Colva

Colva is a sea side town in the South Goa district of Goa, India. The Colva beach here is quite popular. The Colva beach is one of the longest in the world (24 km) and also the best beach in Goa and India. For first timers who visited this beach will feel like Hawai. The beach has a number of good resorts on the coast and it attracts as many as 3 to 4 lacs tourists every year.

Colva means beach life but you can escape it every now and then. Margao is 30 mins by bus and the nearest town to make you feel what Indian cities are like: crowded, chaotic but utterly charming. Panjim is only 90 mins by bus, taxis are not much faster as the road is narrow. (read my report about Panjim for the sights)

During the monsoon from June to September only a trickle of tourists head for the beaches to enjoy the sunny stretches in between torrential downpours.

Colva is some 25 km south of Dabolim Airport. There are prepaid taxis or alternatively take the bus to Margao (about one hour), where you can hop on the Colva bus (20 mins). Along the route you soak up Portuguese atmosphere as you will pass many Portuguese mansion easily recognisable by their porches and red-tiled roofs.

Margao, the nearest town to Colva, is a transport hub. The Konkan Railway Station is 4 km to the south of the city centre and serves all stations between Mumbai and Trivandrum. The only flaw is that there are only two trains a day.