Goa (Konkani: गोंय / Gõy, Marathi: गोवा / gova), a state on India's west coast, is a former Portuguese colony with a rich history. Spread over 3,700 km² with a population of approximately 1.4 million, Goa is small by Indian standards. It has a unique mix of Indian and Portuguese cultures and architecture that attracts an estimated 2.5 million visitors each year (including about 400,000 foreign tourists). This has given the state a nickname, 'The Party State'. Goa is blessed with waterfalls (Dudhsagar, Amboli, Mangeli, Dodamarg) and ghats.
Photos: Wikimedia Commons contributors.
Goa was a colony of Portugal from 1510 to 1961, when the Indian army was sent in to take control in Operation Vijay. This annexation is referred to as the Liberation of Goa in India, and the Invasion of Goa in Portugal. Goa's heart is in its villages. Prominent Goan architect Gerard Da Cunha has argued elsewhere that, unlike others, Goans don't live in the cities. They mostly live in the villages and they travel to work. Not surprisingly, it's the villages of Goa which hold both charm and character. Living in Goa can be tough and slow, but holidaying there is just fine.
High resolution maps are not available for Goa. For example, some popular isles are not shown in many maps. Parts of Goa lack sign boards, so finding your way around could be challenging. When in doubt just ask; usually people are friendly and helpful, but don't expect accurate answers (a so-called 'five-minute drive' could take twenty minutes). When driving, expect surprises like domestic animals and little children darting across the road, unmarked speed breakers and speed bumps. Uber and Ola and other ride sharing services with 4 wheelers are banned in Goa. There is a choice of manual and automatic gearbox motorbikes and scooters to be rented (typically without helmets).
Goa has more than its fair share of museums, art galleries and libraries. You will find many government run museums in Panaji, including the Goa State museum, the Kala Academy, the Central Library and the Goa Science Centre. In Vasco da Gama, you can find the Naval Aviation Museum, a great place to see vintage aircraft. Old Goa is a great place to see examples of Christian religious art, and sometimes, secular art. There you can find the Christian Art Museum and also a modern art gallery containing the works of surrealist Dom Martin. In Mormugao, you can find the Religious Museum of the Blessed Joseph Vaz.
Carnival. Held in mid-February, just before Lent, the four-day event features lively processions, floats, the strumming of guitars, graceful dances and non-stop festivity. Diving — the season is between mid-October to mid-May. Diving is not possible during the monsoons in India (June till mid-October). The water temperature is 27-30⁰ C. The local diving consists of dive sites around Grande Island, just off the coast near Vasco da Gama. The dive sites are mostly 12-16 m deep, and visibility varies through the season with an average of around 5-6 m. Marine life is abundant, with many species of reef fish, hard and soft coral, and several shipwrecks to dive.
The Goan staple diet consists of rice and fish curry, along with pickles and fried fish. This can be found on many of the beach shacks. The Goan cuisine is a blend of Portuguese and local flavours. Many dishes such as prawn balchao and kingfish in garlic have distinct Portuguese flavour. The cuisine is mostly seafood based, the staple foods are rice and fish. Kingfish (vison or visvan) is the most common delicacy, others include pomfret, shark, tuna, and mackerel.
For a destination which tends to be costlier -- in almost everything -- than the rest of India, Goa has liquors and wines that are priced noticeably low. Products available range from wine (red and white), to the oddly-named Indian-made foreign liquors (IMFLs, which include whisky, brandy, rum, gin, vodka and more), and local liquors (basically cashew and coconut feni). Prices of domestic products range from ₹40 to ₹350 per bottle. There are two local brews long made and drunk in Goa: cashew feni and coconut feni. One comes from the cashew apple, and the other from the sap of the coconut tree. Feni-brewing skills have been honed by Goa's former Portuguese rulers.
Be careful when wading at the beach as undertow riptide currents can be strong in certain beaches. Avoid the mouths of all rivers (such as the Mandovi River at Miramar), especially at low tide when the flow of the water current out to sea is the strongest. And just don't get into the water at all in the off season. The safe swimming period in Goa is November to early May. Avoid contact with unprocessed cashew nuts as they contain an irritant ('urusiol') also present in poison ivy. The cashew apple is edible when ripe. Goans are very friendly and helpful. If you meet a driver you like, get their contact information and book them for subsequent trips.
Guide content from Wikivoyage contributors (CC BY-SA) — abridged; the full article has much more.
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In Jul, Goa typically sees ~27°C daytime highs and 31 rainy days.
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