Mandovi River Cruise in Goa: Experience Goa Beyond Beaches
I am back from a short holiday in Goa. This time I broke the Goa tourists’ rule of visiting beaches. I didn’t visit a single beach in the 7 days I spent there. Deliberately I did different things. There are several other things to do in Goa beyond beaches.
It was a cruise through Mandovi River Road in Goa! The river is 81km in length; 35km of which flows in Karnataka, 1km in Maharashtra and 45km in Goa.
For a part of my holiday I stayed in a students’ hostel and then for a couple of days in a reputed home-stay and then another day in a guest house. Days spent in the students’ hostel are most dear to me. Of course that had to be, I was with my elder daughter there.
The fun part was I had food in their canteen. I queued up behind other students and ate the same food they were eating. That reminded of my student days, made me feel a lot younger! The home-stay part was result of my prize winning entry in one of the contests held by Indiblogger some time back. Read the entry: Bringing Nature to Our Balcony.
Mandovi River Road in Goa
To start with, I didn’t do the sea but I did the river. I cruised along the river road in Goa. Did you know Goa is crisscrossed by 9 rivers? Yes, 9 of them flowing from Western Ghats to the Arabian Sea. These rivers are a huge support for Goan life.
We did three hours of speed boat ride. We cruised along the Mandovi River almost till Aguada Fort when we spotted dolphins! And how they thrilled us!
The meeting of Mandovi River and the Arabian Sea at Miramar and sighting the dolphins diving around was a spectacular sight! Humpback dolphins and the finless Porpoises can be seen in plenty along the Sinquerim Bay, as this bay with shallow waters is an ideal habitat for them.
Reading about these dolphins forever in blogs and news articles had become such a sour affair: all those feelings got wiped off when we saw so many of them bobbing up down the river surface.
Noteworthy historical sights that we spotted along the river are: Aguada Fort, Reis Magos Church and Fort. Casinos too dotted the river line, they must be a sight to behold at night when they are fully lit up.
Up the Mandovi River
After spotting the dolphins we moved on along the river road in Goa. A little up stream, Mandovi River splits to Mapusa River, we moved on along Mapusa River.
We crossed Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary, I looked at it longingly, some day I should visit this place I jotted in the pages of my mind. (How to reach the sanctuary: Take a bus or car ride from Panaji, capital of Goa, to the Ribandar ferry wharf. From there, take a ferry across the Mandovi River to the island of Chorao. The sanctuary is within walking distance from the ferry wharf.)
Soon I spotted a flying fish scurrying across the river. It was too fast for me. That made me alert to capture any other interesting sight that would come my way. And I was not disappointed. A little further we spotted a water snake cross our path. This time I was ready with my camera and I could get a few decent snaps.
Dolphins in Goa Rivers
River snake in Mandovi
So it is possible to explore Goa beyond beaches and enjoy the other things. One among them could be the cruise through the Mandovi River cruise in Goa! This is one of the popular river cruises in India.
Also read: Boat Cruise in Lake Geneva, Canal Cruise in Amsterdam
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It’s always great to go against the norm and find new magic in an old place. Admittedly, I visit my fair share of tourist attractions…but I also love to find hidden gems as well and the 3 hr speed boat ride sounds like a great time.
This is a refreshingly different perspective of Goa. Yes indeed, there is so much to Goa, beyond its beaches. One needs to explore the interior villages of Goa for an immersive experience in the regions culture and heritage.
Awesome photos! That snake looks scary though. I love seeing off the beaten path places.
I have great respect for travellers who find new ways to travel a frequently travelled destination in a new way altogether!
You have just earned a new fan Indrani!
GOA, here I come!
This must have been a delightful experence. Criuse through a small, calm river should be soothn. And great shots of the snake and dolphins. Are these river dolphins?
Looks like you had an authentic journey in Goa! I had no idea it is crossed by 9 rivers! Would love to see the dolphins as well but honestly I would check the beaches for sure! Staying at the student hostel/dorm probably can give you a more local and homely feeling.
I usually run away from beaches when I travel, so I don’t blaim you. This trip up the river looks great actually, very nice views and it looks like you’re in the middle of nature!
Wow nice getaway! Never been to Goa but sounds really great to be there with your post and wait, Is that a snake? Love your shots by the way 🙂
Wow.. This blog is just what I want to do in my next trip to Goa. Stay away from beaches and romance with the architecture and culture of the villages. Concept of River road travel is so interesting. I am copying your itinerary in my next trip. Thanks for the lovely article.
Ah, Goa. I haven’t been there and didn’t know one can see dolphins around! I love dolphins and often opt of dolphin and whale watching tour in the Philippines just to get glimpses of these beautiful creatures. But what is that? A sea snake? Something I wouldn’t want to see while swimming though.
I’ve never been to Goa before. I was in India last February, but I never made it to Goa. My friends did and they seem to like it very much. I’m glad that I get to see a part of Goa from your post, seems like you had a great time!
Really lovely post through the rivers of Goa. Something that I hadn’t explored before and plan to do so soon.
9 rivers crossing? Very cool!! Look at that snake too! Kinda creeped out by that lol Thank you for sharing!
Great photos! 9 rivers wow! Can you swim in them? Or is it only the snakes that enjoy it. I saw one in Prague while rafting, after swimming in the river, and I was quite freaked out to be honest 😀
I love snakes, I like the one swimming carelessly in the water!
