Natural Beauty And Makeup Blog: A visit to North Goa- Day 3

26-03-2016

It was Saturday and our last day at Goa as well. Every morning there were soothing sound waves and birds chirping that we used to wake up to. So that day when I woke up too early, I asked my husband to go for a morning walk along the seashore. It was a beautiful experience altogether to walk on barefoot early morning around the sea while humming to the tune of some romantic songs. We walked, we sat, we stared at the vast horizon talking and thinking about our future goals. Though couldn’t watch the sun rise but witnessed the majestic view of the reddish blue sky above us and the ocean. Pure bliss!

A visit to North Goa- Day 3 , Candolim Goa

What are the best places to visit & things to do in North Goa in 3 days:

We started our journey to explore the rest of the nearest places soon after having our breakfast. However, we got confused a little on which place to start with, but after a mini debate, we zeroed in on Chapora Fort (If you remember my earlier post on 2^nd day at Goa, I mentioned that we couldn’t visit Chapora fort that day since we were getting late).

Chapora Fort AKA Dil Chahata Hai Fort:

Do you love trekking? Then this is certainly the place you would enjoy. What? You don’t like trekking?? Fret not; you just need to take a little trek up the hill to the fort which I’m sure you will accomplish in no time.

Chapora Fort

22km away from Panaji and 10 km away from Mapusa, situated is the most famous ancient fort of Goa, Chapora Fort which is popularly known as Dil Chahata Hai Fort among Indians. This old laterite fort was built by Portuguese in 1617 to protect Bardez Taluka from Maratha invaders.

Chapora Fort

Hiking Up...

There is a parking space allotted at the foothill of the fort. We parked our scooter and from there we climbed atop the fort to see what it had in store for us. But alas! Nothing much you get to witness from this historical ruins except irregular, large red laterite stone walls, the heads of the two tunnels that used to provide supply routes for the besieged defenders, a narrow gate to enter the main fort area and a scattering of pre-Portuguese Muslim tombstones.

Main Gate To Enter Inside the Fort

travel blogger Anamika at Chapora Fort, North Goa

Behind me Lush Greenery...

It took almost 40 minutes to reach Chapora Fort from Candolim, so it was around 10.30 am when we actually arrived at the fort. The fort is surrounded by steep slopes, weeded bushes and to climb up that rocky uneven surface is a daunting task. Day-time trekking in a hot summer is absolute NO! No! What we felt the best time would be definitely either early morning or before sunset.

Chapora Fort, North Goa

Chapora Fort, North Goa

There is neither any food stall nor any other basic amenities available inside the fort. So, you better be prepared with some refreshments and water before hiking up this fort and of course, wear your comfortable shoes only while trekking.

Breathtaking View From the Top of Chapora Fort

The spectacular scenic view of Chapora, Vagator and Anjuna beach from the top of this fort is the actual reward you get after a strenuous hiking up this fort. And since this is the spot where my favourite actor Amir Khan acted for his most famous film Dil Chahata Hai, no doubt this fort holds a special place in my heart. Seriously, we noticed all the youngsters who came with their best buddies were replicating those ‘Dil Chahata Hai’ poses :D

Spectacular View From Chapora Fort

Chapora Fort

A must-visit place for all the shutterbugs as well as best for watching the sunset with your best companions. Be extra cautious while descending the fort as a little negligence might ruin this entire endeavour!!

Anjuna Beach:

Adjacent to Chapora is located the Anjuna Beach, so we decided to visit it. It took around 16 minutes from Chapora Fort, a scenic drive through the road & we arrived at the beach.

Anjuna Beach

Anjuna, popularly known as Hippies Den, is in the north of Baga and Calangute and is south of Chapora & Vagator Beach. It is a paradise for the nature lovers and water sports enthusiasts. The captivating scenic beauty, soft white sand, crystal clear marine water, wild nightlife parties make it a hedonistic destination of Goa.

Anjuna Beach: Crystal clear blue water

Anjuna Beach

Unlike other beaches, it has clear blue water which I felt perfect for sea bath, though the waves are extremely wild here! I wanted to get drenched there but resisted my urge of doing so seeing high tides. Still I noticed few tourists were actually taking bathe while other people were relaxing under beach umbrellas.

