Enveloped in blue ocean and natural green, Palolem beach is one of the most popular beaches in South Goa. This enchanting destination is overwhelmed by the heavenly beauty of the Canacona Island, serenity of butterfly and honeymoon beach, a charming backwater, and of course, the ever-demanding sight of sunset behind the Canacona hills! Indeed, a trip to the Marine Kingdom (Goa) remains incomplete without meeting the spirit of Palolem Beach in Goa.
With my 3 times touring experience at Palolem, I’m gladly introducing the most detailed information about this wonderful place that must help you to plan a best ever Palolem trip. The complete details include the best things to do around Palolem Beach, best places to visit around, when and how to visit Palolem, the most delicious dishes to try, suggestions to the best accommodations in Palolem, and more.
So, be patient and read thoroughly, especially if you are expecting a dream trip to Palolem. Definitely, I’ll help you further if you have any more queries.
A Brief Introduction of Palolem Beach in Goa
Situating in the southern part of Goa, Palolem Beach came into the limelight in 2009-2010, when the peace-loving tourists were questing for an escape from overcrowded central Goa, especially the Calangute area.
Back in 2013, when I first visited Palolem, the beautiful beach was pretty empty, mostly occupied by foreign tourists. But with time the queen of Indian Beaches became very famous as well as populated. On my last Palolem trip in 2019 (just before the COVID-19 pandemic), I found Palolem was no more a virgin beach, but neither overcrowded like Calangute or Colva. To my delight, the charm of Palolem remains still alive, just the commercialized areas became a bit crowded.
Central part of Palolem beach is mostly commercialized, hence also overcrowded by the youngers who prefer to hang out in the beach shacks and enjoy water sports. However, the prime beauty of Palolem rests at the northern part of the beach, near Canacona Island, which remains pretty less crowded.
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Things to do in Palolem
Apart from enjoying the rhythmic waves, gulping the sunset view, or hanging out to the beach-side bars, Palolem offers a lot of other excitements, creating your Goa trip ever-unforgettable. Boat-riding, watching dolphins, hopping around the virgin beaches, kayaking, birding, or even relaxing on the sandy beach, Palolem has almost every spice to host you one week long.
Let’s explore the complete list of things to do around Palolem Beach in Goa.
Head for Dolphin Watching Trip
Morning session is the best time to head for the dolphin trip. Starting from the bay of Palolem you’ll be sailed through the Arabian Sea towards the Neighbour beach, Agonda. On the way, the boatman halts at a certain point and guides you to spot the jumping dolphins.
If you can reach the spot early in the morning, you can see plenty of dolphins playing and jumping around you; with increasing sunlight, the dolphins start disappearing from the upper level. Again, before sunset, you can spot them at the same point but the frequency of their appearance decreases compare to the morning session.
If the boatmen or brokers see you around the row of boats at Palolem Beach, they will run after you; the brokers generally demand variable rents to the Indian and foreign tourists; you must bargain with them before booking.
- Standard Rate: 600/boat (varies with season)
Also read: Arambol Beach in Goa: Nearby Attractions and Accommodations
Explore the virgin beaches around Palolem
The same dolphin trip includes several other activities and sightseeing. After leaving Palolem Beach the boatman sails the boat slowly beside the rocky islands around Canacona and Palolem, offering you some picture-perfect landscapes. Further they help you to spot the dolphins and drop you at Agonda Beach.
On the return trip, the boatmen show you some beautiful virgin islands, and also halts at some of those.
The best Islands you’ll spot on the way are known as, Honeymoon Island, Butterfly Island, and Monkey Island. They generally halt at Honeymoon Island and Butterfly Island, providing you space to explore those and have some memorable snaps. In the end, the boatman gets back to Palolem Beach through the narrow canal beside Canacona Island.
You also have the option to spend a full day at Butterfly Beach or Honeymoon Beach, gasping the undefined serenity of the beautiful Islands. You have to contact your boatman accordingly; he’ll drop you to the shore of any of those beaches during low tide, and take you back before the appearance of high tide.
Note: With the increasing height of water level during high tide, portions of Butterfly Beach or Honeymoon Beach sinks below the Arabian sea.
