Benaulim Beach

Benaulim Beach is in South Goa. It is between Sernabatim in the north and Varca Beach in the south. It’s a quiet seaside village with a laid-back atmosphere and a sprinkling of expats who return for a few months every year. Benaulim is not a party resort. This is a very good place for a quiet and relaxing holiday. Goa’s 2nd largest city Margao is only 5 kilometers away. Margao has a busy railway station. So, you can visit Benaulim easily. You can take a taxi or rent a car/bike to visit this beautiful beach.

The wide beaches stretch into the distance as far as the eye can see. A few sun umbrellas and loungers are placed on the sand where you can laze with a fruit cocktail in hand and enjoy the gentle breeze. Benaulim is far removed from the crowds. It’s a good stroll to Colva, which is a busy South Goa beach. Many locals come to Colva from Margao in the weekends as this is the closest beach from the city. Most of them will skip Benaulim, meaning, it remains serene even during the weekends.

On the way to Colva, you will pass some cows chilling on the beach. You will also see the local fishermen drying their nets. Vasco de Gama is visible on the horizon. Away from the beach area, you will find many traditional houses, old churches, temples, and agriculture fields in the village. You can visit the Goa Chitra Museum, try go-kart racing, see bull fighting, and visit the old churches and temples.

Benaulim Map

The beach is part of the 27 kilometer long unbroken coastline that runs all the way from Dabolim to Cavelossim. There is a lot to see and do around Benaulim but most people come here to relax and unwind. There are no beachside vendors to bother you. There are just a few shacks.

Benaulim beach has two premium hotels – Fairfield by Marriott and Taj Exotica. You will also find many smaller hotels, resorts, cottages, and holiday villas for rent in Benaulim.

Before the Portuguese arrived in Goa, Benaulim was known as Banawali or Banahalli, which in local language means “village of the arrow”. Ban in Sanskrit means ‘arrow’, while Halli in the Kannada language means ‘village’. According to a legend, Lord Parashurama, an avatar of the Hindu God Vishnu fired an arrow into the sea and asked the Sea God Varuna to go back to the place where the arrow landed. The arrow landed at today’s Benaulim.

Benaulim Gallery

Luxury villa with direct access to the beach. 5* star service. Prime location of North Goa.
Villa for rent from 19 000 Rs. per night

Quick Facts About Benaulim

1. Benaulim is a beautiful beach in South Goa. It is one of the emptiest, quietest, and cleanest beaches in the south. However, the tourist infrastructure is developed. You will find beach shacks, cafes, restaurants, shops, ATMs, banks, tattoo parlors, and bars.
2. Closest airport – Dabolim – 23.2 kms.
3. Closest railway station – Margao – 5.4 kms.
4. Margao City Center – Margao is a major transport hub and a shopping center. For shopping, you can go to the Pimplapedd/Pimpalakatta market, Mercado Velho market, and the fonso de Albuquerque indoor market.
5. Plenty of water sports action on the beach – Speed boats, banana boats, parasailing, windsurfing, and jet skiing. There are dolphin sighting tours too. There are operators who offer fishing trips as well. The sea is safe for swimming. Nice slope that comes down to the Arabian Sea. There are no rocks here.
6. Many places for sightseeing, like the St. Christopher Church, Our Lady of Mercy Church, and the Holy Trinity Church. You must also visit the Goa Chitra Museum. Bull fighting in the fields at Benaulim close to the beach with Konkani music. This is sure to be a fun and exciting experience.
7. There are many massage parlors and ayurvedic treatment centers at Benaulim. There are a few nightclubs as well.
8. Benaulim has many carpenters. It is often called the “'village of carpenters”.
9. St. Joseph Vaz, a priest and missionary who went to Sri Lanka, was born here.

Best Time Of The Year To Visit Benaulim

Benaulim is never as crowded as some of the popular North Goa beaches. But most tourists prefer the winter season (November to February), as the weather is very nice this time of the year. The beach shacks will also be open. The restaurants, pubs, and cafes will also be fully stuffed, so you will get the best food, drinks, and service. Winter is the time for water sports at Benaulim. The monsoon is deemed too risky, and the summer is very hot.

Weather

Like elsewhere in Goa, Benaulim is also hot in the summer. The daytime temperature ranges between 33°C and 36°C, which is average by Indian standards, but on a beach you will feel the heat even more because of all the sand. The sun will beat down strongly, almost like burning your skin. So you must stay under shade between 11 AM and 4 PM. Nice wind comes in from the sea in the evening, but the humidity is high.

The monsoon in Goa is between the middle of June and early September. The temperature comes down quite a bit, particularly in July and August, but it is very humid. There is a lot of rain. On some days there can be thundershowers. With heavy rainfall, there can be chances of water logging too. High waves. The sea is choppy.

