Travel: Skip North Goa, Go North Of Goa

In case you are travelling to Goa for some peace and seclusion, it might be difficult to find the same in the touristy parts of the state. Places such as Panaji, Calangute, Anjuna and Vagator are almost as crowded as a Delhi or a Mumbai.

There is data to support the case — in the previous tourist season (November 2022 to February 2023), about 8.1 million tourists arrived in Goa (state government projection). This is five times more than the population of the state (about 1.5 million).

But Goa is big (3,702 square km), and you can always find peace if you wish so.

“In Goa taxis are very expensive and self-riding scooters have a limited radius, so the crowd stays around city centres,” a local tour operator told FE. “That means extreme north, south and east of Goa are relatively empty, with some parts almost devoid of any human activity.”

North of Goa

One such place we recently drove to was the northern most beach of Goa, called the Querim beach, about two hours from Panaji. The car we picked up was Maruti Suzuki Fronx 1.0-litre Boosterjet 6-speed AT. The Fronx is a crossover version of the Baleno, and the Boosterjet AT is its easiest variant to drive. Its fuel efficiency is 20.01 km/litre, and it’s priced from Rs 12.05 lakh to Rs 13.13 lakh (ex-showroom).

Querim, or Keri, is the end of Goa. It stretches for about 2 km (including sand, rocks and trees); the outlet of the Terekhol River is the most striking part of Querim. There is no plastic waste, no hawkers, no water sports here. All you will find is breeze, sand, sea and sun, and very few people.

Beyond Querim lies Maharashtra (call it north of Goa), and that area is literally paradise. In fact, it’s so beautiful that it has a beach called Paradise. But to reach Paradise, you have to drive your car onto a ferry and cross the Terekhol (ticket is Rs 5 for the car and free for pedestrians). Paradise is a straight beach with light-coloured sand. It’s also a relatively empty beach because there is no major city nearby (and tourists who go to Goa typically stay in the state).

Five reasons to explore the unexplored parts of Goa

1. Most drives in your home city traffic or even in Goa traffic can give you some amount of stress. Relaxed driving in the Goan countryside, or any open road, can cleanse that accumulated stress.
2. Travelling is about discovering new places, and it’s also about self-discovery — the secluded parts of Goa give you a chance to do both of these.
3. The environment is clean, very clean — it won’t just cleanse your mind, but also your body.
4. Goa and alcohol is so old-school. While many people go to Goa for partying, do you really want to be many people?
5. Travelling to such secluded places makes a lifetime of memories, which may not be possible getting stuck in Panaji traffic.

Title: Mind blowing Seafood & Chicken Cafreal EP 1 | Sea beaches North Goa