Palolem Beach
A crescent bay lined with coconut palms, in the south, far from the party beaches of the north.
Duration
3 hrs – 6 hrs
Best time
November to March
Open
Every day
Entry price
Free
Palolem is a crescent bay a little over a kilometre long, closed at each end by a rocky headland, in southern Goa. The curve breaks the swell, which makes the sea markedly calmer than on the northern beaches.
The timber huts along it are seasonal: regulations require them to be dismantled each year before the monsoon and rebuilt in October. So nothing permanent stands on the sand, and that is what preserves the look of the bay.
Getting there
South Goa, an hour and a half by road from Panaji. Train to Canacona, then ten minutes by auto-rickshaw.
Rules on site
The huts are taken down from May to September: out of season the beach is empty and most businesses closed. The current strengthens at both ends of the bay, near the rocks.