Offbeat experiences and places in Goa for your bucket list this summer

Goa – one destination that has been on everybody’s wishlist; gave enviable contents for the ‘gram’ to many, and then gave some a reason to hope after unsuccessful “Yaar, Goa chale?” for the nth time. This Indian wonderland is surrounded by many myths. One such is, Never make plans in advance else it will not come true. If you are reading this and find it to be true for you, maybe it is.

Maybe, you need to discard the usual Goa plan (sea, sand, and surf) and prepare yourself for the unusual. Who knows, this time, if you make plans for the offbeat side of Goa, the one not jinxed by your covetous neighbour, you may finally be able to make it to Goa.

Take a chance on these five offbeat Goan experiences and places this summer.

The first thing that comes to mind is the zoo at the Bondla National Park (BNP). But we will look beyond the zoo. Birders love Bondla for its many species of birds. Here you will find many rare, resident, and some migratory birds, depending on the time of the year. Endemic to the Western Ghats (and the state bird of Goa), the rubythroat bulbul, the shy white-rumped shama, fairy bluebird, heart spotted woodpecker are some of the attractions birders will hate to miss. The zoo is nice too, but you are here for the road less travelled.

Step aside beach paragliding, and make way for the Cabo de Rama trek. Cabo de Rama Fort is a popular tourist attraction in Goa, and if you ditch the usual and decide to trek along the stone pathway, you will come across some of the most beautiful views in Goa. There are many hidden and pristine beaches along the way (some treacherous too), one of them being the spectacular Pebble beach.

Mobor, Cavelossim is the place for you if you are a fishing hobbyist. We are talking about freshwater to sea fishing. Banks of the River Sal or the estuary are great places for fishing. Or you can also go boat fishing from the river to the sea. Local restaurants like Betty’s Place or Fisherman's Wharf can provide fishing trips. What’s exciting and unique about this activity is that, if you are lucky enough to catch (and most probably you will), you can take your catch to any local restaurant and ask them to cook the fish for you. Grouper, kingfish, snapper, sea salmon, tuna, are the types you can expect to catch. Also, between October to May, you can go dolphin watching.

Kurdi Village plays one of the longest games of hide-and-seek by resurfacing from underwater once a year for three-four weeks between May and June. This historical Goan village got submerged underwater as a result of a reservoir and a dam across Salaulim. Residents got displaced, and now only memories of that place remain. Once a year, the Sacred Heart of Jesus Chapel, the 18th-century Someshwar Temple, the erstwhile homes of 634 families, schools, residual outlines of a once-bustling village, resurfaces.

Look away batrachophobes and ophidiophobes, because this is for those who love everything herp related. Goa is located in the Western Ghats and is blessed with all things natural. Goan hinterlands are teeming with several reptilian and amphibian species, with discoveries of a genus or a whole species happening more often than not. For this, there's nothing like Goa in monsoon (less crowd and off-season affordable accommodations). Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary is a must-visit as it is home to the beautiful green vine snake, coral snake, the Critically Endangered Pseudophilautus amboli, the Amboli bush frog, and rare species of recently discovered caecilians (Nadkarni's caecilian, the Mhadei caecilian, and the Goa caecilian. The sanctuary is also home to at least 257 recorded species of butterflies. It is also a great opportunity to practice Citizen Science.