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Travel guide – calangute beach

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Overview

Once a peaceful fishing village, then a haven for hedonistic hippies, Calangute is now Goa’s busiest and most commercialised resort. The road from the town to the beach is lined with Kashmiri-run handicraft boutiques and Tibetan stalls selling Himalayan curios and jewellery. The quality of the goods - mainly Rajasthani, Gujarati and Karnatakan textiles - is generally high. But haggle hard and don't be afraid to walk away - the same stuff will crop up again. The beach itself is nothing special, but is more than large enough to accommodate the huge numbers of high-season visitors. To escape the hawkers, visitors should head fifteen minutes or so south of the main beachfront area, towards the rows of old wooden boats moored below the dunes where teams of villagers haul in their nets at high tide and fishermen will be seen fixing their tack under bamboo shacks. Calangute's bars and restaurants are mainly grouped around the entrance to the beach and along the Baga road, as with most Goan resorts, the accent is firmly on seafood, though many places also offer vegetarian dishes. Western breakfasts also feature prominently. Thanks to repeated crackdowns by the Goan police on parties and loud music, Calangute's nightlife is surprisingly tame with most bars closing by 10pm. A notable exception is Tito's at the Baga end of the beach, and Pete’s Bar, a hippy hangout which offers affordable drinks, backgammon sets and relentless reggae until the early hours. Calagnute is a 45-minute bus ride north from the capital, Panaji.

Climate

It is hard to generalise in a country that runs from the Himalayas to the beaches of the Indian Ocean but broadly speaking October to March tend to be the most pleasant months in India, when it relatively dry and cool. In the far south the best months to visit are between January and September, while northeastern areas of India tend to be more comfortable between March and August. The deserts of Rajasthan (west of Jodhpur) and the northwestern Indian Himalayan region are at their best during the monsoon (July to September). The mountainous regions of Himachal Pradesh and Kashmir should be visited over the summer months (May to September).

Health

There are a number of health risks associated with travel to India, including malaria and dengue fever, and travellers should take medical advice on vaccinations at least three weeks before departure. Those travelling from an infected area should hold a yellow fever certificate. Food poisoning is a major risk in India; all water and ice should be regarded as contaminated and visitors should drink only bottled water and ensure that the seal on the bottle is intact. Meat and fish should be regarded as suspect in all but the best restaurants and should always be well cooked and served hot. Salads and unpeeled fruit should be avoided. Health facilities are adequate in the larger cities but limited in rural areas. Travellers are advised to take out medical insurance. Bird flu was first discovered in domestic poultry in February 2006, but no human infections have been reported. The risk for travellers is low, but as a precaution close contact with wild, domestic and caged birds should be avoided, and all poultry and egg dishes should be well cooked.

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Travel Guide by www.wordtravels.com
Disclaimer: By its very nature much of the information in our travel guides is subject to change at short notice and travellers are urged to verify information on which they're relying with the relevant authorities. Winter Sunshine Holidays & Globe Media cannot accept any responsibility for any loss or inconvenience to any person as a result of information contained above.