Spend Unforgettable Moments at Canacona Island
Situating at the northern end of Palolem Beach, Canacona Island is the ultimate place to hang out in pure nature. On a fine afternoon, you can fairly spend peaceful hours with your loved ones, feeling the absolute serenity and breathtaking beauty of Canacona Island. Also, there is one beach shack to chill out your Canacona afternoon!
Although being a part of Palolem, the entrance of white-sanded Canacona Island is separated from Palolem by a natural canal that connects the backwater to the ocean. During high tide, sea water forcefully mates the Backwater and the canal gets filled with salty water, covering up to your waist level or more; with your daredevil mind, you can try crossing the water line to reach Canacona.
Otherwise, for a hassle-free experience, you should attempt your Canacona trip during low tide, when a safe and sandy path connects Canacona Island to Palolem Beach, erasing the canal water.
Related destination: Unexplored Keri beach in Goa
Go for a boating trip at Palolem Backwater (+ Birding)
After reaching the junction of Palolem beach and Canacona Island, if you start walking opposite the sea, you’ll reach the bank of a serene backwater; Boatmen wait there with their shikhara boats to entertain you to the backwater.
Palolem backwater is surrounded by deep and dense forest, and rows of palm trees; a big balancing rock at the bank significantly attracts your vision just after initiating the boat trip.
Your silent boat ride gets a certain charm when hundreds of eagles appear suddenly and start flying over your boat head! It’s a spot in the middle where the boatmen stop the boat and start throwing pieces of meat in the water; flocks of eagles come down and grab those at lightning speed. Indeed, it’s an ever-exciting sight that you’ll experience on your boat trip to Palolem Backwater.
Next, the boatman enters deep into the backwater, offering you a thrilling fill of mangrove forest. In this area, you can spot several unknown birds, few wait for their catch, few are hiding behind the woods.
On your Palolem trip don’t ever miss this exciting boat ride. On our first Palolem trip, we skipped the thrill of Palolem backwater, but never made the same mistake again when we returned to Palolem the next few times.
Must read: Magnificent Kalacha Beach in Goa: Meet the coastal heaven
Enjoy Kayaking at Palolem
Kayaking is a common and very popular water sport that is available at many sea beaches around the world, but not much in India; because most of the Indian beaches are equipped with relatively rough waves that aren’t suitable for safe kayaking.
Palolem is different in this sense; the Arabian sea is calm and rhythmic around Palolem Beach. That’s why Palolem is considered as the safest beach for kayaking in Goa. Kayaks are available for rent at some beachfront water sports corners; you can sail the kayak alone in the sea if you are an expert, but it’s safer to hire trained guidemen.
Kayaking options are also available at nearby Cola Beach, but allowed only for backwater drive; the rough sea of Cola Beach is absolutely unsafe for kayaking.
Explore more about: Amazing Cola Beach near Palolem
Watch Sunset from Palolem Beach or Canacona Island
At the end of the day, Palolem Beach hosts an extra crowd when all the visitors come out on the beach to enjoy the sunset party. In Palolem, you can experience the sunset view from 3 different angels;
(1) Standing on Palolem Beach: it’s an ever-beautiful sight to watch the sun disappearing behind the Canacona hills.
(2) From Canacona Island: You can have a different sunset view while enjoying romantic moments at Canacona Island.
(3) From the middle of the sea: This is the extra benefit of an evening trip to the dolphins’ era! You can experience the undefined beauty of sunset right from the middle of sea, sitting on the wavering boat.
If you are on a longer trip to Palolem, I suggest, try all the tastes of sunset views on different days.
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Enjoy Bike trip – Explore nearby places
There are several places to visit around Palolem, including Cola Beach, Agonda, Kakolem, Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary, etc. I have introduced them in details below.
However, for attending the nearby places, you don’t need to hire a rented car; this costs a lot to explore everything, and also you can’t travel freely. Better, you rent a bike to explore nearby attractions.
In Palolem you’ll not get plenty of bike corners, as available in Calangute; hence, don’t expect your favourite brand of bike at Palolem, but any bike with good condition can serve your purpose.
