other parts of Goa by road, and the roads are in
fairly good condition.
One look at the beach and suddenly we could feel that this
one can give Baga Beach, a stiff competition in terms of beauty. The Golden
sand and the magnanimous space being its USP.
There are lot of beach side eateries too, which provide the
tourists with an opportunity to dine near the beach side.
For me, beaches in Goa are second to none! Honestly. I feel
I am in a totally different place with the sea trying to push me towards itself
and the sand protecting me by covering itself all over my feet. This push and
pull mechanism is so perfectly done that you are forced to believe God's
presence. I think this is how God wanted us to live on his Earth. We made
living a struggle.
Calangute beach is also called the 'Queen of Beaches'
because the beauty you find here cannot be found elsewhere.
November to February is the most pleasant time to visit the
Goa Calangute beach.
Calangute beach often remain crowded with its visitors
performing various kinds of activities, such as children making castles from
sand, colorful crowd surging toward sea, where old and young alike love to laze
on golden sands. This canvas of one perfect tourist haven gets complete by
stalls and shacks under shades of several palm trees offering everything from
beer and fried prawns to trinkets, which they built from seashells.
It is amongst the most popular beaches of Goa and its
capacity is large enough to accommodate the huge numbers of high-season
visitors.
The life guards occasionally roams around the beach in there
jeeps. How many precious lives would have been saved by these fellows risking
there own life.
Calangute beach seems to be a distortion of the local
vernacular word-'Koli-gutti', which means land of fishermen. Some people
connect it with Kalyangutti (village of art) or Konvallo-ghott (strong pit of
the coconut tree) because the village is full of coconut trees.
Calangute beach is considered as one of the best beaches in
Goa, filled with small gravel and cool waves, this lengthy beach attracts
young, old, couples, kids alike. We spend a lot of time here, sometimes just
standing on the shores; sometimes watching others; sometimes experiencing the
gravels getting removed from the bottom of legs along with the arrival of each
wave.
Beautiful sunset at Calangute beach
Calangute's nightlife is surprisingly tame and provides a
nice break from the wild parties at Anjuna. All but a handful of the bars wind
up by 10.00 pm. One notable exception is Tito's at the Baga end of the beach,
which stays open until after midnight in the off-season and into the small
hours of the morning in late December and January.
How to Reach
This beach is a mere thirty minutes bus ride up the coast
from the capital, Panaji and is about ten minutes from Mapusa. There are
frequent buses to Panaji and Mapusa from Calangute. Most buses from Panaji
terminate at Calangute and a few trudge further on up to Baga. Mapusa is 8 km
away from Calangute.
The nearest airport is at Dabolim, which is 29 km away from
Panaji. The nearest railway station is at Karmali 11 km away from Panaji.
Panaji is just half an hour's drive away from Calangute. Private transportation
facilities - deluxe, semi-deluxe and ordinary - are also available offering a
smooth and hassle free vacations in Goa.
By train
The nearest railway station is at Thivim, and taxi from
there takes about 20 minutes . Other railway stations are at Margao and Vasco.
By bus
Frequent state buses go to and from other parts of Goa, but
if you're traveling a longer distance, you need to change buses (for example,
from the airport you should need three buses to get to Calangute). A bus from
Panaji costs depending on the route the bus takes.
By taxi
Prepaid taxi from the outside counter on the airport , while
discussing the price directly with the driver should result into cheaper price.
Get around
Calangute is a quite small area, and you can easily walk
your way through it. Two-wheelers and cars are naturally available for hire,
and getting a taxi or an auto rickshaw is easy.
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