Goa, India
Goa is a tiny part of India on the west coast. This small state is one of India's most dazzling tourist attractions - a land of more than 26 wonderful beaches with soft white sand, swinging palms and coconut trees. Scenic and silent lakes, natural springs known for their medicinal powers, green hills challenging the trekkers, a huge collection of historic temples and churches, lush fields of vegetables and grains, Party zones with night clubs and discos. And way behind the never ending list, the land of kind hearted and very hospitable people with a rich cultural milieu
Option 1: City Tour & Old Goa with Lunch at a Spice Plantation
Pick-up from Mormugao Port
Visit the Sahakari Spice Farm
An award winning spice plantation set amidst lush green surroundings. At the entrance, you are welcomed by the farm staff with a garland of fresh flowers, a tikka (auspicious red mark on the forehead) and aarti.
A guide takes you around the farm, explaining the usefulness of the spices, tropical fruits, herbs and roots grown here, such as cashew, Areca nut (Betel nut) palm trees and tropical fruit like star fruit, jackfruit, custard apple, banana, papaya and pineapple.
After the tour, you are served.an exquisite Goan lunch served in earthen pots or coconut shells, eaten in plates specially made of banana leaves The rustic restaurant with its roof of coconut palms, benches made of wooden planks, the fragrance of rich spices, the chirping of birds, all this and more constitute this calm and relaxing environment.
Continue on a tour of Panjim City (1½ hours): and Old Goa (1½ hrs)
Panaji (Panjim), a former fishing village, was made the capital of Goa by a decree from Lisbon. It is spread around Altinho, a residential area with Portuguese style bungalows. The dominant structure is the Patriarch's Palace with the statue of Christ the King on its lawns. Altinho offers a panoramic view of the city from its summit. The Idalcao (Adil Shah's palace), built in 1490, is the oldest monument in Panjim.
The Goan Capital has a different feel from any other Indian city. Stacked around the side of lush terraced hillsides at the mouth of the Mandovi River, its skyline of sloping red-tiled roofs, whitewashed churches and concrete apartment blocks, the essence of the city, purely based on Portuguese architectural style, is distinctively seen all around.
Visit the historic neighborhood of Fontainhas, known as the Latin Quarter. Discover the area's Portuguese influences as you walk down narrow streets and past old, colorful villas.
Pause at the small St Sebastian Chapel to view several statues of historical figures including the Roman Catholic monk Abade Faria.
Known as the Church Square which is located in the heart of the City is Panjim’s most photogenic landmark - the Church of Our Lady of Immaculate Conception.
Old Goa: (1½ hours)
Old Goa, the heartland of Asian Christianity, was once a bustling metropolis but is now in ruins. Old Goa, called “Rome of the East”, bounds in churches and chapels, some dating back to the 16th century. The profusion and architectural excellence of churches include superb examples of late renaissance, early baroque, Manueline and Gothic.
Visit some of the most popular and the best known churches and cathedrals in Old Goa.
The Basilica of Bom Jesus is the most well recognized church in Goa and among the most revered by Christians worldwide. Partially in ruins, it is still a model of simplicity and elegance, and a fine example of Jesuit architecture. This magnificent edifice stands as a superb example of Baroque architecture in Goa. The church is called "Bom Jesus" meaning 'good Jesus' or 'infant Jesus' to whom it is dedicated. On the southern side in the transept is a chapel with gilded twisted columns and floral decorations of wood, where the sacred relics of the body of St. Francis Xavier are kept. The silver casket, which serves as a reliquary containing the sacred relics of the body of St. Francis Xavier, is exquisitely carved, and was once studded with precious stones.
The majestic Se Cathedral is situated across the road from the Basilica. One of the most ancient and celebrated religious buildings of Goa, this magnificent 16th century monument to the Roman Catholic rule in Goa under the Portuguese is the largest church in Asia. The Cathedral is dedicated to St. Catherine of Alexandria on whose feast day in 1510 Alfonso Albuquerque defeated the Muslim army and took possession of the city of Goa. Hence it is also known as St. Catherine's' Cathedral.