Near the vehicle stand beside Palolem Beach you’ll get bikes for rent. Alternatively you can request your resort manager or Homestay owner to arrange a two-wheeler for you. Photo copy of your bike licence and Identity card are required for renting a bike; don’t handover the originals to the bike owner.
A different place with different taste: Dawki in Meghalaya – A Perfect Gateway to Explore the River Paradise
Practice Yoga
Absolute serenity of Palolem Beach, makes it perfect for practicing Yoga. In early morning you can discover, several tourists are jogging along the sandy beach, some are practicing yoga, mostly foreigners.
Also, in Palolem there are several yoga centre equipped with practicing facilities and trainers; you can contact there if you are interested.
Cheer up in the Beach Shacks
Nothing special, but so special!
After a busy day, hopping around the every corner of Palolem, get refreshed and spend a beautiful evening at nearby beach shack or wine bar. Enlightened by yellow street lights, the beach sand converts to gold dust, reminding you the era of El dorado. The magical ambiance of Palolem nights can be perfectly flavoured with a glass of Irish wine and delicious dishes of sea foods.
Love hill destinations? You may read about Munnar Tourist Places or Beauty of Coonoor
Other Tourist Attractions around Palolem Beach in Goa
As I mentioned above, you can visit several places around Palolem just by renting a bike. Let’s explore the brief list of worthy places where you can drive through.
Agonda Beach
Situating at the north of Palolem, Agonda is a peaceful coastal destination where you can reach both by boat or riding a bike (9 km).
Agonda beach is well organized with rows of colorful cottages, beach huts, and treehouses; this place is relatively less expensive and much less crowded compared to Palolem. For that reason, Agonda becomes more popular to the foreigners, especially those who visit Goa for a longer vacation.
Agonda Church is a remarkable landmark nearby, that may help you to located the Beach during a bike trip.
Cola Beach
Surrounded by lush green forest, rows of palm trees, and, billowy Arabian sea, Cola Beach is one of the most exciting places to visit around Palolem. The blue lagoon at the backdrop is the special attraction of Cola beach.
It’s a bit away from Palolem; you have to drive about 18 km to reach Cola Beach. Most tourists (especially foreigners) who book their stay at nearby destinations (Palolem, Agonda, Colva, etc.), generally reach Cola beach early in the morning, spend a full day enjoying the beach activities, and return to their homestays/hotels before evening. If you are willing to visit Cola from Palolem, I suggest follow the same plan.
Alternatively, you can stay at Cola for 1-2 nights, which is a far better plan for exploring and enjoying Cola Beach completely. There are a few beach-front and Lagoon-front resorts at Cola, offering superior facilities; you may pre-book one of those.
Kakolem Beach
Situating just beside Cola, Kakolem is another virgin beach, offering picture-perfect sights all around. It’s even more peaceful; you’ll barely find a few guests upon your visit at Kakolem Beach.
The perfect blending of widespread deep forest, steep hills, rocky sea, and a picturesque waterfall at the backdrop creates a heavenly atmosphere around Kakolem Beach. Till date, only a few people know about this magical place; so, must become one of those lucky tourists to explore the exotic beauty of Kakolem Beach.
To reach this destination from Palolem, you have to ride your bike for about 30 min (16 km), and then you need the hike below 200 stair steps (approx.) to step onto the Kakolem beach.
Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary
Most Goa tourists prefer lazing around beautiful beaches but skip either side of Goa, the beauty of Goan forests. Although some tourists visit Doodhsagar Waterfalls and corresponding forests, the evergreen wildlife sanctuaries mostly remain untouched.
