Goa Beyond The Beaches
Wanderlust Travel Magazine|December 2016/January 2017

Beyond the beaches Shake the sand from your flip-flops and head inland to discover why this former Portuguese colony is a world apart from the rest of India.

Martin Symington
Goa Beyond The Beaches

Even Richard F Burton, the indomitable Victorian explorer and writer who once made the hajj to Mecca disguised as a Pashtun pilgrim, was dazzled by Goa. ‘Most beautiful was the hazy tone of colour all around,’ waxed Burton on a visit from neighbouring ‘Hindoo’ India, before going on to describe ‘huge masses of masonry – some standing out from the cloudless sky, others lining the edge of the creek – ruins of very picturesque form, and churches of most unpicturesque hue.

Nowadays Goa is better known for its beach holidays. So what did Burton, in his 1851 travelogue Goa and the Blue Mountains, have to say about the sun-kissed coastline? Zilch. Rather, he travelled down from British-ruled Bombay (now Mumbai) because he was ‘rudely roused by curiosity’ about the Portuguese colony on the Indian subcontinent, which, at that time, had been governed from Lisbon for the past three centuries.

Like Burton before me, it wasn’t Goa’s white sands that stirred my interest. The colonial era may be behind it, but I was expecting some areas to still be closer in spirit to the Mediterranean than the rest of the subcontinent. So I set out to discover what lay beyond the famed beaches of India’s smallest state, sniffing out its hinterlands and echoes of its 400-year-long colonial era, which only ended in 1961 when then-Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru ordered the Portuguese to be ejected by force. I was in search of a country within a country.

Escaping The Sands 

Being around the size of Cornwall, it would have been feasible (just about) to explore the length of Goa on day trips from a single location, and in truth that’s what most visitors do here. But to get closer to the core of this tiny state, I opted to move around.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة December 2016/January 2017 من Wanderlust Travel Magazine.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة December 2016/January 2017 من Wanderlust Travel Magazine.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

المزيد من القصص من WANDERLUST TRAVEL MAGAZINE مشاهدة الكل
Vermont, USA
Wanderlust Travel Magazine

Vermont, USA

The Wanderlust team relocated to New England for part of this issue, as we explored a lush state filled with outdoor escapes, historic towns... and lashings of maple syrup

time-read
6 mins  |
October/November 2023
Unique North America
Wanderlust Travel Magazine

Unique North America

See a side to the USA and Canada beyond the big cities and discover incredible stories and special wildlife with our pick of the trips

time-read
5 mins  |
October/November 2023
The call of the Rockies
Wanderlust Travel Magazine

The call of the Rockies

From historic ski lodges to rustic backcountry cabins and a mock-Scottish castle, we pick the stays in Canada's Rocky Mountains that make the most of their setting

time-read
6 mins  |
October/November 2023
A new dawn for the Garifuna community
Wanderlust Travel Magazine

A new dawn for the Garifuna community

When the Garifuna people settled in Belize, they had to carry their traditions and culture with them; now a new trail is inviting visitors to explore this heritage through local communities

time-read
9 mins  |
October/November 2023
On the edge of history
Wanderlust Travel Magazine

On the edge of history

In south-west Colorado lies the largest archaeological preserve in the USA, a series of vast cliff dwellings whose residents 'vanished' overnight. But was the answer to their disappearance in plain sight?

time-read
10+ mins  |
October/November 2023
Tigers burning bright
Wanderlust Travel Magazine

Tigers burning bright

As India celebrates 50 years of its Project Tiger conservation scheme, we visit the reserves of Madhya Pradesh to see how its success has impacted a tiger population that once looked in danger of disappearing

time-read
9 mins  |
October/November 2023
SEASON'S GREETINGS
Wanderlust Travel Magazine

SEASON'S GREETINGS

From fiery fall foliage to art fairs and harvest festivals, opens up a wealth of across the USA and Canada autumn experiences

time-read
10 mins  |
October/November 2023
Waking a sleeping GIANT
Wanderlust Travel Magazine

Waking a sleeping GIANT

A slow drive along the North Wales Way, from the English border to Anglesey, reveals not only a land of incredible local food and castles, but a region that is slowly reimagining itself

time-read
8 mins  |
October/November 2023
The rebirth of old JEDDAH
Wanderlust Travel Magazine

The rebirth of old JEDDAH

As efforts to restore Al-Balad, Jeddah's historical district, take hold, we get an exclusive peek at how art and culture are taking centre stage

time-read
10 mins  |
October/November 2023
Star-studded escapes
Wanderlust Travel Magazine

Star-studded escapes

Wilderness, history and wildlife combine at some of Britain's most iconic stargazing sites, as more and more travellers are looking to the heavens

time-read
8 mins  |
October/November 2023