What attracts tourists to Vagator Beach in North Goa

Vagator (Goa) is a pretty resort village in the northern part of Goa, near the villages of Anjuna and Chapora. This resort is only 22 km from the capital of Goa, Panaji, and 9 km from Mapusa.

When hippies rushed to the beaches of Goa in the 1960s and 70s, Vahor became one of the places where they liked to gather most of all. Round-the-clock “parties” and parties in the open air, accompanied by loud psychedelic music, spread to nearby villages. Then the authorities banned the inclusion of loud music after 22:00, but the police struggled with violations for a long time. Over time, the order was still restored, and now in Vagator it is strictly observed.

Advice! Almost all local places where you can have fun close at 22:00. If you want to continue to have fun with tunes in the style of trance-goa, you can visit the clubs Hilltop, Disco Valley, Nine Bar. All of them have successfully solved the problem of sound insulation and work after 22:00.

In 2014, a night market appeared in Vagator. All the time the tourist season lasts, on Fridays live music sounds on the top of the hill, merchants gather with a wide variety of goods. The huge advantage of this market is that you can park nearby without any problems - there are a lot of places. But, unlike other well-known markets in Goa, it is not so crowded and there is no such bewitching colorful atmosphere.

Most tourists from Europe and Israel come to rest in Vagator, although there is no large influx of vacationers. One of the reasons is not too developed tourism infrastructure, its level is not as high as in other resorts of Goa. Nevertheless, for a good rest there is everything you need: comfortable hotels, budget guesthouses, restaurants, shops, supermarkets and even attractions. But the main thing for which tourists go and Vagator to Goa is the beach. The most comfortable weather for a beach holiday in this resort from November to March is the high season.

Advice! For a tourist trip, it is advantageous to issue an international Drimsim travel SIM card. For $ 11, you can use the Internet and mobile communications throughout your stay in Goa or any other state of India.

Vagator Beach

The beach located in the bay is conditionally divided into 3 sections: Big Vagator, Small Vagator and the small Middle Vagator spread between them.

The northernmost, widest and longest part of the coastal strip of this resort of Goa is Big Vagator. The descent to this beach is next to the bus stop for buses not only from Goa, but also from other states of India.

Big Vagator is covered with fairly light sand, but due to the large number of stones it is not suitable for swimming. Sunbathing, too, may not be very comfortable, as many Indians gather here who love to gawk at Europeans.

There are no restaurants or shacks on this beach.

Advice! Near the Big Vagator is one of the most famous local attractions, a must-see. This is an ancient fort of Chapora, more precisely, its picturesque ruins. From the rock on which the fort stands, beautiful views of the coast of the Arabian Sea, Morjim, Chapora River and small villages open. This place is perfect for a photo shoot!

This Vagator beach is very small, it is surrounded by cliffs on all sides. The coast and the top of the hill are connected by a rather steep and narrow staircase, hiking on which requires good physical preparation. Middle Vagator is notable for the fact that right above it is the Disco Valley nightclub. This place is well known throughout North Goa since hippie times, here and now there are parties for trance music lovers.

The most attractive and adapted for relaxing local beach is Small Vagator, sheltered behind a picturesque cliff with numerous palm trees. The attractiveness of Little Vagator Beach in Goa is confirmed by beautiful photos and enthusiastic reviews from tourists.

The staircase leading down to the beach begins among the stalls along the road, and ends with the building of a public toilet (many tourists mistakenly believe that this is a local attraction). Further to the sea leads a rocky path winding among numerous palm trees. It should be noted that in addition to pedestrians, cows use this trail, and their "cakes" are everywhere.

The coastal strip on Small Vagator is covered with dark sand, among which there are many stones. There are stones under water, and the water itself is often muddy due to the sand rising from the bottom. The descent into the sea is steep enough, the fineness ends quickly. Small waves often occur at sea: they do not interfere with swimming, but it is pleasant to ride on them on small foam boards.

The beach infrastructure on Little Vagator provides tourists with everything necessary, but still it is less developed here than in the popular party areas of North Goa. Colorful coastal restaurants and shacks work along the coast, in which not only tables with chairs are provided for visitors, but also sun loungers, deck chairs and umbrellas. In the evenings, most restaurants have promotions: 2 cocktails for the price of one.

Sometimes on the Small Vagator beach, yoga is practiced. But much more often here you can see lovers of sunbathing topless - and this despite the fact that in Goa nudism is prohibited by law.