However, the lush green hilly sanctuaries of Goa host plenty of wilds. If you visit Palolem, must visit Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary that is 12 km away from Palolem, situating at Goa-Karnataka Border. This forest is safe home for flying squirrel, mouse deer, slender loris, four-horned antelope, Indian pangolin, Malabar pit viper, Malabar trogon, hump-nosed pit viper, heart-spotted woodpecker, white-bellied woodpecker, Draco or flying lizard, velvet-fronted nuthatch, speckled piculet, Malayan bittern, golden-back gliding snake, and Malabar tree toad. If you are lucky enough, you can see Gazelles, Sloth Bears, Porcupines, Panthers, and Hyenas.
| Timing | 7:00 AM – 5:30 PM |
| Entry fee | Only Rs. 5 per person |
| Camera | Rs. 25 per Camera |
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Patnem Beach
Just behind Palolem hills at the southern end, a serine and silent beach becomes popular to the foreign delegates, known as Patnem Beach. It’s only 3 km away from Palolem, so you can visit anytime there to spend some peaceful hours.
During peak season when Palolem becomes overcrowded, you can choose to stay at Patnem to find relative peace. You can spot there several beachfront cottages surrounded by lush green, offering you a far calm ambiance compared to Palolem.
Also Read: Arambol Beach in Goa: Nearby Attractions and Accommodations
Galgibaga Beach or Turtle Beach
Apart from Tolivia and Polem, Galgibaga can be considered as the southernmost Beach in Goa, well known as the nesting ground of Olive Ridley Turtles. Having widespread shadows of tamarisk trees at the backdrop and the green carpet of creepers on the beach sand, Galgibaga Beach presents a unique beauty that lacks in most other beaches in Goa.
Due to a shortfall of tourist activities, Galgigaba beach remains almost silent throughout the year; on your visit, you can rarely find a couple of tourists around this place. Indeed, it’s a perfect gateway to spend solitary hours, enjoying calm and quiet environment and watching the lovely view of the Arabian sea.
The road to Galgibaga is beautiful itself; you can enjoy a joyful bike ride on the way, crossing over narrow bridges and passing by hilly landscapes. The confluence of Talpona River is another beautiful sight to watch nearby.
How to Visit Palolem Beach in Goa
To reach Palolem Beachfront you have to rent a car from Goa airport or the nearest railway station. In case, you are in the Northern part or central part before visiting Palolem, still you have to book a car to reach Palolem.
Airport
Dabolim Airport is the only international airport in Goa. You can reach Dabolim directly from another international destination, or you can afford a break journey via Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, or any other Indian Airport.
Dabolim airport is 60 km away from Palolem Beach; it takes about 2 hours to reach Palolem from the airport (including traffic jam). So you should plan accordingly (especially the return journey).
Railway stations
Canacona Railway station: This is the nearest railway station to Palolem (3 km). From Mumbai, you’ll get only a few trains that stop at Canacona Railway station.
- Netravati Express (from Mumbai)
- Matsyaganda Express (from Mumbai)
- Madgaon Express (from Mangalore Jn.)
- Maq Intercity E (from Mangalore)
- Gandhidham Express (Nagercoil Jn/Trivandrum Central)
Another nearest railway station is Madgaon (36 km), where most trains stop. It’s the safest choice, especially if you are traveling to Goa from an away destination.
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When to Visit Palolem Beach
You can visit Palolem anytime throughout the year except monsoon season. September-November and February-March are two peaceful seasons when the rush of tourists remains relatively less. The month of October remains a bit crowded because it’s the festival season in India, many Bengali tourists visit Goa in October.
Considering the seasonal comfort, November-February is the best time to visit Palolem beach; however, from mid-December to mid-January Palolem as well as the whole of Goa remains overcrowded by foreign tourists. This is the peak season in Goa, hence hotels are also very expensive in these months. So, plan accordingly.
Where to stay at Palolem
Palolem is rich with all sorts of accommodations, including premium resorts, beach huts, hotels, and homestays. Short trippers generally prefer beachfront resorts and huts. But for a longer stay, beachside hotels might be very expensive.
I noticed many foreign visitors avoid beachfront ones and book money-saving homestays at interior locations. They happily spend several weeks, even months on the same homestay until their trips are over.
By the way, among so many properties, it’s a bit difficult to pick the best ones. Based on our own survey we created a list of the best hotels/ resorts in Palolem for your best holiday experiences. The specific review article is upcoming shortly.
Best dishes to try at Palolem
At Palolem you can try several Goanese dishes as well delicious plates of seafood; you can try seafood here and there because most local restaurants offer fresh dishes of fish, prawns, and crabs. If you are especially interested in Goanese dishes, must visit a reputed restaurant.
