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About 8 km from Mapusa and 16
km from Panaji, Calangute Beach, Goa’s most popular beach, is a highly
commercialised but sizzling beach that grapples with the mad tourist
melee with élan. Though the beach itself is not spectacular, and the
coarse golden sand drops steeply creating an undertow, there is
something about Calangute that attracts the Indian tourist and Western
sun-worshipper alike.
Calangute's flower power, weed-smoking and nude bathing days are long
over, but high season revellers still crowd the beach. Busloads of
visitors pour in from the neighbouring states of Karnataka and
Maharashtra, some to splash in the sea and set up a raucous game of
beach volleyball and others to simply stand around and drink in the
ozone.
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Leading up to the beach is a
glitzy road of shops and boutiques selling handicrafts, clothes, and
trinkets from other parts of the country. Calangute is flooded with
places to stay, from the popular GTDC Tourist Resort and basic
guesthouses to luxury hotels and pretty villa complexes. The restaurants
and bars along the beach and the Baga road dish up an amazing variety of
seafood and hearty breakfasts. From Mapusa you can take a bus,
motorcycle taxi or even rent a bicycle to get to Calangute.
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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