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Benaulim Beach Goa |
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Benaulim Beach in South Goa is popular with the tourists as well as the locals. Normally crowded, cool weather is keeping everyone away from the beach except for visitors from the far north. Just out of site beyond the palm trees is the Benaulim village.
Benaulim, next in line, is relatively undiscovered by domestic touristseven though it is a fishing beach. However, it gets fairly crowded during weekends and evenings with local visitors who get off buses about a kilometer away and pour onto the beach. The breaking wave height here is half a meter and the slope is 1 in 30 in September.
Benaulim Attractions -----
Shimmering Waterways : Either side of the sand blown beach front, the gently shelving sands shimmer away almost to the horizon, litered with photogenic wooden fishing boats that provide welcome shade if the walk from the palm trees to the sea gets too much. Hawkers, itinerant masseurs and fruit wallahs appear from time to time, but one can easily escape them by heading south towards neighbouring Varca, where tourism has thus far made little impact.
Bull Fighting : Bullfights can be seen at Benaulim from early October to late May. The bullfights are usually held in an old rice field with no fences or barricades just outside a village, to the beat of taped Konkani music.
Other Activities to Look out -----
Moreover, in the Benaulim beach it is safe for swimming, being generally jellyfish-free, while the village itself boasts a few serviceable bars and restaurants, several telephone booths and a couple of stores.
Benaulim's proximity to Margao market, along with the presence of its Christian Fishing Community, means its restaurants serve the most succulent, competitively priced seafood in Goa. The most popular places to eat are the shack cafes in the beach front area, where Johncy's catches most of the passing custom.
However, one'll find better food at lower prices in the smaller terrace restaurants further along the beach and scattered around the village. Arguably the best of bunch is the Palm Grove's Congenial Garden Restaurant, and there is a string of look alike café-bars, which dot the lane leading to it. For fresh seafood, though, the Hawaii Shack is hard to beat.
The Beach Bonanza Fair :
The Beach Bonanza fair that is held on successive Sundays from mid-April onwards on the Benaulim beach is a must not miss! Frenzied visitors dance in merriment and other entertainment. There are plenty of resorts and low-budget hotels in and around Colva. Benaulim too has a few hotels. Besides it is possible to rent houses for a longer stay.
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