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Baga Beach, a happening beach
10 km west of Mapusa is less crowded than
Calangute Beach, but it can get terribly congested during the peak
season around Christmas and New Year. Baga has soft white sand and a
green backdrop of paddy fields. This crescent shaped beach is safer for
swimming than Calangute Beach.
Baga is popular for water sports - parasailing, jet skiing, body
boarding and surfing, though the waves aren’t good enough for the
professional surfers.
Another hit with tourists are
the dolphin cruises on a boat out at sea, bringing you within touching
distance of these smiling creatures. Baga's nightlife is more
sophisticated than Calangute Beach’s,
with music, dance, and wine.
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The flea market at Baga has
recently sprung up (Saturdays from around 4 pm), north of the tiny river
that joins the sea, where you could strike some fancy bargains as you
pick up Indian handicrafts.
Getting There
The nearest airport is
Goa International Airport,
located at Dabolim, 38 km from Mapusa. The Airport has a number of domestic
flights coming in from major Indian cities and chartered flights from
European destinations. From the Airport, pre-paid cabs and shared taxis are
available for Mapusa and the resorts around Mapusa.
The nearest railhead to Mapusa is Margaon. From there taxis are easily
available for Mapusa.
Mapusa is 15 km from the capital, Panaji, a bus journey of 30 minutes.
Mapusa is a convenient base for reaching the beaches of Anjuna, Calangute,
Vagator, Chapora and Baga, and it is fairly close to Arambol and Margao. It
is especially convenient for tourists coming in by bus from neighbouring
states of Maharashtra and Karnataka.
The Kadamba Bus Terminal in Mapusa's main square is an important junction
for both private and State Transport buses coming in from Mumbai (17 hours),
Pune (14 hours) and Bangalore (14 hours). Buses are also available for
Belgaum, Hubli, Pune and Mangalore. Buses and minibuses from most towns of
Goa terminate at Mapusa; from here you can get onward connections to other
places in the state. These roadways buses connect Mapusa to the Panaji,
Margao, Vasco, Ponda and other towns and villages in the state.
Getting Around
Buses, motorcycles, taxis, auto-rickshaws and motorcycle taxis are freely
available at Mapusa for getting to the beaches. Renting a motorcycle at one
of the beaches may be cheaper than at Mapusa's main square, but make sure
you have a valid driver's license, especially on market day on Friday, when
the police set up roadblocks and check licenses frequently.
It takes about 20 minutes to get
to Panjim, Calangute, Baga or Anjuna by motorcycle taxi and 30 minutes by
bus. Autorickshaw for the same distance will charge slightly cheaper than a
taxi. A shared taxi is an economical option.
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