The Church of St. Francis of Assisi is situated behind the Se Cathedral, in the same structure. It was established by the Franciscans who were the earliest missionaries to Goa. The attached convent now houses the archaeological museum with portraits of Goa’s viceroys and Hindu Sculptures.
TIME PERMITTING, drive through the verdant villages dotted with whitewashed chapels and churches, passing several roadside pubs, called Tavernas where the local brew of cashew and coconut is served.
Stop at the queen of Goan beaches – Calangute or to the serene Baga beach.
After a relaxing stop here, drive back to the Mormugao Port to re-embark on your cruise ship.
END OF OUR SERVICES
Option 2: Heritage Tour of Goa with Lunch at the Palácio Do Deão
Mormugao Port
You are picked up at the Mormugao Port and driven to several sleepy villages, stepping back in time to get a glimpse of the historic remnants of the Portuguese era.
Your first stop is the little village of Loutolim (21 km/45 min drive). Built in 1590, it pre-dates the Taj Mahal by decades. It was designed by Jesuit priests from nearby Rachol Seminary to accommodate a newly-converted Goan family - the Podiars, who took the name Figueiredo.
The house's sumptuous interior stands in studied contrast to the natural beauty of the paddy fields and coconut trees that surround it. In the 18th century, with the family's rise in power, the house was suitably augmented to achieve its current proportions. The addition is still known as the "New house".
Drive on the internal roads to the village of Chandor (18 km/30 min) to visit yet another Heritage mansion.
The Menezes Braganza Mansion is the biggest Portuguese mansion of its kind in Goa. Built in the 17th century and stretching along one whole side of Chandor’s village square, it is the best example of what Goa’s once-grand and glorious mansions have today become. Granted the land by the King of Portugal, the Braganza family built this oversized house, which was later divided into the east and west wings when it was inherited by two sisters from the family.
A 10 km (20 min) drive gets you to Palácio do Deão, a 250 years old mansion built by a Portuguese nobleman, who was the Dean of the Church and founder of Quepem town. The house faces the church he built and is on the banks of the wildly beautiful Kushavati River. It is built in an unusual style blending elements of Hindu and Portuguese architecture. Another of its outstanding features are the lush gardens which have managed to preserve their historical features and have, since old times, been known as the most beautiful pleasure gardens in Goa.
Enjoy la traditional lunch at Palácio do Deão where you can savour Goan delicacies. Goan cuisine originated from its ancient Hindu roots, but was influenced by the 451 years of Portuguese colonialisation and the century of Muslim rule that preceded the Portuguese. Many Catholic dishes are either similar to or variants of their Portuguese counterparts in both naming or their use of ingredients. Rice, seafood, coconut, vegetables, beef, pork and local spices are some of the main ingredients in Goan cuisine. As Goa is located in a tropical zone, the spices and flavors are intense. Use of kokum is another distinct feature. Goan food is considered incomplete without fish.
On the way back, you could stop at Margao town (14 km/30 min) for some shopping for different variations of souvenirs and gifts - from cashew nuts to the Goan feni - everything is available with loads of variety to choose from all around the town.
OPTIONAL: Visit the Ethnographical Museum, Chitra Goa. A labour of love by artist/restorer Victor Hugo Gomes, this no regular museum. For one, Gomes personally guides you through room after room of artifacts that harken back to Goa's once-robust agricultural and rural past. Ploughs that were used less than a century ago to till fertile land, earthenware pots that held many a curry, coconut shell ladles and spoons, wooden rice and grain measures, palm oil extractors and exhibits of cane storage bins - transport you back to village Goa, as it existed frozen in time until the 1970s.
TIME PERMITTING, you could spend some time relaxing on one of the South Goa beaches (Colva, Betalbatim, Majorda, Utorda, Arossim, Bogmalo etc.), before driving back to the Mormugao port in time to board your cruise ship.
END OF OUR SERVICES
