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A unique beach in the North Goa, it is
both rocky and sandy, beach and much sought after by foreign tourists. It
has a sweet water tank right on the shore. Along the Goa border is Arambol
 with its fresh water lagoon. Due to
its isolation, not many tourists have been able to reach this beach. The
16-km-long sea beach along with the Goa border is Arambol with its
fresh water lagoon. The main beach has adequate bodysurfing and
there are several attractive bays a short walk to the north. Beyond an
idyllic, rocky-bottomed cove, the trail emerges to a board strip of soft
white sand hemmed in on both sides by steep cliffs. Behind it, a
small freshwater lake extends along the bottom of the valley into a
thick jungle. Fed by boiling hot springs, the lake is lined with
sulphurous mud, which, smeared over the body, dries to form a surreal,
butter-coloured shell. The resident hippies swear it's good for you and
spend much of the day tiptoeing naked around the shallow like refugees
from some obscure tribal initiation ceremony - much to the amusement of
Arambol's Indian visitors.
Some years ago, when the
screws were tightened at Anjuna in an attempt to control what local
people regarded as the more outrageous activities (nudism and drug use) of
a certain section of the traveling community, the die-hards cast around
for a more sympathetic' beach. Arambol, north of Chapora, was one of those
which they choose. Initially, only those willing to put up with very
primitive conditions came here. Things are a little
more comfortable these days, but development has, so far, been
minimal.
The village remains tranquil and friendly - just a few
hundred locals, mostly fishing people, and a couple of hundred Western
residents in the November to February high season. The coastline lacks the
palm-fringed exotic clinches of the southern Goa beaches but it has plenty
of character and is pretty in its own kind of way.
At one
time, Arambol was the most backward village economically, with farming and
horticulture as its backbone, but today, it has captured a place on the
international map of tourism. Believe it or not, the local barbers have
disappeared from this village, but one finds a barber who has come all the
way from Kerala or Andhra Pradesh to settle down in this village.
Kashmiris have set up their shops, Punjabis run restaurants and fast-food
joints, Maharashtrians operate regular tours, while half-a-dozen hotels
are under construction by entrepreneurs from Bangalore, Mumbai and New
Delhi, realising that the sea beach has assumed great importance in the
global village.
A final note, please treat these lovely beaches as your backyard
and keep them clean. We have lost innumerable natural resources to our own
be..
| Best Time to
Visit |
Arambol is one such centre
of attraction, where one can see a mini-India, where people are
looking for comfort and pleasure during the tourist season which
starts in October with pleasant weather.
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