Goa – Baga, Never Sleeps ; Party past the Cinderella hour !

Goa’s liberal laws makes the stay experience alluring, the lingering Portuguese influence – their easy going life, their friendliness, their hospitality – an enjoyable experience. Seafood lovers have an extra gastronomic delight. A piece of heaven on earth.
The perfect beach & place for partying and lazing around along the 63 Kms Goa coastline is the flat stretch of a beach at Baga in North Goa. Baga beach is entrenched between Calangute and Anjuna it shares the amazing 30 kms picturesque stretch of North Goa beach of the Arabian sea. Starting at Fort Aguada including Sinquerim, Candolim, Calangute, Anjuna, Vagator finally ending at Chapora beach and fort. One can traverse further up passing the Morjim river to secluded quiet beaches ending at Fort Trekol, touching the Maharashtra border. The sunset on these North Goa beaches are an amazing colourful sight. Sunrise is a scene of tranquility and serene calmness all around.
Baga gets its name from the river Baga creek which pours itself into the Arabian sea at the right end of its beautiful stretch of a beach. This meeting place of the river and the sea is rocky & beautiful but dangerous. Close by one can notice a huge black rock at the foothill, it’s called ‘Chor Biam’ – treasures of shipwreck were hidden here along with anchors, bells & cannons. A modern bridge today is built on the Baga creek at the fishing village, it’s called the ‘coffin bridge’ and connects Aropora which further leads to north goa beaches beyond Anjuna. Earlier cannoes would ferry people across this creek. Baga’s landscapes on the otherside consists of ancient temples, churches, hills and lush green rich fields, palm trees making this place naturaly beautiful.
Baga beach & Baga streets have numerous eating places to cater to it’s variegated crowd from across india and international tourists. The cuisine you get here caters to every part of India & the world. This place is filled with bars, discotheques, tattoo artists, yoga schools, spas, bakeries, trinket shops, handicraft shops, clotheries etc. It’s a mini world tourist market. Mackie’s Saturday Bazaar brings all sellers into a big field – a market at your disposal. Water sports at Baga beach is good – these are for the adventurous kind – snorkeling, scuba-diving, water-sking, para-gliding, banana-boat, water scooters etc. Hotels & Resorts to stay are available for every budget. It’s advisable to do your bookings and travel plans well ahead to stay & travel by air or road in advance for good deals! Goa is about 650 kms plus from Bangalore and a 10 – 12 hour drive. Dress code across goa is shorts & tees. Footwear can be from flip-flops to sandals.
Bagas infamous street comes to life way much beyond sunset. . . Titos Lane! This place is lined with shops, bars, restaurants, discotheques playing loud music, brightly lit neons beckon you in to sink into the night life. The most famous ones are Titos & Mambos – very stylish, chic, modern & sound proof. These places shut their doors only at 3 am on weekdays and 4 am on weekends. These places open doors at 8 pm but the real action starts at 10 – 10:30 pm. International music is the language of the day, but Friday’s see a lot of Bollywood nites. Wednesday – ‘ Ladies Night’ (watery synthetic cocktails free for the fair sex). Entrances to these discotheques are a bit steep, Rs.1500/- a couple. Rs.2500/- for stags. Women always ‘Free Entry’. Drinks are expensive, Food average. But who goes to these places to eat or drink. Here music is the soul & dancing is the plan for the night. There’s a Casino at the end of Baga street for the gambling kind – Attractive packages are thrown to tourists to lure them in.
If your agenda is to party and have a good time – Baga is the place in Goa, its located 16 kms from the capital city of Goa, Panjim & 2 kms from Calangute in North Goa. Only thing which beats you from not enjoying Goa is its extreme sunny summers and rains. The best season to visit Goa and soak in its wonderful experience is from October to April. February sees the famous Goa Carnival at the capital city – Panjim. Christmas is mild & Newyear’s eve is another mind blowing experience out here – it’s recommended you stay rooted at one place. Traffic jams on narrow Goa roads are a nightmarish experience. Of late the ‘Sunburn’ music dos are a treat to young music buffs! Transportation is a big challenge in Goa. Taxis are a cartel and expensive. Buses undependable. The best would be to hire self-driven scooters, motorcycles, cars or jeeps.
The season has started in Goa! If your agenda is to party beyond the Cinderella hour – head to Baga at North Goa.