Accommodation in Goa is plentiful with a variety of hotels, resorts and guest houses to suit every budget and every taste. There are simple and bare rooms available for the thriftiest of back-packers and five-star deluxe luxury suites for those that want to indulge their fancies.
Almost all round the year, travellers are usually assured of finding a room - if not in a hotel, then at least in a private house. However, come the peak season of December and January, you are likely to experience problems, unless you book your rooms well in advance.
Taking back Memories of your visit
For travellers to Goa, the visit is not complete unless they take back a souvenir of their memorable sojourn in this magnificent paradise. Naturally, shopping should be a priority on the itinerary of every tourist, along with the sightseeing attractions.
Goa's balmy tropical weather means that temperatures don't fluctuate much, hovering between 24° C to 29° C all the year-round. But at the peak of summer in the month of May, noon temperatures often cross 33°C. The Goan monsoon which lasts from June to September adorns Goa with greenery all around and tourists are now coming in to see Goa at her beautiful best while taking advantage of monsoon discounts from the hotels and resorts.
There are almost fifty species of mammals found in Goa. Most of these are unfortunately hardly ever visible to the average visitor. Most roam the dense woodlands in the Western Ghats, in the sparsely populated border areas of Goa.
Goa's isolation from the rest of India for more than four centuries under the Portuguese rule, its geographical borders in the form of the Sahyadri ranges and the tidal rivers have managed to give the people of Goa a unique and separate identity. The people of Goa prefer to call themselves Goans and not Goanese as mentioned in guidebooks and brochures.
Goa has a unique and very popular mode of transport known as a 'pilot'. This is in reality a motorcycle taxi. This is the fastest and most economic way of getting about in Goan towns and sometimes to locations at short distances on the outskirts. The motorcycle taxis are easily recognised by the yellow mudguards and yellow number plates. The driver who is known as the 'pilot' carries only one pillion rider at a time.
No trip is ever perfect in every way. There are always those little things which remain in your memory long after your trip is over. So we have compiled a list of useful tips which might help in making your trip a lasting memory of a lifetime. These tips are by no means a comprehensive list but they will help you plan your trip before your embark on it and also when you are actually in Goa.
Tourist visas are issued usually either for one month or for six months. For the one-month visa, entry into India has to be within one month from the date of issue and the six-month visa is valid for six months from the date of issue. Fees for both the categories are same.
Foreigners who enter India with a visa valid for more than 180 days are required to register with the nearest foreigners registration officer within two weeks of their arrival even if they do not plan to stay for more than 180 days.
Registration is required only once during the validity of visa. They may leave the country and re-enter as many times as they desire provided the visa is multi-entry. However, they are required to surrender their registration certificate at the time of their final departure from India.
The origin of Goa or Gomantak as it is also known, is lost in the mists of time. In the later Vedic period (c.1000-500 BC), when the Hindu epic Mahabharat was written, Goa has been referred to with the Sanskrit name Gomantak, a word with many meanings, but signifying generally a fertile land.
Taking back Memories of your visit
There are almost fifty species of mammals found in Goa. Most of these are unfortunately hardly ever visible to the average visitor. Most roam the dense woodlands in the Western Ghats, in the sparsely populated border areas of Goa.
Goa's isolation from the rest of India for more than four centuries under the Portuguese rule, its geographical borders in the form of the Sahyadri ranges and the tidal rivers have managed to give the people of Goa a unique and separate identity. The people of Goa prefer to call themselves Goans and not Goanese as mentioned in guidebooks and brochures.
Goa has a unique and very popular mode of transport known as a 'pilot'. This is in reality a motorcycle taxi. This is the fastest and most economic way of getting about in Goan towns and sometimes to locations at short distances on the outskirts. The motorcycle taxis are easily recognised by the yellow mudguards and yellow number plates. The driver who is known as the 'pilot' carries only one pillion rider at a time.
No trip is ever perfect in every way. There are always those little things which remain in your memory long after your trip is over. So we have compiled a list of useful tips which might help in making your trip a lasting memory of a lifetime. These tips are by no means a comprehensive list but they will help you plan your trip before your embark on it and also when you are actually in Goa.
