Beaches in India

Beaches in India provide the most tempting combination of sun, sand, sea and surf that is too hard to resist for any beach lover and water sport adventurer. When it comes to beach holidays in India the choice is unending. Still the foremost choices of beach travel in India include the beautiful sea shores of Goa, where the tropical sun bathed beaches of Anjuna, Baga & Dona Paula have something for every visitor. Other beaches such as Kovalam, Marina and Juhu, not just focus on tourism they are also venues for recreation and entertainment for the local population and the outstation tourists.

Popular Beaches of India:
Anjuna Beach, Goa	Juhu Beach, Maharashtra
Baga Beach, Goa	Marina Beach, Chennai
Calangute Beach, Goa	Marari Beach, Kerala
Dona Paula Beach, Goa	Gopalpur On Sea, Orissa
Kovalam Beach, Kerala

ANJUNA BEACH

Anjuna beach is the most happening beach of Goa. In fact it is not wrong to say that it is the mother of all the beaches. It is located 8 kilometer west of Mapusa. It offers you breathe taking view as it is bordered by the red laterite cliffs and white sands. This offers you contrasting color view. This beach is so magical to experience that cannot be put in words. Exotic coconut plantation swaying in cool breezes gives you soul touching beauty. People flock here with different set of interests but not to every this beach caters to everyone’s need. It is also the most lively beach of Goa , in fact it is a rave venue for big parties and wild parties specially during the Christmas and new year. Here night is also lively and superb as parties goes on till dawn. Here fun, adventure and thrill have no end. It is difficult to say what the main attraction of the beach is as it is packed with endless surprises. The best thing is here is that everyone coming here gets immersed in the culture of Anjuna. History of this beach is also quite young as few decades back group of travelers began to meet here in dry season to party.

Juhu Beach is located 18 kilometer north of the city centre. It is the major beach site on the shores of Arabian Sea and is one of the posh localities of Mumbai. Here you can find the bungalows of the famous personalities of Bollywood. Today the area is home to decently dressed, legendary film stars such as Amitabh Bachchan and Madhuri Dixit. It is also the famous shooting site among the filmmakers. At the southern end of Jhu you will find many Luxury hotels and apartments. This beach is almost deserted during weekdays and tends to get very crowded on weekends.

It is a pleasant beach if you are not expecting a quite sunbath or a swim. The real attraction of here is carnival atmosphere that emerged on weekend afternoons and evening. Huge crowds gather in this area and enjoy scenic beauty. You can also stroll along the shore and play beach cricket. They are also assisted by a the snack sellers and fruit vendors, entertained by fairground rides and sweet talked by toy sellers, fortune tellers and yarn spinner. In simple words it is a fabulous beach in all the respects plus livelier.

BAGA BEACH

Baga Beach is located 10 kilometers from Mapusa. It is the most magnificent beaches of Goa. In fact it is considered as the extension of the famous Calangute Beach. But in comparison to Calangyte it is less crowded. This beach is located on the west coast of Goa along the mighty Arabian Sea. It has pure and untouched beauty of beach that lures large number of tourists here from India as well as abroad. The rock strewn and wooded headland seems to be soaked in the air of tranquility. You can also please to find comfortable accommodation as there are gorgeous retreat houses are situated nearby. This beach is especially popular among the foreign tourists. You will love to indulge yourself in the various water recreation activities that were available here on this beach. That’s not all fishing trips are also organized here. Different types of foods are also not a big deal here. Here you will find from usual snacks to bustling pizza corner to the terrace cafes. Even the various cuisines offered by them are also superb and exotic. It is surely a worth place for visiting in Goa.

CALANGUTE BEACH

Calangute Beach is only 45 minutes bus ride from the city of Panjim. It is the Goa’s busiest and most commercialized place. During 70’s and 80’s this is favorite hide out of hippies. It has steeply shelving sand and it is quite large as it is enough to acomdate huge number of high season visitors.And on the south beach front area the rows of old wooden boats moored below the dunes. It is a hawker free zone and can also watch a team of villagers hauling nets in hands at high tides. It is a perfect place for you, if you want to indulge in water sports. Parasailing, water skiing and wind surfing at the beach start in the afternoon when the wind is blowing just in the right direction and it goes on till sunset. You can go out for the food of your choices as it offers you plenty of food varieties. Here night life is also lively enough. You can enjoy here till midnight and some after that also. You can also be blessed by the happy hang outs in the wods to the south of the beach road.

DONA PAULA BEACH

This beach is named after the name of the daughter of a viceroy. Her name is Dona Paula de Menzes who threw herself off the cliff, when she refused permission to marry a local fisherman. This beach offers you an great opportunity to the tourists to have sunbath and also do some sort of shopping from local vendors. Here you can enjoy almost all the water recreation activities. Here sports club offers you water-scooter, cycle and motorboat rides. Other water sports include windsurfing, parasailing, water-skiing, toboggan ski-biscuit, skibob, sports fishing, snorkeling, harpoon fishing, kayaking, and yachting. It is located 7 kilometers west to the Goa’s capital Panaji. It is also nestled by the rocky hammer-shaped headlands that divide the Zuari and Mandovi estuaries. Here you find that this beach is fringed by tall palm trees and casuarinas groves. The climate here is equable and moist throughout the year. While it is very pleasant and temperate from October to May. As it is raining from June to September. May is the warmest month of the year so it is advisable not to visit here in the month of May. Due to its proximity of the sea, the territory is generally humid and even during the summer months humidity is generally above 60 percent.

KOVALAM BEACH KERALA

Along the 600 kilometre length of the Kerala coast, there are many sandy beaches, rocky promontories and coconut palms. The fishing village of Kovalam lies 10 kilometres south of Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of Kerala. Kovalam is the only beach resort of Kerala and is very popular with the Indian as well as international tourists. Industry is relatively small scale in this area and the prices low. The beach is just a few minutes walk from the village. Kovalam consists of three successive small crescent beaches; the southern most known as Lighthouse Beach is where most of the visitors spend their time. The beach is bordered with low cost lodging houses and restaurants which offer adequate facilities at affordable tariffs-ideal for a long stay. The light house on the promontory at the southern end of the beach offers a spectacular view across to the Vizhinjam mosque. Photography is prohibited here.

The middle beach, overlooked from a rocky headland by the five star Ashok Radisson resort, functions each morning as a base for local fishers. North of Ashok is the final beach which is very little affected by the changing times. It is dotted with a few rudimentary wooden fishing vessels. Swimming on the beaches is not always safe as the undertow can be very strong; therefore it is essential to follow the warnings of the safety flags. However, days can be spent here just lying on the sands or retreating under the awnings of the beach cafes. There are numerous craft and carpet shops (usually of Tibetan, Kashmiri and Rajasthani origin), clothing stores and general stores, yoga schools, travel agents and massage parlours lining the beach.