Areas in North Goa

North Goa - The area from the Maharashtra border to the Mandovi River is the North Goa province. In this lie the beaches of, starting from the northern end, Terekhol/Keri, Arambol, Mandrem, Morjim, Vagator, Anjuna, Baga, Calangute, Candolim, and Sinquerim. The main town/city here is Mapusa, followed by Calangute. The latter has seen rapid development and has been catapulted from a fishing village to a small, but extremely busy, town. In addition, there are the many inland villages.

The most developed beaches here are on the crescent-shaped stretch from Sinquerin to Baga. This area is choc-a-bloc full of restaurant, lounge bars, shops of all sizes and colour, markets, and more.

Though there are 5-star hotels such as Taj Fort Aguada Beach Resort and Taj Holiday Village, the area also offers many less expansive places although these too, are getting harder to find a room in during the season.

But if you like your beach quiet and less developed, you should head northwards from Anjuma where is still possible to glimpse Goa as it used to be. Accommodation here ranges from bamboo on stilts and small family run guest houses.

Mapusa is the traditional market place for the entire North Goa and even for the far-north Sawantwadi in southern Maharashtra. Every Friday, the already busy Mapusa town becomes even busier with sellers of home-grown produce like vegetables, fruits, and plant saplings (for every Goan is a keen gardener). Then there are carpenters with hand-made furniture like book racks, chairs, tables, etc. Flowers and bread have their own sections and are a delight to see. It also gets the best fish, making it livelier still. Haing become a popular tourist destination. Mapusa sees many lamani (gypsy) selling jewllery, colourful saronge, bags - in short all the Goa fare.

Corjuem, the main island of Bardez district, is now joined to the mainland Aldona village by a space-age bridge. The bridge, suspended by humongous cables, spans the narrow Mapusa river (a Mandovi tributary), Corjuem is a hilly island, with an old fort and some interesting ruins, famous now also for a beautiful little guest house - Panchavatti, created by Loulou, a Belgain whose association to Goa and India goes way back to her birth.