Anjuna Beach, North Goa

We thought to take a break and entered into a beach shack. Pardon me for not remembering the name of this shack but it was a very beautiful shack overlooking the sea. It is a semi-open aired with palm leaves hut designed shack. We helped ourselves with some fruit juices and burgers there. The view from this shack truly amused me.

Selfie in a Beach shack :P

View from the Shack

There are few local stalls selling trinkets and handicrafts on the seashore. Anjuna is also famous for its Flea Market which comes alive on every Wednesday. The other attractive places to see at Anjuna are Mascarenhas Mansion, Albuquerque Mansion, The Acid House Party or The Full Moon parties that happen during Christmas and New Year.

Anjuna Beach, North Goa

Local stalls at Anjuna Beach

For the adventure junkies, there are windsurfing, snorkelling, scuba diving, Paragliding, Parasailing, and Bungee jumping.

Baga Beach:

When we ask our friends about the best north Goa beaches, the top reply that comes is Baga! It is one of the most popular beaches in Goa, no one should miss this. But why this beach is so famous, let’s find out.

Baga Beach

16kms straight from Panaji, the Baga beach is located and is also sandwiched between Anjuna beach (north of Baga) and Calangute beach (south of Baga). It is a perfect beach to spend some quality time with your family or friends. Baga beach is also famous for salty baths amongst tourists.

Baga Beach, North Goa

When we entered into this beach, it was bustling with crowds. Some were taking sunbathe, some chose to take a dip into the clean water, few were busy in water sports and we chose to do what we are best at i.e. photography. Who wants to miss capturing that surreal beauty! I must admit, each beach has its own unique charm, one just need to open his eyes and embrace the natural beauty.

Soft Sand...Clean water

My husband jumped into joy when he noticed his favourite buddies (dogs) were playing along the seashore. The coastal guards were active and alert, alarming the tourists about the risk zones while swimming. The sand of this beach is so white and soft to touch! I actually enjoyed here most walking on barefoot.

Baga Beach, North Goa

Baga has plenty of water sports to gratify your crave for adrenaline-rush, which includes parasailing, wind surfing, wake boarding, jet skiing, kite surfing, banana ride and dolphin cruises. Like Anjuna flea market, Baga has also a Saturday night flea market where under the open night sky the shops sell various kinds of goodies, trinkets, handicrafts, clothes etc.

Baga Beach, North Goa

There are loads of beach shacks, good restaurants located inside and outside the beach.Walking barefoot was not an easy task there because the vast beach was filled with broken beer bottles, mineral bottles, sandals, clothes and what not!

UPDATE 2020: To read the latest travel guides, tips and hotel reviews, kindly visit our new website Everything Enchanting. Check out our YouTube channel (ana everythingenchanting) as well 😊

Calangute Beach:

After Baga and Anjuna , one of the most hyped beaches in North Goa is Calangute beach. Discovered by hippies in the 60’s, this is the largest beach in North Goa and is renowned as ‘Queen of beaches’. It is in the middle of Candolim and Baga beach and is surrounded by numerous palm trees, beach shacks, little stalls, white sands and pristine atmosphere.

Calangute Beach ( Painted one )

At the time of our visit, we found that this beach was less crowded than Baga, but was vibrant and lively.Calangute beach has its own positive and refreshing vibe which always charms beach bums and that is why it’s also a tourist haven.

Calangute Beach

For the adventure enthusiasts, it offers various activities like wind surfing, snorkelling, parasailing, waterskiing among others. Sightseeing includes dolphin and crocodile spotting, visiting the island for fishing/angling, shopping in the showrooms located on the main road where you will find exquisite handicrafts.

Calangute Beach

Calangute Beach, North Goa

After spending some time, we moved towards our destination beach which was Candolim. So what, if we missed watching the sunset from Chapora fort, the view from Candolim beach itself was more than enough to us! To watch the golden sun setting down the vast ocean, to witness the mesmerizing beauty of nature was a treat to the eyes. It felt like the almighty has left this beach to solitude.

Mesmerizing view of sun-kissed evening

Different Phases...

Sharp at 8 o’clock, we headed straight to Mapusa, exactly from where we had to onboard the Neeta Travel Bus to Pune. With a heavy heart and a bundle full of fond memories we bade adieu to Goa, wished to visit again.