What should I avoid in Goa?

Calangute is the beach every first-timer books near, and the one most locals avoid. Between November and February, the sand disappears under rows of ₹500-800 sunbeds packed so tight you can smell your neighbor's coconut oil. Hawkers pass every 3-4 minutes selling sarongs, ear-cleaning services, and 'cheap' massages. The fish thali at a Calangute beachfront shack runs ₹400-600. The same dish, better and hotter off the pan, costs ₹150 at Vinayak Family Restaurant in Assagao, a 15-minute scooter ride inland. Baga is Calangute's louder twin. Tito's Lane compresses about 200 meters of bars where a Kingfisher beer costs ₹300. That same bottle is ₹80 at village bars in Siolim or Assagao. To be fair, Baga at sunset still has a warm orange light on the water that photographs well. But you're paying 4× for it.

The taxi cartel at Dabolim Airport (GOI) is Goa's most predictable rip-off. Pre-paid counters inside the terminal quote ₹1,200-1,800 for the 30km drive to Panaji. The Goa Miles app covers the same route for ₹400-500. Drivers at the rank will tell you the app doesn't work here, that the road is closed, that your hotel has shifted. None of it true. Download Goa Miles before you land. The same pricing games happen at Madgaon railway station. If you rent a scooter, and you likely will at ₹300-400 per day from shops along the Anjuna-Vagator road, carry your international driving permit. Goa Traffic Police run checkpoints on the Calangute-Candolim stretch, along the Aguada-Siolim road, and near the Chapora bridge. The fine for riding without a valid license starts at ₹2,000 and can reach ₹5,000. Your travel insurance won't cover a hospital bill without one either.

Anjuna and Vagator still carry a 1990s reputation for trance parties and cheap charas. That reputation is currently a trap. The Narcotics Control Bureau runs a permanent unit in North Goa. Touts at the Wednesday Anjuna Flea Market and near the Curlies shack cluster on South Anjuna beach sometimes offer charas or MDMA to tourists. Some of them are police informants. Penalties under India's NDPS Act start at 10 years for commercial quantities, and even small-quantity possession carries fines around ₹1 lakh (about $1,056 at today's rate of 94.67 INR per dollar) plus mandatory court dates that can hold your passport in-country for months. This isn't a moral position. It's practical. Mind you, Goa's nightlife is fine without it. Leopard Valley near Palolem runs full-moon events with legitimate DJs for ₹1,500-2,000 entry, and the music goes until 4am.

Goa's monsoon runs from early June through late September. The Arabian Sea turns grey-green and rough, with undertow strong enough to pull a swimmer 50 meters out in under a minute. Lifeguard posts at Miramar, Calangute, and Colva close during the worst stretches in July and August. Between 8 and 12 drowning deaths happen each monsoon season, many involving tourists who went in after sunset or after drinking. The rivers swell too. The NH66 approach between Panaji and Old Goa can flood for hours during heavy downpours. That said, monsoon Goa has its draw. The laterite hills go deep green, rain hammers warm on terracotta roofs in the Fontainhas quarter of Panaji, and hotel rates drop 40-60% from December peak prices. You can't swim, but you can eat a plate of fried mackerel recheado at Ritz Classic in Panaji for ₹180 while the monsoon drums on the windows.

Skip the dolphin-spotting boat trips from Sinquerim and Coco Beach at ₹500-800 per head. You'll spend 45 minutes on a noisy outboard watching the guide chase pods until the animals scatter. The 'spice plantation tours' around Ponda (₹400-600 entry) tend to be a 20-minute walk through a modest garden of cardamom and pepper vines, followed by 40 minutes of hard-sell on spice packets you can buy for a third of the price at the Mapusa Friday Market. The Basilica of Bom Jesus (1605) and Sé Cathedral (1562) in Old Goa are free to enter. The men outside offering 'official' tours at ₹500-1,000 are freelancers, not Archaeological Survey of India staff. A ₹20 ASI guidebook from the counter inside covers the same ground. The Deltin Royale casino boat on the Mandovi River charges ₹2,500-3,000 entry on weekends, and the minimum bets tend to be higher than the posted rates once you're aboard.