Goa India daytrips - places to go too and look around.
Day Trips easily done while in Goa going out to see Dudhsagar Waterfalls, Mahadeva Temple, Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary and Sahakari Spice Farm.
Visiting Dudhsagar Waterfalls (Western Goa - Sanguem), Goa, India.
Heading off to visit Dudhsagar Waterfalls is a popular day out for people staying on holiday around the beach resorts of Goa. Hotels organise coach trips out to the waterfalls and this is obviously quite a cheap option however an alternative is to hire a car and driver for the day. This does mean firstly you can leave when you feel like it, can spend as much time at as you wish looking at things and finally make quite a full day out of it all by visiting other locations more or less on the way. Other places to visit on such a day out can include taking a look at Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary and visiting Sahakari Spice Farm. One other location not very far from the turn-off to Dudhsagar Waterfalls which also might be of interest to visit is Mahadeva Temple (see below) which is a 12th century Shiva temple located at Tambdi Surla.[ Click the thumbnails for a larger picture - use the back button to return to this page. ]
However once you get out to Dudhsagar everyone has to leave their transport at Kulem and then do the last 45 minutes or so up to the falls themselves via jeep and with a guide which costs around 300 Rupees. As the morning progresses more and more coach trips can arrive and the queues to get onto the jeeps therefore increases - so the earlier you can get to their the better.
The trip up through the jungle and into the mountains is an event in itself - not only because of the excellent scenery but because the jeep drivers seem to need to drive as fast as possible so passengers do get really thrown around. It is possible to swim in the pools at Dudhsagar Waterfalls but note the water is extremely cold and there are some currents to contend with. There are apparently no lifeguards on duty there and in fact not even any lifebelts or ropes available for anyone getting into problems so beware if you are tempted to go in for a quick dip. The whole trip i.e. transport by jeep - the waterfalls - and of course returning back to your transport takes around 3.5 hours and is excellent value for money.
Around two thirds towards the top of the waterfalls there is some visible stonework brick arches which support the Vasco da Gama to Hospet (and beyond) railway line which crosses the falls here - if really fortunate an Indian Railways train might just go trundelling across - it looks quite impressive.
Visiting the very old Mahadeva Temple at Tambdi Surla in Goa, India.
The small Jain-styled Mahadeva Temple is located in a pleasant clearing at Tambdi Surla close to the Western Ghats in Goa and is situated beside a narrow river. If visiting as part of a trip out to the waterfalls then the road to the temple leaves from Mulem at the crossroads there heading north - it's around 14kms away. Dedicated to Lord Shiva the temple dates back to the 13th century and is still actively used. Of particularl note is that this temple is thought to be the oldest in Goa. It is built of basalt and consists of a garbhagriha (shrine), antarala (anti-chamber) and a pillared Nandi Mandapa (porch). The Mandapa has balustrade entrances on three of its sides and the four pillars are decorated with fine carvings of elephants which all support the stone ceiling - which is decorated with nicely carved lotus flowers.Actually this little temple can also be visited if travelling by road from Goa to Hospet or Hampi as part of a continuation of a tour around this part of India.
Visiting Bondla Wildlife Park in Goa - India.
Bondla Wildlife Park is located a little to the north west of Ponda - the area contained within the Park is not that big but they do have a few cats, snakes and so on to look at plus some nice freindly crocodiles. Having completed a meader around the Park an option is to return back by a different route - for example looking at several temples on the way to Old Goa and then perhaps having a wander around the Capital of Goa - Panaji and finally heading over the Mandovi River and taking a look round Aguada Fort
Looking round Goa's 130 acre Sahakari Spice Farm in India.
is located on Cashewnut tree covered lush slopes a little way along the Belgaum Ponda Highway at Curti near Ponda. The Spice Farm offers plenty of information to visitors about the various spices grown there and the uses these species are put too. There are guide-assisted walks around the farm which take about 40 minutes - visitors can also take an elephant ride. Although the Spice Farm covers quite a large area the parts accessible by visitors is quite small i.e. you are not taken out further into the plantation to see the areas where the spices are actually grown. At the end of the visit there is the opportunity to have something to eat but this is not exactly a nice Goan meal - just a bit of rice and a few spicy dishes more or less. The entrance fee to the spice farm is a whopping 400 Rupees for non-Indians - this does include the food but even so this is a pretty expensive place to visit for what you get to see and probably not worthwhile. Before leaving you can buy quite a variation of spices although many of these are available in local markets at considerably less cost.- Our Goa related Topics:
- Goa Travel, Touring and Holiday Guide
- Old Goa touring and sightseeing guide
- Visiting Temples and Mosques at Ponda, Goa
- Various places in Goa to visit - includes Panaji, Margao and Vasco da Gama
There is much more about touring in India via our India Travel and Touring Guide Home Page.
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