Since I’m curious, I wanted to see a map of Goa to spot all the different rivers, and I realized that Goa is not an island! I mean, I always heard about Goa beaches that in the end I was kind of sure it was an island, not a western region of India! Shame on me 😀
I had no idea that Goa was criss-crossed by so many rivers although that would certainly account for the abundance of life there. I’ve heard however, that there is a large amount of population there. Does this affect the dolphins? They are a creature that I would imagine are very susceptible to changes in their environment
I have been to India but not Goa. Goa is on the list of places to visit, thank you for the information. I love the snake snap, you must have been so quick. I love India.
Great photos; Goa looks like an amazing place, even without visiting the beaches! I’m not too sure about the huge snake in the water but loved the shot of the dolphins 🙂 Such beautiful creatures!
This post made me really happy! When I visited Goa last year, I realized there’s so much to see in Goa apart from the beaches which most of the travelers miss. And, I loved the rivers in Goa, specifically Baga and Salcete. Great info there!
Wow.Goa has so many rivers.That’s really awesome.Lovely clicks.Thanks for sharing.
Cheers,
Sriram & Krithiga
Beautifully captured Indrani. So envious of you right now for doing the unexplored in Goa. Would love to know more…
That’s awesome..been to Aguada Fort and just love the places..also we were trying to get a peek of Dolphins. Didn’t know about the rivers surrounding Goa and yeah, the Casino on boat, I remember it:)
7 days in Goa without visiting a single beach – hats off to you for bending the rules of Goa travel! 🙂 The pictures look so serene, and I love that glimpse of dolphins in the Mandovi river. I had no clue Goa was crisscrossed by as many as 9 rivers! So far I'd only heard of Mandovi and, to a less extent, Chapora. Thanks for this great post. 🙂
Lovely captures and good read Indrani. I have been to Goa and it is indeed a Lovely place…but my spaces were concerned with art 🙂
Nice post & vivid description about holidays in Goa. Beautiful pictures, especially the one with snake running under water… 🙂
short n sweet post !
Beautiful pics.I didn't know Goa had 9 rivers!
It is always remain a very nice and amazing experience to recall our college memories or being a student again in life. stand in Que to have food, whistling , thrown of clothes here and there. You experience it again. I was Thinking that You are "missing" here for some days , so you were searching treasure there in Goa , treasure means the great scenes . Welcome back. Me too was in Gaya . G for Goa and G for Gaya , hahaha. Very nice and attractive pictures offcourse.
Informative…
What about cost?
A nice account of tour and LOVELY PICTURES. Your writeup has given us chance to know about rivers.
I have just returned from Goa on Sunday. Very true the sight of Dolphins from Aguada fort is worth. I spent some time in the casino too not pride 2 but pride 1. Its good. Goa is good if you just one to stay lazy and enjoy.
Good Snaps.
off the beaten path…..the hidden treasures that we find…..good post…..good choices made….
Lovely captures… 9 rivers sound interesting because I thought Goa was so much about beaches..
I too have seen some lovely dolphins in my Oman trip.
Clicks are lovely as always. Enjoyed reading the post. Could relate to the experience of queuing up with students for food in canteen as I had a similar experience at Manipal. 🙂
I've been on the Mandovi river and yes it's beautiful! Goa is very close to my heart and I just went there last December at the exposition of the remains of Saint Francis Xavier. Do check out my posts on Goa and tell me what you think (if you can).
Nice Narration of the visit to Goa with the beautiful pictures of the Place! A visit to Goa is truly an experience of its own kind compared to the other tourist Places…. And the train travel between Londa and Mud Gaon is really seen as worth of the visit as it passes thru Dudh Sagar Water Falls!
Nice Pics. Yes who wouldn't love to watch the dolphins.
Nice to know that you skipped the beaches and explored the other side of Goa. It is truly a magical land – it has so much to offer.
Nice information and pictures – never knew about the rivers 🙂 And the snake is a variety addition 😀
Loved the way you told the story. Very interesting! Photographs are superb!
Nice place and good shots. Must have been really good to see Dolphins.
Very nice clicks
all pics are lovely but the one with snake is really scary!
Taking a boat to explore sounds fun and exciting… glad you enjoyed being unusual with Goa and also way relaxed! Great photos spotted with dolphins and snake
Glad to hear you avoided the beaches. There is much more Goa than its popular beaches.
Oh wow, did not know about the rivers in Goa, it's all about the sea and the beaches. Goa is still in my bucket list.
I really love the snake shot!
Hello Indrani! The river boat tour looks like a lot of fun! And I love to see the dolphins! Wonderful series of photos..Sounds like you enjoyed your time with your daughter too. Have a happy Friday and weekend ahead!
Goa and no beaches is an achievement 😉
Nice photos.
~ Have a nice weekend ~
What a beautiful trip, very nice pictures!
These are all great shots and I love the last one.
Wonderful photos. I love the last pic too with feet up enjoying the relaxing boat ride. Happy weekend. x
I knew you would be an expert in Goa in time to come and explore the unexplored. I love Goa too. Wish one can spend a couple of month each year there.
I have not yet been to Goa, but will go and also visit the beaches! Nine rivers; that's impressive.
So many rivers in one place! It sounds a lot like Heaven there, 🙂
Goa and no beaches! Breaking the league. Staying in hostel and having food them sounds sweet. I miss my hostel days.
…and must say that you have caught some awesome frames. 😀
What a wonderful getaway!
sounds and looks like a lovely getaway! especially sharing time with your daughter!
Love your pics for the day!! Wonderful to see the dolphins in the water and the river boat — that one reminds me of the river boats in New Orleans!! Hope your week is going well, Indrani!!
Nice photos.