Palolem Beach

Palolem Beach
Palolem Beach
Beach
	Palolem Beach Front View From Canacona arch
	Palolem Beach Palolem Beach
	Coordinates: 15°00′32″N 74°01′16″E / 15.009°N 74.021°E
Country	India
State	Goa
City	Canacona
Activities	Swimming Fishing, Parasailing, Boat rides
Lifeguards	YES, on duty

Palolem Beach is situated in Canacona in southern Goa, India. The beach attracts many international tourists, mainly during the winter season between November and March. It is considered to be one of the region's most beautiful beaches.

Overview

Palolem Beach is largely unspoiled and is inhabited by both local fishermen and by foreign tourists who live in shacks along the shore or in the main village itself.^[1] It is about one mile (approximately 1.61 km) long and is crescent-shaped; one can view the entire beach from either end. Both ends of the beach consist of rocks jutting out into the sea. The depth of the sea increases gradually, being shallowest at the northern end of the beach, making it safe for average swimmers, and the currents are not fast.

In film, Palolem Beach was featured in The Bourne Supremacy (2004) as the main character's Indian residence.^[2]

Location

Palolem Beach is located at 15°00′36″N 74°01′24″E / 15.01000°N 74.02333°E / 15.01000; 74.02333, within 2.5 kilometres of the market town of Chaudi in South Goa, and about 40 minutes from Margao, the district headquarters of South Goa.

Other neighbouring beaches in South Goa include Agonda Beach and Patnem Beach.

Travel

The nearest airport is Dabolim Airport, around 67 km away. The nearest railway station is at Canacona, which can be reached from the major Madgoan junction railway station in just 30 mins. There are bus services every half an hour between Palolem beach and the Kadamba Transport Corporation (KTC) Bus Depot in Margao. The nearest KTC depot is at Canacona.

Stone sculpture on top of the Palolem Island by Jacek Tylicki

Ranking

Palolem beach was ranked the 20th best beach in Asia by TripAdvisor in 2018^[3]
It was ranked India's fifth best beach by TripAdvisor in 2018^[4]

Activities

Things to do on Palolem beach include yoga classes, dolphin-spotting trips, Ayurvedic massages and silent discos.^[5] Fishing is another activity which is popular with the locals and tourists alike.^[6] The area is also known for Vastra shaving – which is an extremely sharp knife.^[7]