Arambol, Goa is a picturesque fishing village located in the northern part of the state. The warm Arabian Sea and reasonable prices make it one of the most popular resorts in India, and the relaxed pace of life and relaxed atmosphere always attract fans of yoga and various spiritual practices.
General information
Looking at photos of Arambol in Goa, you will see that this is a fairly large settlement located in the northern part of the state. Stretching along the Arabian coast for several kilometers, it is full of spontaneous shops and rickety huts, among which there is a spirit of freedom and complete rejection of generally accepted moral principles.
The population of the village is slightly more than 5 thousand people. Among them, there are many Russians who either escape to the sea from the fierce European winter, or work on a permanent basis.
In the 60-70s of the last century, Arambol, which was then still called Harmal, was popular among hippies, yogis, raw food eaters and other non-standard personalities who came here from all over the world. It still remains an excellent place for “savages” and independent tourists who do not have large financial resources.
Curiously, until 2002, this village, nestled in the very north of the state, was known only to the”chosen”. But with the opening of the Siolim Bridge over the Chapora River, the situation has changed dramatically – now it is one of the most popular tourist destinations in India.
The holiday season in Arambol, as in all of Goa, lasts from November to March. The air temperature during this period is +30°C, and the water warms up to a comfortable +27-29°C. The rest of the time, it is either very hot or heavy rains, accompanied by storms and squally winds. However, even in low season, this village has a lot to do.
So, in the village there are several travel agencies that organize excursions both in Goa itself and in neighboring states. The latter in most cases take several days. One-day offers include a trip to the night market, a visit to the beaches of South Goa and a sightseeing tour of the surrounding area. In the evenings, in many places of Arambol, you can watch a concert with local stars and listen to live music. One of these places is the Magic Park Resort Hotel. It regularly hosts tea ceremonies, ethnic dances and religious chants.
The resort also has a Spiritual Development Center (Yoga Research Center), a dance school “Temple of dance” and many interesting courses where you can learn many useful things. If we talk about the historical sights of this village, they are limited to the ancient temple located behind Sweet lake. Next to it grows a banyan tree, a sacred tree, under the crown of which sits the sage “baba”. Ask for advice from him come not only local, but also visitors.
And the last important fact. Many villagers observe an afternoon siesta, so some shops, cafes and other establishments may be closed.
Beach
Stretching for almost 3 km, Arambol Beach is one of the longest beaches on the coast of Goa. Life on it does not stop almost for a moment: in the morning countless fishing boats go out to sea, in the afternoon vacationers sunbathe and swim here, and in the evening they walk fighting bulls, arrange fire shows and organize folk festivals with songs, dances and drums.
The sand at the resort is gray, and crabs, starfish, and other animals often hide in it. The entrance to the water is smooth, the bottom is soft and gentle, and the shallow water line is wide enough (to reach a good depth, you will have to walk more than a dozen meters). This feature makes Arambol a good place for families with children.
The beach is quite clean, there are quite a lot of garbage cans on it. The territory is regularly cleaned, and what does not have time to get into the garbage bags of workers is carried away by the sea tide. Sun beds and umbrellas belong to the beach necks. You don’t need to pay for them – just buy a beer or a bottle of juice. There are almost no waves in high season. The only exception is the area near the rocks (the so-called Cliff). It is quite restless there, and on the bottom there are not only stones, but also various marine life. In addition, you can see monitor lizards basking in the sun.
Another characteristic feature of Arambol Beach is the numerous cows, dogs and other pets that peacefully stroll along the entire coastline. Curious Hindus are not far behind them. Despite the fact that the white man is no longer a novelty at this resort, the village population comes to the beach every day to take a photo with one of the European tourists.
If you have ever looked at a photo of Arambol Beach (Goa) on the Internet, you probably noticed a huge number of beggars, street vendors and representatives of the local beauty industry offering mehendi, hair removal, massage. Whether you agree to their proposals or not is up to you, but keep in mind that the price announced before the procedure may be radically different from the one that you will be presented with at the end of it.
In addition, in the vicinity of Arambol (Goa, India), you can find several more picturesque beaches. Of these, the most popular are Kalacha, Querim, Paradise and Mandrema. Well, one more plus – not far from Arambol Beach there is an unusual lake filled with soft clay. They say that it has many healing properties, so it is massively bought up by tourists, cosmetologists, and numerous massage parlors. But those who want to save money on such procedures are smeared with yellow mud right on the spot.
Accommodation
There are no luxury 5* hotels in the village or on Arambol Beach in Goa. There are also very few mid-level hotels, and their living conditions are mostly Spartan. In the interior of the rooms, you are unlikely to find refined finishes – only simple and most necessary furniture.
Most of the hotels and guest houses are located in the Main Road area, the main shopping street of Arambol. Rooms are divided into several categories. While some only have a bed and a hot water tank, others are equipped with a shower, satellite TV and a small balcony. But even with such an artless environment, there is practically no shortage of guests here. Music and dancing in this area do not stop for a minute, so it is unlikely that you will be able to fully sleep here.
Couples in love prefer to stay in a bungalow on the Arambol rocks – from there you can enjoy a beautiful view of the sea. The cost of housing here is lower, but to get to the place, you will have to overcome a rather steep climb. In addition, the territory of the rocks is not illuminated at night, so you will also have to carry a flashlight with you.
