Location: 8-km
Nothwest Of Vasco Da Gama, South Goa
Main Attraction: Diving
Immediately
south of the airport, the Mormugao peninsula's sun parched
central plateau tumbles to a flat-bottomed valley lined with
coconut trees and redbrick huts. The sandy beach at the end of
the cove would be even more picturesque were it not for the
monstrous multi-storey edifice perched above it. Until Oberoi
erected a huge five star hotel here, Bogmalo was just another
small fishing village, hemmed in by a pair of palm fringed
headlands at the northern end of Colva bay.
A Former
Fishing Village, Today's Tourist Hangout
The village is
still present at Bogmalo, complete with a tiny-whitewashed
Chapel and gangs of hogs nosing through the rubbish, but its
environs have been transformed. Pricey café-bars blaring
Western music have crept up the beach, while the clearing
below the hotel is prowled by assiduous Kashmiri handicraft
vendors.
Even so,
compared with Calangute Or Colva, Bogmalo is still a
small-scale resort. As long as one hasn't come to Goa to get
away from it all or party all night, then one'll find Bogmalo
congenial enough. The beach is clean and not too crowded, the
water reasonably safe for swimming, and there are plenty of
places to eat, drink and shop. If, on the other hand, one is
looking for somewhere not yet, on the package tourist map,
one'll be better off further south, at the far end of Colva
Beach or beyond.DIVING AT BOGMALO
A small dive
school recently opened up in Bogmalo and is one of the few
places in India where one can do PADI-approved Open water
diving courses. Operating out of Joet's guesthouse, at the far
end of the beach, the British run outift also offers half day
"Try Dives" for novices, guided dives to shipwreck
sites and coral beds off the coast and tuition for more
advanced qualifications.
For More
Information: Contact - Goa Diving, House No. 145P, Chapel Bhat,
Chicalim, Near Bogmalo.
HOW TO GET
THERE
Road: Bogmalo
can be reached by bus or taxi from Vasco da Gama, 8-km
northwest. It's also near enough to the airport for a last
minute dip before catching a plane.
PLACES TO STAY
As this is
primarily a package tour destination, walk in accommodation is
very limited and best booked ahead. There are few luxurious
option present over here, overlooking the beach. Bogmalo's
other mid range guesthouses, are much more comfortable for
short stay purposes.