For your information, Thalassa, Chef Peter’s Kitchen, Artjuna, Caravela Café, Las Olas, Brittos, Fat Fish, Shining star, etc. are some of the best restaurants at Goa; there are more names in this list, you can check the complete list HERE. On your Palolem trip, you may not access all of those, because most of those are away from Palolem. But if you are visiting another spot before or after the Palolem trip, you have the options.
Below, I’m introducing a list of the best dishes that you can try at any restaurant in Palolem.
Seafood
Kingfish fry, pomfret tandoor/ fry, Crab masala, tiger prawn rawa fry/ kari, lobster, red snapper, fried calamari, and Tuna fish.
Goan Dishes
Chicken/ pork Vindaloo, goan prawn kari, chicken cafreal, chicken xacuti, Bibinka.
Drinks
Around Palolem, sweet coconuts are available at affordable prices; so for keeping yourself hydrated you can drink plenty of coconut water.
If you love hard drinks, Palolem is heaven for you; you’ll get almost all brands here. On an experiment basis, you can try Local Port wine and Feni with coconut water, though I personally don’t recommend these.
Palolem Beach in Goa: A summary
| Place to reach | Palolem Beach |
| Nearest Airport | Dabolim airport (60 km) |
| Nearest Railway stations | Canacona (3 km); Madgaon (36 km) |
| Attractions & Activities | ✔️ Lazing at Palolem beach ✔️ Boat ride for Dolphine trip ✔️ Relaxing at Honeymoon Beach ✔️ Visiting Monkey Butterfly beach ✔️ Boating to Palolem Backwater ✔️ Canacona Island ✔️ Trekking to Canacona hill ✔️ Kayaking ✔️ Birding |
| Nearby beaches to visit | ? Cola Beach ? Agonda Beach ? Kakolem Beach ? Galgibaga Beach; ? Patnem beach |
| Meeting to Wild | At Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary |
| Delicious dishes to try: | Try seafood preferably; ? Pomfret tandoor ? Kingfish fry ? Jumbo Crab masala ? Tiger prawn fry ? Lobster |
| Drinks | You’ll get almost all types of hard drinks near Palolem Beach. |
| Best time to visit | September – April *Dec-Jan remains crowded by Foreign delegates *October remains a little crowded by Bengali people (festival holidays) |
Wrapping up
Dear Reader, I shared my 3 times touring experience in Palolem and nearby destinations, and tried my best to introduce the most detailed information about this heavenly place. I hope, this will help you to plan the best trip to south Goa as well as Palolem. Still, if you have any further queries, feel free to post your questions in the comment box below. I’ll be more than happy to help you out further.
Happy Travel!
Dr. Suvankar Das is a scientific advisor by profession, associated with a CRO organization. He pursued his doctoral degree in Chemistry in 2015. Later, he worked as a postdoctoral researcher & scientist in a couple of institutes/companies.
Besides his scientific journey, Dr. Das is also a passionate traveler and travel blogger. He loves to share all his travel experiences with other travelers so that everyone can enjoy hassle-free holidays with their own tour plans.
He believes, the most beautiful thing in this world is the WORLD itself. so there is no way to live like a clock; rather live it like a compass!
Hi and thanks for sharing this inspiring guide to Palolem. I haven’t made it to India yet but I’m planning to, and I promised myself that Goa would be on my top list.
I heard so many stories from other travelers who ended up spending time in Goa. I think for many years it was a bit of a hippy paradise. I was also fascinated to see that Goa is one of the places where the infamous Vasco da Gamma stopped. Coincidentally I have been reading about the unspeakably brutal treatment he used to deal with the locals when he landed his ships.
Anyway, one day I will be lazing on a beach in Goa (and of course Palolem) of that I am certain. Thanks again for this inspiring guide – you transported me there already! Best regards, Andy
Thanks for the compliments! When you’ll be planning for the Goa trip you may give me a knock. I’ll be glad to help you in spotting the must-visit places and hidden beauties of Goa.