Colva is a famous beach in south Goa lying close to the city of Margao at a distance of 4 kms. The fame of Colva beach in south Goa is the equivalent of Calangute in the north. Colva used to be a very beautiful beach once upon a time with silvery white sands. Being close to Margao, the beach is one of the most frequented beach in south Goa with a majority of its visitors being domestic Indian visitors.

While taking a stroll on the Colva Beach, one can view local fishermen drying mackerel and other fish. The fish is dried under huge nets to prevent the birds from getting to any. The fishermen’s motor trawlers can be seen anchored in a line offshore with their nets being dried and cleaned nearby. Colva has the best to offer when it comes to accommodation and good food in south Goa.

A small rivulet runs along the beach empting itself into the sea. It has a small bridge across it at the entrance of the beach to enable people to cross and reach the beach. Often garbage is dumped into it polluting the beauty of this beach and sometimes resulting in a foul stench near the entrance of the beach. The beach was a pristine clean beach once upon a time. However, in recent times one finds the beach crowded most of the time, with domestic tourists due to is close proximity to the city.

Reaching Colva Beach

The beach can be reached very easily by bus from the city of Margao which has private buses plying at regular intervals of 15 minutes to the beach. One can get onto a bus at Margao either from the K.T.C. bus stand or from the market bus stand that lies within margao city. Also auto risckshaws and taxis can be hired to reach the beach from Margao.

From Panaji the beach lies at a distance of about 40 kms. which can be travelled in about 45 minutes by road depending on traffic conditions. However, especially during evenings, the road to the beach gets very congested and parking is hard to find near the beach. The closest railway station is at Madgaon which is within Margao city.

Things To Do at Colva beach

Colva beach has one of the best amenities when it comes to beaches in the south. The area has a lot of hotels, pubs and restaurants to dine in which offer a nice ambience and delectable cuisine at reasonable rates. At the beach one can find a lot of shacks offering drinks, snacks and meals, albeit at a higher price. If you however walk towards the northern side of the beach, the area is quieter and the prices at the shacks more reasonable.

At the beach one can spend time engaging in watersports such as paragliding, parasailing, jet skis, banana rides. Also dolphin sighting cruises are available but should be taken when the sun is high up. At noon there is lesser reflection from the surface resulting in better sighting opportunities. Most of the operators charge similar prices for the activities. However discounts can be obtained if travelers avail of these in groups or more than four.

In the mornings around 10, local fishermen haul in their nets which they place out at the beach at around 8 A.M. Its a nice sight to watch the fisher folk haul in the nets, sort the catch and send it to be sold at Margao.