The winter at Benaulim beach is very nice. You will have a clear sky and very little rain. The sun is pleasant even during noon, so you can swim, or visit some of the tourist attractions close to the beach. There is very little humidity too. Take long walks on the beach, play beach football or volleyball if you want.

How To Reach Benaulim

• By Air — The Dabolim international airport is 23.2 kms from Benaulim. Taxis are available for rent at the airport counter. There are many flights from Air India, Indigo, Etihad, Air Arabia, Air Asia, Qatar Airways, and Jet Airways. Mopa airport — 67.7 kilometers.
• By Rail — Margao is the closest major railway station. It is 5.4 kms away.
• By Road — The Margao City Center is 10 kms from Benaulim. The state capital Panaji or Panjim is at a distance of 36.6 kilometers.

Top 6 Things To See And Do At Benaulim

1. See The Churches – There are beautiful churches close to the Benaulim beach that you may want to visit. Tourists from all over Goa come to see the rococo architecture at the St. John the Baptist church. There is a parish hall just beside the church and a cemetery across the street. There is also the Holy Trinity Church, St. Christopher Church, and the Our Lady of Mercy Church. The Holy Trinity Church has a modernistic style.
2. Goa Chitra Museum – This is one of the best museums in Goa to visit. It showcases traditional agrarian lifestyles and technology of Goa. There are more than 4000 artifacts to see here. Workshops are also organized for school and university students.
3. Water Sports – You can enjoy water sports activities on the beach, except for the monsoon moths, when it is deemed too risky. Choose from speed boats, banana boats, parasailing, windsurfing, and jet skiing. There are dolphin sighting tours too, and if you are lucky, you can even see crocodiles. You can also try your hand at fishing if you want.
4. Bull Fighting – Between October and May every year, there is bull fighting at Benaulim. Head to the rice fields in the village and you will see a large crowd cheering as Konkani music plays loudly. Thousands gather to see these fights. There is betting too. Locally, it is called “dhiro”.
5. The Beaches of South Goa – Benaulim is close to some of the beautiful beaches of South Goa. Cavelossim is just 12.7 kms away. This is another serene and quiet beach, and there is also the Sal River here where you can cruise to see birds and bats. South Goa’s most famous beach Palolem is about an hour by road from Benaulim. The Agonda Beach just before Palolem has been rated as Asia’s #1 beach by the TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice® awards for 2018. There are guided bicycle tours of South Goa as well.
6. Go Kart Racing – Karting is an exciting adventure sport. There are two karting tracks in Goa – at Arpora in the North, and at Nuvem in South Goa, which is just 12.7 kms from Benaulim. It is just north of Margao. It is open for adults and even kids above the age of 12 years (the Arpora track does not allow kids). The Nuvem track is open from Tuesday to Sunday, 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. It is shorter than the Arpora track, but still promises a lot of fun.

The Beach

Benaulim is one of the widest and cleanest beaches in Goa. It is also very quiet because of the fewer number of tourists here. Both the beach and the seabed are sandy, so you won’t have to worry about getting hurt while swimming. There is no jellyfish. The beach slopes down gently into the bed. It is also a fishing beach where you may see many boats and nets being dried. Most of the fishermen are from the neighboring village, which is about a kilometer away.

The ambience is very relaxed and laid-back. You can spend many hours on the beach simply relaxing. You can read a book, go for a swim in the clean water, get a tan. There are just a few shacks at the Benaulim beach, like the Blue Corner, Ice Cube Beach Bar, Valonias, Parola, Domnick, and Malibu. They serve excellent drinks, cocktails, snacks, and food.

Throughout the week the beach will remain virtually empty except for the handful of guests who stay in the few villas for rent, hotels, and resorts. Most of these constructions are a few meters away from the coastline, which ensures that the seafront remains uncluttered. Most of the bars, restaurants, and shops are also away from the beach. They are along the Vasvaddo Beach Road close to the Maria Hall intersection. Many foreigners prefer Benaulim beach because of the serenity and privacy they get here.

The only exception is during the weekend. Many locals come down from Margao in the evening. But then too, Benaulim won’t get very crowded, as most of them would go to Colva or Palolem, which is further south. In the month of April, a Beach Bonanza Fair is held on the beach on the Sundays. Many locals come here to dance to the music. But there are very few tourists as April is the down season in Goa.

Goa Chitra Museum

Goa Chitra Museum, Benaulim

Just 3.2 kms from the Benaulim beach, the Goa Chitra Museum is a must visit. TimeOut Mumbai has described it as “one of Goa's most charming attractions”. This museum showcases the agrarian lifestyles and technology of Goa by displaying more than 4000 artifacts from different times. You can see farming tools, local pottery, ancient carts, palanquins, musical instruments, and more.

