From the well-known spots Baga and Anjuna to the less-known Vagator and Arambol: North Goa has the right beach for everyone. Depending on how much you want to pay, you can find many different beaches here. These differences in price and standard make an entirely different audience everywhere. This is an overview of the Northern beaches.
Most-Visited Beaches in Calangute and Baga to Siquerim Beach
Calangute is the most southern of all the North beaches. Calangute and Baga offer a big variety of water sport, mostly jet skiing but also kites. In the meantime, more and more casinos come to Goa, also in this area. Here, you find younger guests from India, European bag packers and a more price-conscious audience.
Infrastructure around these two beaches has become bigger: there are hotels, guest houses and restaurants. You also find chain restaurants like Pizza Hut and Dominos, a shopping mall and a wax museum. Even the big hotel chains have come here, in this case Novotel and Hyatt. Because these beaches can easily be reached from the airport, they are always busy. These are the most-frequented beaches in Goa. This shows in construction work, there is barely any empty space left.
The area is a bit crowded; you almost don’t see the step to Siquerim Beach. Siquerium Beach very prominently features the Taj Hotel. Right next to it, you find the Aguada Fort.
Anjuna: Hotspot for Hippies, Bag Packers and Flea Markets Visitors
Further north, you find Anjuna, the hippie Mecca and bag packers hot spot. If you come by bus, this is where you arrive. There are cheap, very simple guest houses and you have very little problem getting in touch with other travelers. The little village up the cliffs is pretty. They sell all kinds of things for tourists, but the view is amazing. Sitting in one of the bars or restaurants, enjoying the view to the ocean is one of the best things do to.
The Anjuna Flea Market every Wednesday is very popular. Also, the party scene likes to meet in Anjuna. If you like Yoga, you find many offers here.
Vagator and Chapora: Nice Landscape at the Chapora Fort
Further north, there are the two smaller beaches Vagator and Chapora. Both surround the Chapora Fort and create, in combination with its red stone cliffs and unique scenery. If you are looking for an entire apartment, you can find it here. Many permanent guests stay here, this is also how a party scene has come up.
Morjim, Mandrem and Arambol: Secluded Beaches or Bag Packers
The three most northern beaches Morjim, Mandrem and Arambol are separated from the rest of the land by the Chapora River.
Morjim Beach has a preserve area for breeding water turtles. Anyways, Morjim has some problems with dirt coming from the river and that is why its sand is a bit darker.
The beaches of Mandrem and Arambol are still not very crowded. Fun fact: in Mandrem, there beach and all the guest houses are separated from each other by a river. You walk on small bamboo bridges to get to the beach. Very far north, in Arambol, you again find beach shacks and cheaper ways to stay but no hotels, comparable to the beaches far in the South. Also, there are many Yoga offers here.
see also: The Beaches of South Goa