COLVA BEACH

COLVA BEACH
Colva is a long sandy beach in South Goa. It is a part of the 26.7 kilometer long coastline that extends from Dabolim, close to the Goa airport to the Sal River near the Mobor beach. Colva is a major beach in the south that is popular with both Indian and foreign tourists. The beach is only 9.3 kilometers from Margao, which is the largest city in South Goa, and thus, many locals come down to Colva in the evenings and the weekends. At other times, it remains mostly deserted, especially if you move away from the central areas.
Colva is a perfect beach in every way. It has soft golden sand, which stretches gently into the sea. There are no undercurrents in the water, so you can swim safely. Even young children can swim in the sea. There are many water sports activities like speed boats, banana boats, water skiing, and parasailing. The Colva Creek runs parallel to the beach, with many small bridges connecting to the sandy stretch.
There are several shacks on the beach, like Boomerang, Pina Colada, Anthony’s, Eddies Place, Sea View Café, Esco’s, Mickey’s, and Sucorina. But they are all well spread apart, which ensures that the beach never feels congested. If you move away from the central area, you won’t see anyone for long stretches. Each beach shack has its own sun beds with umbrellas, where you can lay back and enjoy the scenery with food and drinks. On the beach, you can play football and volleyball.
You will see greenery everywhere. Walk just a few steps from the central area of the beach, and you will arrive at a vast coconut plantation. Away from the beach, Colva is busy, especially around the Colva Circle. Most of the hotels, luxury villas for rent, shops, restaurants, and cafes are located here. You will also find many car/bike rentals and tattoo centers.
Even a few decades back, Colva used to be completely barren as there were no restaurants and places to stay. The Mughals preferred the hilly North so they could erect their forts. Colva was owned by the Portuguese Roiz family. Diogo Rodrigues was called the “Lord of Colvá” as he owned the entire beach, which went by the name of “Praia da Colvá”. Diogo constructed a house here in 1551: That was the first residential building here.