What is GOA like ?

"Addictive",................. that is the only way to describe GOA, I am often asked why I like GOA, I normally reply by giving a list of what its like, I say, "Noisy, Dusty, Busy, sometimes smelly but absolutely Brilliant". Its is a very busy state of India, with a population approaching 1.5 million, so at times it can be very overpowering, the first time you experience the traffic of Panaji, your head will be left spinning, with the sights, smells and noise, and your first visit to a fish market is another "overpowering" experience, but all these things make up GOA, your senses will be shocked and also stimulated, both, and at the same time. After a couple of days your senses will slowly return to normal, but by then you will be hooked, you will become what we call a "GOA Anorak",............. you will bore all your friends to death with stories of GOA, what you have seen, the people you have met, and the food you have experienced........... So be warned GOA is very addictive, it will probably change your outlook on life and you will revisit time after time......read on...........

This is what Justine Shapiro of Globe Trekker says about India

"India is a place that turns all your notions upside down and wakes you up to the many other ways of perceiving time, life, and spirituality."

Note...the charter season to GOA operates from November until April, the dates outside this period will require traveler's to travel via a Indian hub airport (Mumbai or Delhi) and an internal flight.

Latest News update

"The webmaster would fully agree with the comments made in the following press release"

Goa is safe for tourists, say UK tour operators

Prasun Sonwalkar
London, July 10 2008 (PTI) The murder of British teenager Scarlett Keeling got Goa a bad press but tour operators here insist that there has been no let up in bookings since it is still considered a safe destination.

According to Travel Weekly, a leading industry publication, Goa's reputation had come under scan due to the reports about Keeling's death, and about British women spending holiday in Goa falling victims to unscrupulous youths seeking extortion money.

However, it said tour operators continued to repose faith in Goa.

Ash Sofat, chief executive of leading tour operator Somak, said: "It's definitely safe to go to Goa. Tourists need to exercise common sense as they would at home.

"It appears that Scarlett was not doing the tourist thing and was mixing with the wrong crowd. If you're backpacking, you would be more exposed whether in Goa or at home." Somak sent 12,000 tourists to Goa last year and Sofat said none of them had any safety or security concerns.

"One of the attractions of Goa is that it is safe. You can walk along the beach from hotel to hotel at night. I do that all the time in Goa. I wouldn't walk around at night in Nairobi or even in parts of London," Sofat added.

Jewel in the Crown Holidays send about 12,000 tourists to Goa every season and they have only received a handful of complaints mainly relating to thefts on the beach.

Managing director Platon Loizou told the weekly: "What happened to this girl was a sad and unfortunate incident but I think Goa is very safe. The case was dealt with rather badly and an arrest should have been made earlier." "There will always be incidents and unnecessary problems as long as people take drugs. My advice to tourists wherever they go would be to stay away from drugs," Loizou said.   release courtesy of  PTI

 

 

 

Please view the links on the left of this page, then view the GOA Overview section, you will find a link to the Visa you will require to visit GOA on the left of the Home page

If you require an urgent visa see the details on veterans pages / veterans news