Advice! If you go to the southernmost point of this beach, you will see a completely unusual attraction of Goa - the sculpture "Face of Shiva", carved directly into the rock. Although this statue resembles a miracle of nature, it is still man-made: in the 1970s, it was created by Italian Antonio Carolli.

Housing in Vagator

Booking.com has more than 120 Vagator hotels on its website. In high season, finding housing is not easy, so you need to book it in advance.

There are 4 * and 5 * hotels in Vagator, but the vast majority are 3 * hotels and guesthouses. The resort village is located on a hill, which means that it is impossible to find a hotel or guesthouse directly by the beach. The most convenient areas for settlement, from where it is closest to get to Small Vagator beach, are along the road that leads from the final stop of intercity buses to the Sea View point, or near the Moonlight restaurant.

In high season, a double room in a 3 * hotel can be rented for $ 25 or more, most often the prices are between $ 70-100. In 4 * hotels a double room per day will cost from $ 50 and up. Guesthouse room prices start at $ 15.

Advice! In Vator, however, as in all of Goa and India, there are petty thieves who are able to take everything that is “bad” not only on the beach, but also indoors. It will be too late to take any action after the theft; contacting the police will most likely not bring any results. The easiest way to save your belongings is to rent a safe at a reputable hotel. The cost of such a service will be different in each case, especially if you have to negotiate with the hotel employees without being its guests. You need to focus on $ 20 for 10 days, bargaining is always appropriate.

Food in Vagator

Vagator has a fairly wide selection of establishments that offer delicious food at very reasonable prices. Many shacks and colorful restaurants are located along the road at the beaches of Sredny and Maly Vagator.

Among the most popular restaurants are Tibet O-live (preparing pizzas and traditional Tibetan dishes), Le Bluebird (good European food, vegetarian dishes, a wide selection of seafood, a variety of wines), China Town (Chinese cuisine). Young people like to visit Robert's Cafe - it works around the clock, and at the same time serves as a chillout area and a bit of a flea market.

• Breakfast for one in a restaurant will cost from $ 3,
• a dish of European cuisine - from $ 1.8,
• Indian food - from $ 1.7.
• the price of the cheapest Margarita pizza is $ 2.5,
• Jewish chicken schnitzel according to Jewish recipe - $ 3.5.

You can eat even cheaper in shakes, but the choice of dishes is usually not too large.

• "Tomato baji" - boiled potatoes with tomatoes and spices in hot sauce are offered at $ 0.2.
• From $ 0.7 will cost a spicy sauce of "chan masala" (from chickpeas) and "bead bajadi" (from beans), which is served with a slice of bread or a fried “puri” tortilla.
Chan Masal's Dish
• For $ 0.15 are samosa pies with spicy stuffing of potatoes or mushrooms. A glass of tea with milk will cost $ 0.15-0.25.
• For $ 0.55-0.7 you can buy a glass of milkshake or freshly squeezed juice with ice and sugar.

High-quality, fresh, natural juices can be bought at the Jai Ganesh Fruit Juice Center - this is one of the best centers in Goa.

Advice! With the heat prevailing in India, microbes spread very quickly, so eating disorders are a big danger for tourists. If there are signs of poisoning, you should contact a doctor working for an insurance company that issued insurance for a trip abroad. If there is no insurance or the doctor is far away, you can call an ambulance (phone 108) and go to the state hospital.

How to get to Vagator

To get to Vagator in India, citizens of CIS countries need to fly to Dabolim Airport - the closest to this village and the only one in the state of Goa.

It is most convenient to get from Dabolim to Vagator by taxi. To order a taxi, you need to contact the service staff who are behind the special racks next to the exit from the airport building. Near the racks there are stands on which the cost of the trip is indicated - the state taxi service, and prices are fixed. A trip by car without an air conditioner will cost $ 17, with an air conditioner - $ 19.

Traveling by public transport is cheaper, but you will have to make several transfers and spend more time on the road.

If you go by bus, you first need to get to the bus station in Vasco da Gama or Panaji, and from there - to Mapusa.

The railway station closest to Vagator is in Tivima (Kivima), so you need to go there from the Vasco da Gama railway station. Further from Tivim to Mapusa - by bus.

From Mapusa, you can take a bus to Badem, and then walk for about a kilometer from there, or immediately take a taxi to Vagator (Goa) by paying about $ 6.

Road to Vagator beach, walk along the shore:

Watch the video: Vagator Beach in North Goa. Beautiful Beaches of India. 360 Traveller (November 2024).