I planned a family trip to Goa and Gokarna for the month of December. To be precise, for a week from 8th to 14th December. And boy, I am glad I chose those dates.
December is a crowded month at both these places. And I wanted to avoid the tourist-rush that descends upon Goa during Christmas and New Year. It was lucky that the third wave had not yet started, too.
A week of absolute bliss, chasing Goan sunsets, dipping my feet into the Arabian sea, walking the shores of Gokarna's beautiful beaches, it was all I could ever want from a (dream) vacation after two years of being locked up inside my home due to the pandemic.
So, here are my trip details (and of course, memories):
I deliberately chose to start our holiday in the more quiet South Goa. While North Goa remains a party hub, South Goa is where you will find a lot of foreigners setting cap during the brutal months of winter in Europe and America. Like them, we booked a rental apartment for two nights and set about exploring the 28 km long coastline on the morning of 9th December.
We reached the beach in the morning itself post breakfast at our apartment and were awed by the shining blue waters and the delightfully soft and pristine white sand at the beach. There were hardly any crowds and we could enjoy a vast stretch of the sea all by ourselves. The beach offers water sports like jet skiing and parasailing, dolphin boat rides, and vendors offering to bead up your hair or sell you cutesy accessories. It also has some good shacks to go to when you feel them hunger pangs or just wish to cool down and gaze at the sunset sipping at a lemon soda or a cocktail. We spent a lot of time in the water, walking on the beach, and then headed to a shack called Little Tiger for a refreshing drink.
We then walked back to our rooms (a distance of 1.2 km via the Beach Road) and had lunch on the way. We came back to the beach in the evening for the sunset and had dinner with a family friend and their wife at Johncy's shack, enjoying their very delicious kadai paneer, hakka noodles, cheesecake, and Goan masala papad.
The next day, we took a walk around the local area and stumbled upon delightful flowers :) we had a train to Gokarna in the afternoon so we did not tire ourselves out and chose the morning to relax. We headed to the Madgaon railway station for a 2.5 hour ride to Gokarna, through the Konkan Railway, enjoying the lush greenery of the Western Ghats and witnessing the mighty river, Kali, on the journey.
We reached Gokarna around 4 pm and shortly after checking into our property (a mere 100 m from the sea, offering views of lush coconut trees and the Arabian sea from the balcony), we found ourselves drawn to the Gokarna main beach for the delightful sunset.
The thing that surprised us most was the sheer number of cows in Gokarna. On the roads, on the beach, everywhere. Gokarna literally means Go+karna or Cow+ear and has an interesting mythological origin story. Do Google it some time, if you are curious! The main beach is where a lot of devout Hindus come to take a holy dip or bath, so it is a little dirtier as compared to South Goan beaches, but the views are incredibly marvellous.
We had some trouble finding good vegetarian options for dinner in the temple market (I know it's pretty ironical) and had to stick to South Indian food like idlis and dosas while in Gokarna. Luckily, our property had its own rooftop restaurant which served slightly better food than joints outside. They made nice puliyogre (tamarind rice).
Gokarna has more famous beaches than one. Apart from the main beach, there is Kudle (perhaps the most famous one, and best for sunsets), Om (famous for its rocks, water sports, and the Namaste Cafe), Half Moon and Paradise (accessible only by hiking or motor boats and perfect for camping), and Nirvana (accessible by boat and famous for watching rare bioluminescence).
We had one full day to explore these beaches and started the journey at Om beach, an autorickshaw ride of 8-9 km away from main beach. Here we went on a half an hour long group motor boat ride into the Arabian Sea and got to witness glimpses of Half Moon, Paradise, and Nirvana beaches. We were also lucky enough to spot a couple of dolphins diving about in the waters. Post the boat ride, we had lunch at the scenic and Instagram famous Namaste cafe. The shahi paneer and baked red sauce pasta with extra cheese were to die for.
After the scrumptious meal, we headed up the stairs and back the way we came and hiked down to the neighbouring beach, Kudle. The hike is about 2 km and good parts of it are uphill, so an auto ride can be a more convenient way to reach the place.
We wanted to catch the sunset at Gokarna's most famous sunset point and Kudle did not leave us disappointed. It was a magical, perfect sunset, with the sun setting behind the hills and leaving a shimmery, glowing reflection of all sunset colours in the waters of the Arabian Sea. Before the sunset, we also had a cup of tea each at one of the many shacks that line up the beach.
Then, we decided to call it a night and took an auto back to the property. We walked around the markets a bit to discover a hundred types of infused teas (rose, vanilla, saffron, chocolate, herbal, and whatnot on offer) which a shopkeeper later told us were fake. :D
The next morning, we were feeling a bit adventurous so we went and took a holy bath at the main beach, letting the waves hit us in all their glory and being toppled over by their velocity, giggling like kids who had unlocked a secret treasure chest. Bathing in the sea (while not knowing how to swim) remains my most favourite part about the trip.
Post the bath, we had breakfast and checked out. The restaurant made me a lovely French toast which I enjoyed with views of the sea.
Then, we did some shopping for beachwear and snacks, came back for lunch, and headed back to the railway station for our train back to Madgaon, this time, destined for North Goa.
We reached North Goa late at night and we were supposed to head to the Dudhsagar Falls the next day.
The next morning, our pre-booked tour bus picked us up around 7 am and we reached Dudhsagar around 9 am, commencing a very very very bumpy and rocky jeep safari of 45 min from the entry point to reach the falls. It was a great experience of offroading through the jungle - the river beds, and being driven through the tiny flowing rivers within the forest. We got 1.5 hours to spend at the falls, for enjoying the view and bathing. Everyone was given life jackets as the pool made at the bottom of the mighty falls is quite deep.
The visit to the falls was followed by the tour of a spice plantation nearby, where we were introduced to herbs and spices such as paprika, black pepper, nutmeg, cumin, turmeric, jaiphal, citronella, lemongrass and many more. There was a complimentary drink of lemongrass tea, a shot of the alcohol pheni (made of fermented cashew apple), and a buffet lunch that we enjoyed before heading to the Old Goa church.
We wrapped the day off with a sunset at Candolim Beach and a walk through the jazzed up beach road.
The last day of the trip was spent witnessing a beautiful sunrise at Candolim beach and enjoying the mighty waves reaching for our toes at the beach. We deliberately avoided the touristy things this time as we wanted a nice, relaxed holiday and this helped us fully immerse ourselves in Goa and Gokarna's beach life :)
In the afternoon, we boarded our flight back to Delhi.
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