OUR FAVORITE BEACHES AROUND SOUTH GOA
We teach and practice yoga in a quiet corner of South Goa. But when we’re not in the shala, we’re walking the coast, following the tides, tracking the light, letting the wind reset our systems. These are some of our favorite beaches - the ones we return to. Again and again.
Patnem Beach
Bustling, colorful, and very alive. The people-watching here is unmatched. Dogs wander over at sunrise looking for company, and you’ll want to give it. By evening, the sky goes full cinematic: Patnem has, hands down, the best after-sunset glow in Goa. Our favorite beach for a golden-hour walk.
Rajbag Beach
Just around the corner, but a different frequency. The Talpona River meets the sea here, and sunrise comes up over the water like a quiet promise. You’ll see the heart of the local fishing village here. Sometimes we walk here from Patnem at sunset, crossing the rocky cliff feels like a small adventure. The far end is especially still. A good place to breathe without thinking about it.
Agonda Beach
Slightly more polished, somehow, but not showy. Agonda is wide and steady, a place to stretch out and watch the light shift. We like it best in the late afternoon, when the wind has dropped and the day begins to fold inward. It’s where we go when we want to be quiet without being alone.
Palolem Beach
Lined with palms, full of life. If you wander to the north end, where the Shark Rock sits just offshore, you’ll find a little cove that sometimes disappears at high tide. The south end has big black rocks and tiny black crabs, and in the middle, a low hum of people and stories. The whole curve of it feels like a long, soft inhale. Our shala is just a short walk inland from here, tucked beside a wetland.
Talpona Beach
This one has our heart. Even during peak season, there’s a hush to it. The river flows steady on one side, and the sea rolls in soft on the other. Mornings here are best: just wind, birdsong, and the kind of stillness that helps you listen. We often come here to walk, breathe, and reset without needing to do much else.
Kakolem Beach
Also called “Tiger Beach”. It’s not easy to reach, and that’s why we love it. The descent is steep, and there’s a sense of arrival when you finally land on the sand. This is not an everyday beach, it’s a weekend adventure, a picnic with silence, a reminder of how small and lucky we are.
Polem Beach
At the southernmost tip of Goa, near the Karnataka border. Polem is remote and deeply quiet, with more birds than people. Sometimes that’s exactly what we need. It may feel too secluded for daily life, but for moments of real pause, it’s perfect.
Galgibag Beach
A long, clean stretch where sea turtles sometimes nest. It doesn’t get crowded, and the river adds a gentle rhythm to the landscape. It’s not a beach we visit often, but when we do, we stay longer than planned. A place for long exhales.
Where the Land Itself Helps You Listen
For us, the beaches of South Goa aren’t separate from practice. They are practice.
The rustle of palms in Agonda. The hush of the tide in Talpona. The warm pull of sunset across Patnem. All of it reminds us to listen again —— to the breath, to the body, to the world around us. These quiet rhythms shape how we teach and practice —— through daily drop-in yoga classes and our Yoga Teacher Training Course at Yoga Mandir Goa.