Velsao is for the solitude seeker – it’s all wooded hills, coconut palms and white sand beaches. The beach has no crowds except for the odd picnic group on a Sunday and relatively few resorts. And for that you have to thank the rice fields on the edge of the beach, and start impressively where the sand dunes end. Although things are slowly changing now – a resort has started up every year – the stretch from Velsao to Betalbatim is still a haven for someone looking for a quiet getaway in Goa.
Beach of Velsao
This quiet coastal town was shortlisted, along with the high-profile Fort Aguada Plateau and the state capital of Panjim, as the venue for the International Film Festival of India (IFFI), which moved to Goa permanently from Goa in 2004. Panjim was ultimately chosen, but it should tell you something about how beautiful Velsao is.
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Nestled in a valley below the Verna plateau, Velsao is blessed with the bounty of nature. Even the seas at Velsao are rich, as an August 1999 event indicates: a school of sardines, clearly swimming close to shore, was washed ashore by strong monsoon waves. That day, fishermen sold 60 baskets of sardines without using a net!
The coast of Velsao is dotted with fishing huts and canoes. The only blot on the landscape here is the giant Zuari Agro Chemicals fertilizer factory, located on the hill above Velsao. The locals raged against the plant because of the pollution it caused, and as a result plant authorities cleaned up their act. Since then, it has won environmental ceremonies every few years, yet it remains a prominent eyesore.
Velsao is a fairly safe place to swim as long as you stay away from the small creek here. But there’s no lifeguard, so unless you’re a strong swimmer, you shouldn’t dive more than waist-deep in the sea.
Arossim Beach
Located south of Velsao, Cansaulim is a large village with a beautiful and accessible stretch of beach Arossi. The latter is home to Tristao Braganza Cunha, the father of Goan nationalism. Braganza was the pioneer of freedom struggle in Goa. He studied in Paris, where he came into contact with other radical students who became leaders, such as China’s Zhou and Lai and Ho Chi Minh in Vietnam. He was also a close associate of Romain Rolland, the first Western author to write a biography of Mahatma Gandhi. Cunha’s ancestral home can still be found in Quelim’s vaddo.
Arossim is considered a fairly safe place to swim. There’s no lifeguard here, so unless you’re a strong swimmer, don’t venture more than waist-deep.
Majorda Beach
Majorda is really just a large village, where beachfront accommodation is limited to just three places. This also means that the beach has remained virtually untouched, and you can spend a lot of time near the surf undisturbed.
Majorda Beach and Betalbatim Beach are generally safe beaches. A few drowning deaths were reported by Utorda about five years ago, but not since. There is no lifeguard on any of the beaches, so unless you are a strong swimmer, don’t venture more than waist deep into the sea.
Quick Facts
Place Velsao beach is located a short distance southeast of Bogmalo and Issorcim on the Mormugao coast. It is close to Verna (4 km), and between Panjim and Madgaon at NH17. Arossim Beach is located just south of Velsao Beach on the Mormugao coast and north of Utorda Beach in Salcete Taluka. Majorda Beach is located just south of Utorda and north of Betalbatim in Salcete
The distance Velsao Beach is 625 km S of Mumbai; Arossim Beach is just 2-3 km S of Velsao; Majorda is 7-8 km S of Arossim JOURNEY TIME By train 113/4 hours + 40 minutes by road
By air 1 hour + 30 minutes by road By road 13 hours
Route State road to Kalamboli; NH4 to Panvel; NH17 to Verna via Mahad, Chiplun,
Nandgaon, Sawantwadi, Pernem, Mapusa, Panjim and Cortalim; districtsweg naar Velsao via Cansaulim
When to go Winter is the best season to visit these beaches, but that is also the time when the maximum crowds spread to the popular coast of Goan. Monsoon is also a glorious time if you like rain.
tourist Office
Goa Tourism Development Corp Ltd
(GTDCL)
Central reservation office
Trionora Apartments
Dr Alvares Costa Road
Panjim
Tel: 0832-2436666, 2424001-03
Website: goa-ourisme.com
STD-code 0832
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