For families with children who have come to Arambol for a long time, Geercar Vadoo, a tourist area with new guesthouses with separate apartments and a whole range of additional services (housekeeping, free Wi-Fi, laundry, children’s corner, tennis court, etc.), is more suitable.
No less popular among the “long-livers” are also villas owned by local residents. You can rent such a house with 2-3 rooms, a kitchen, a bathroom and a garden only in high season. If you want to be closer to nature, choose beach huts, a beach hut made of plywood and palm leaves. On the street – a table and chairs. The entrance to the hut is closed by a curtain.
If we talk about the average cost of living, renting a double room in an institution without stars will cost$ 6-10, in a 2* hotel – $ 20, in a 3* hotel – $ 14-55 per day. The largest price gap is observed in guesthouses – the price of such accommodation varies around$6-120.
Where can I eat on the beach?
Looking at the photo of Arambol in tourist avenues, you can see a huge number of shakes built along the entire coastline. Despite the simple, or even completely primitive appearance, the food in them is quite tasty. The menu includes both national and European dishes, but the greatest demand is for various seafood products, the freshness of which can not be doubted – they are caught here every day.
In addition, if you go to one of these shakes for dinner, you can enjoy a wonderful Indian sunset. But elite establishments should be looked for at fashionable hotels located in the village. In the evenings, jazz is played there and a large number of people gather there. The menu in restaurants is about the same: vegetable dishes, mussels, chicken, rice, fish, etc.
As for prices, they are 10-15% lower here than in other resorts in the state:
- Soup – 80 cents;
- Shrimp – 2$;
- Main course (rice or noodles with chicken or vegetables + Indian bread) – 1.5-2.5$;
- Lobster — $17;
- Masala tea – 40 cents;
- Juices – 70 cents;
- Beer bottle 0.5 ml-1.5$;
- Coffee with milk – 50 cents;
- Cheesecake – 1$;
- Vegetable curry – $1.7;
- Vegetarian burger with salad and French fries – $2.5;
- Sushi with miso soup – $4.
It is better to buy fruit in special shops, from soft drinks we recommend to try fresh mango and watermelon. Despite the abundance of cafes, some tourists prefer to cook their own food, having picnics right on the beach.
How to get from Dabolim Airport?
Arambol in North Goa is 58 km from Dabolim International Airport, which hosts flights from many European and Asian countries. There are two ways to get from there to the beach or the hotel you are interested in.
By bus
For all its cheapness, this option is considered the longest. A classic route with transfers will look like this: Dabolim-Vasco da Gama-Panji-Mapusa-Arambol. Buses depart from a small intersection located at one of the terminals. The journey takes at least 2 hours. The entire trip will cost $ 4-5.
On a note! Municipal transport in India runs irregularly. However, it is almost always heavily overloaded. Buses are not numbered – the direction of the flight is indicated on a sign installed in front of the windshield.
By taxi
Taxi – simple, but insanely expensive, because Arambol is the most remote beach in North Goa. You can order a car online, call it by phone, or just pick it up on the street. The most popular services in the region are “Prepaid taxi”and” Goa taxi”.
There are no counters in the cars, and the cost of the trip is at least$40. Payment is made upon boarding.
On a note! State-owned carriers in India have fixed prices, but you can bargain with private carriers.
Useful tips
When planning to go to the resort of Arambol (Goa), listen to the advice of those who have already managed to visit there:
- Theft is ubiquitous in India. Of course, in good hotels there are paid safes at the reception, but they will not protect your property from encroachment. The only way out is to put more or less valuable things in different corners of the room, and hang a strong padlock on the door. For this purpose, almost all rooms have bolts with ears.
- Those who come to the village for a week or two should rent a scooter. It is convenient to get to the beach, shops and neighboring villages.
- Walking through the streets of the village, you should be more careful. The width of the streets here rarely exceeds 4-5 m, the pedestrian paths, if they exist, are filled with goods taken out of numerous shed shops, and cars and motorcyclists scurry in both directions, often without adhering to even basic traffic rules.
- Do you want to make your trip to India even more exciting? Make sure to visit sunset point. You don’t need any special actions for this – just come to the beach late in the evening, so that together with hundreds of exactly the same vacationers you can watch the sunset, accompanied by songs, dances and a continuous drum roll of djembeys.
- Before traveling to the resort, you should take out insurance.
- In Goa, you can only drink bottled water. If you order mors, cola, or fresh juice from a cafe, ask that ice not be thrown at them – it can be made from unfiltered water.
- In Arambol, however, as in all of Goa, it is customary to bargain. And not only in bazaars and souvenir shops, but also when renting housing from the local population (apartments, beach bungalows, guest houses, etc.). Hindus are willing to drop the price by 1.5 or even 2 times if they see that a person is really interested in buying. By the way, it is better to go shopping in the morning – local people believe that early sales attract good luck, so good discounts are provided to you.
- The main means of information in Arambol are walls and pillars-announcements, announcements and other important messages are posted there. They can only compete with word of mouth and flyers that are distributed on the beach.
- Don’t forget to take your travel kit with you, adding remedies for tropical insect bites and various intestinal disorders. To prevent the latter, you need to wash not only your hands with soap, but also fruits.
- When going out to Arambol Beach in India in the late afternoon, do not forget about special shoes. Without it, there is a risk of stepping on jellyfish or other marine life