There is also an organic farm that shows how herbs, vegetables, rice, sugarcane, and spices are cultivated in the coastal belt. Goa Chitra also organizes workshops for school and university students, and helps craftsmen and artisans develop their trade.

History

Benaulim is closely associated with Hindu mythology and especially Parashurama God – the sixth avatar of Vishnu and the son of a Brahmin father Jamadagni and mother Renuka. According to the legend, this God-warrior shot an arrow from the top of Western Ghat Mountains into the direction of a Konkan City for delineating the boundaries of the new Goa land. The place where the arrow landed was called Banahalli or the Banavalli, which in Sanskrit language means “The Village of the Arrow” (“baan” in Sanskrit means “an arrow”). The name was changed to Benaulim after the Portuguese arrived.

The ancient Banavalli once had a magnificent Katyayani Baneshvar Temple, which was dedicated to Lord Shiva and his wife Parvati. You can still see the ruins of this temple. In the 16^th century the deities were shifted to Aversa, a city in North Kanara.

Benaulim is a symbolic place for Catholics, primarily because here the blessed Father Joseph Vaz, also known as Jose Vaz, was born in 1651. He was a missionary and was called by religious people the “Apostle from Ceylon”.

Restaurants

Benaulim doesn’t have any of the top south Goa restaurants. However, you will still find many hidden gems that serve excellent food.

• Lobster Shack – This beachfront restaurant is located in the 5-star Taj Exotica Resort. You can enter from the beach. Through the hotel, it is best to take a golf cart as this Taj property is huge. Lobster Shack is expensive, but the ambiance and food and both wonderful.
• Papai’s Corner – From the outside, it looks like a simple roadside stall. But their Chinese and North Indian foods are excellent. The prices are cheap too.

Nightlife

• Adega Camoens Nightclub is a lobby bar with a disco. The Club is situated in the building of Taj Exotica Hotel. This nightclub differs from other Goa clubs and discos because of its extravagant interiors that are inspired by Hollywood. Hollywood themes and motives in the rooms make it truly unique. There are parties here on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. On other days, there is live music from solo artists and different bands, or watch tap-dances.
• Adega Camoens Nightclub is open from 12:00 noon till midnight. Happy hour is between 7:00 PM and 8:00 PM. Drinks are available at 50% discount.
• Fiplees Restaurant, Pub & Leisure Zone Club is a restaurant that serves good food, a pub with a huge variety of drinks, and a disco with good music. It is located near the Maria Hall shopping center. Food includes Indian, Chinese, and European continental. The music menu is as much diverse as the dish menu. Well-known DJ’s and music bands perform here, playing pop, reggae, country, jazz, Indian classical, and others. There are themed parties and karaoke-evenings too that continue till early morning.
• Art Escape Resort Club is another good place for live music. You can listen to classic rock, retro or reggae. A special genre of music plays here every evening. Different art-workshops are also conducted at the club.
• Pedro’s – On the beach, Pedro’s offers a very lively ambiance and lovely food. The margaritas are very popular here. Every Saturday there’s an open dance floor with a live music band.
• The Red Ginger – A fantastic nightclub, The Red Ginger with its red interiors will transport you to Chinatown. It serves very good sushi.

Hotels

La Grace Resort, Benaulim

There are hotels of all sizes and budget, many of them close to the Benaulim beach. Some popular hotels here are La Grace Resort, Taj Exotica, Royal Palms, Lotus Beach Resort, San Joao Holiday Homes, Furtado's Beach House, Palm Grove Cottages, and Cleopatra Resorts. Taj Exotica is a 5-star property and is the costliest.

All essential services, communications and connections in the village are concentrated around the Maria Hall, which has a touristic center, currency exchange office, cheap international telephone communication, many shops, pharmacies and Internet cafes. The village has a bus stop too.

Villas in Benaulim

There are many villas and luxury apartments too in Benaulim. Villa Sunflower, Pearl Apartment, Blue Diamond Apartment, and Osocozy are just some of the available properties. You can enjoy the same level of luxury as star hotels and resorts in these properties. Check each villa or apartment for its location, pictures, and amenities.

Comfortable 2 bedroom apartment with a swimming pool. Starts from 2 800 Rs. per night

3 bedroom villa in Benaulim. Starts from 30 000 Rs. per month

Luxury 2 bedroom apartment. Close to all "happening spots" still in a quiet area. Starts from 4 700 Rs. per night

* The price depends on the location, the season, and the duration of your stay.

Villas for rent in Goa