Quick Guide: Goa, India

Goa, India is surely something else, and won us over with – lush jungles, kindness like nowhere else, colorful architecture, and awesome beaches.

Table of Contents

What we think you NEED to know

We wouldn’t recommend driving yourself. The roads can be in various not great shape, the signing a bit difficult to understand. And the laws, or mostly unofficial rules, probably not in your favor.
Indian people are extremely kind, helpful, and down to earth (or least the ones we met). The majority has the best intentions and they gladly share information about the culture and nature.
Listen to the locals: if they say a place or area isn’t safe for you, then you most likely should not go there, for your own sake. Especially further away from bigger cities or more poor areas.
Try some real Indian cuisine. It is incredible and so tasty! Not like at wherever your “home” is.

Our key moments

Meeting and spending time with the owner of Loris Homestay just outside Goa, in a small jungle village. He took us on several tours, also with his friends, and we saw so much, and learned a lot about India.
Spending Christmas Eve in the middle of nowhere in the jungle, having the local chief preparing us a luxurious local meal, and setting up his finest plastic table. We’ll never forget.
Going to a festival in Goa, Sunburn Festival, having so much fun and the best time with some locals we met. Definitely not like a festival in Europe – haven’t been on one with cows inside the festival area. Lots of good laughs.

High season: November-February

Low season: March-October

Currency: Indian rupee (INR) 10 INR = 0,096 EUR/0,11 USD

Population: 1,6 million people living in Goa on 3,702 km²

Location: Goa is a state on the southwestern coast of India, a country in South Asia

Weather: hot and humid tropical monsoon climate. High temperatures year-round

Driving in Goa:

The roads are not perfect everywhere, to say the least. Some very narrow. Although that is not the main concern.

The local driving is not like in Western countries, the locals follow their own rules. Literally. Here’s an example: In case of a traffic accident, the one who knows the most people in the village, especially the most important ones, wins, and the other one has to pay. Oh, and it is sorted out in the middle of the road.

This will be NICE to know

The more white and tall you are, the more of a tourist attraction you’ll become. Locals literally stopped their cars to take photos with us.
If you have little to no experience with real Indian food, let the people working at the restaurant help you choose. You won’t be disappointed!
The further away from bigger cities you get, the more chilled the general vibe becomes, and you’ll for sure meet some amazing people.
In Goa at least, there didn’t seem to be any informal “dresscode” for women, but always be respectful when visiting religious or rural areas.
Cows – among other animals – are sacred. Therefore, they are everywhere and when blocking the road, well, you’ll just have to wait.

Driving in Goa:
The roads are not perfect everywhere, to say the least. Some very narrow. Although that is not the main concern.

Our favorite locations

Loris Homestay, in Changdad. The people, culture, nature, wildlife – everything was all together a truly astounding experience.
The Bhagwan Mahavir Wildlife Sanctuary, where we got to see waterfalls, lush jungle, different wildlife and Tambdi Surla Temple.
Calangute Beach in Goa. Really nice beach, with fine sand and clean warm water. Perfect place to enjoy a cold smoothie and relax.



Quick Guide: Goa, India

This Quick Guide is just a glimpse of India. Its a huge country, and we only got to experience one state. Every state is probably very different. Let’s us know, if you can recommend another too!