Last Day at Goa – 5 Spots Visited
It was my last day at Goa, and I wanted to make full use of it. By visiting as many spots as I can, that day as I had the bus in the evening. I woke up early at 6:30 AM and took my scooter out, there was literally no one on the roads. The roads were covered with fog when I reached the highway. It was a beautiful experience to ride at that hour and a quite peaceful one too.
Driving for 37 kms to reach the Arvalem Caves and Waterfalls, which isn’t among the most visited places in Goa. I was riding through villages and forest, felt just like the ride to Dudhsagar Falls but this time it was in the opposite direction.
Arvalem Caves
It is believed that these caves were carved in the 6th century, with the carvings and artefacts the scholars believe it to be of Buddhist or Brahmin origin. And also it is said that the five chambers were once occupied by the five Pandava Brothers, giving it a local name for the Pandava Caves. It is quite interesting to know that with the beaches and waterfalls Goa also has a rich history like the other places in India.
I was taking my time to reach the place as I knew that the caves open from 9 AM to 1 PM for everyone to visit. And reached there in around 2 hours, but as I passed the caves, I saw that the gates were still locked. So after stopping for a while and looking around, I headed over to the Arvalem Caves.
Arvalem Waterfall
After parking my bike I entered the complex of the Rudreshwar Temple, crossing which you reach the stairs. Which will take you towards the platform where people come to offer prayers, I think with the temple the waterfall is also considered as holy. Later I got to know that someone committed suicide from the top of the waterfall. And that you are not allowed to go near the falls, later, after looking at the massive waterfall. I thought it wasn’t an easy task to even reach there as with so much of the water and the speed at which it was falling. Even from a distance, standing in the water, I felt the current flowing through my feet. And also the roar of the falls makes it impossible to even record any audio around as you see in my vlog of my last day at Goa.
Candolim Beach
On my way back, I saw that the caves were still not open so I filled my Google Maps to Candolim Beach. Was visiting two of the most crowded beaches in Goa this day, as the trip won’t be complete with no beaches right. On my way, it started to rain and I was all wet but met with sunny weather as I reached the beach. And to my surprise, this wasn’t that crowded like the last time I visited this place, with no water sports. As the last time, we had to wait for some time to even try them all in one watersports package which will cost you Rs 600/person. And also there were lots of shacks which were closed due to the offseason. So I headed towards the next beach but had in mind that it will be the same with less crowd and not many spots to eat as it was almost lunchtime.
Calangute Beach
If you headed over to this part of Goa, you might regret the traffic and the problems to reach a beach. I faced the same with so much traffic, no space to park I thought to skip this beach and head towards my next destination. Later I parked my bike at a distance and walked towards the beach. Every inch of my walk was crowded with people at the hotels, shops and even the beach. As everyone stays around this part of Goa and visits these beaches, it’s not a surprise for such a huge crowd to gather here. And also this is another beach famous for its water sports which were closed tha day. After spending some time there, I ate the awesome Goan Meal at one of the hotels near the beach. And rode towards the next spot and our last spot of the day and this visit to Goa.
Chapora Fort
Chapora Fort is located around 10 km from Calangute Beach, and it’s on the way to Anjuna Beach. The reason why I kept this for ending the day so I can grab my bags on my way back to the bus stand after visiting the fort.
The fort was a border watch post for the Hindu raiders during the 17th century. And later deserted by the Portuguese in 1892, this fort has been named many times. Like Shahpura, which means ‘town of Shah’. The fort was rebuilt during the Portugal rule, with underground tunnels to help them escape during an emergency.
Dil Chahta Hai
This fort got famous after the shooting of the movie Dil Chahta Hai, making it one of the most visited places in Goa. You can get some extraordinary view of Ozran, Morjim and Vagator Beach from the top of the fort. With the ruins, you can still see the heads of the tunnels built here.
There is a small trek to reach the top of the fort. And with the sun out at its best, it becomes a tough one. This time I was not just visiting the fort as I found some people crossing the walls of the fort. To the cliff, which had such an amazing view of the sea all around you and also the fort. I felt it can be an amazing spot for camping. With the view it has and also there weren’t many people here. I don’t know if you are allowed to go there with the closed gates but do visit.
Chapora Fort With the People
And with that my visit to Goa, ends as I had to catch my bus. Checked out of my guesthouse and headed over to the Panjim Bus Stop. Hope you like this article, and how many places you can cover in a day if you plan it. See you guys in the next one, next week.