hi juderamm..most of the people on the indian forum will tell you to ask a taxi driver to take you on a trip as they can take you to most of the places that the holiday rep will try to sell to you......and at half the price...hope this helps....Gavin

Highly recommend Johns Boat Tours in candolim.

Dont book the excursions via your holiday rep as they will be double what you would pay going direct.

Best trips are Dolphin trip half day boat trip to see the dolphins around £10 each and includes bbq and drinks.

Grand island trip full day boat trip out to the islands incs dolphin spotting, snorkling/fishing includes drinks and bbq about £13 each

Crocodile trip, boat trip down the river to spot crocs and other wildlife, half day inc food and drink about £8 each.

The dolphin and croc trips are generally if you dont spot anything you dont pay.

Obviously you should goto the saturday night market (ingos) and also to anjuna flea market.

Also worth maybe a night in palolem staying in a beach hut, bit quiet down there but lovely beach.

Hope that helps

Peter

I have posted a link to a post I made on the rice boat trip, there is also a link to some photos in the post,

hope this is of interest,

Rgds Mids

http://www.holidaytruths.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=49142

Have a look at INVALID URL there might be something on there that takes your fancy. As Peter has mentioned, the tours/excursions that the reps try and flog you are always more expensive, so save yourself some money and arrange the trip either with a company like daytripper, or one of the taxis.

Get a taxi down to Palolem

Hi shaz...which is best/value for money...taxi or day tripper...and how do you book with daytripper..ie phone when you are there or pre book via e-mail....thanks Gavin

Gavin - Daytripper is very good,and all is organised so you don't miss a thing on whatever you book with them,prices are very good for what you get.Taxis do good trips and will get you to more places than Daytripper don't do.In my opinion if you were going to do the jungle trip for example i would use Daytripper,and if you wanted to see Old Goa and temples or view the sights down the coastline i would use a taxi.
We were out all day with our taxi and was only charged £10 (threw a good tip in as the knowledge we gained was brilliant).Did the jungle trip with Daytripper and was just ace.
I know some who did the jungle trip with a taxi driver and the booking wasn't correct so there was no accomodation on arrival - maybe a one off ?
Daytripper is in Calangute on the main road - a good office with nice staff,any taxi knows it well,so just jump in one and go.

Morning all.
Spikes advice is spot-on and there's not much more to add. Juderamm, I notice that you're stopping at the Osborne, well Daytrippers isn't that far away from where you're staying. If you come out of your hotel and start walking in the direction of Candolim, their offices are a bit further down on the left hand side. You can't miss it, its got paintings of crocodiles and elephants and other things associated with the trips they have on offer.
Just one last thing that I would mention is that if you do want to get out and about, don't be afraid to use public transport. I've done the bus and train to Palolim. Bus, rickshaw to Kerri beach. Yes it takes alot longer but its a great experience. I went to the Dhudsgar falls by taxi, but if I was to do the trip again I would like to go by train.
Whatever option you choose in Goa, it's very unlikely that you'll feel you've been ripped-off so ask around when you get there and you'll not go wrong.

Enjoy
Sharon

Hi All
My wife and I will be staying at the Highland Beach mid November, I was wondering how far away this is from the Daytripper offices and could someone post directions for me.
9 weeks tomorrow, can't wait.
Thanks
roy

You can't miss St Anthonys Chapel.....bang right in the middle of the road... by the Osborne Hotel...between Calangute and Candolim. Daytrippers is just up the road from here....walking AWAY from Calangute..with the Chapel behind you. VERY nice people! - Eddie and Enid. However...this year with did the Jungle Trip and booked it direct from our shack! You really shouldn't miss this! Excellent! I have photos if anyone is interested!

Hi juderamm, daytripper also do a friday night gala night at the
5* fort aguada hotel, its was £7.00pp eat all you like, pay for drinks, plus band and cabaret, have a dance if you like, pick up and drop of near your hotel, we have been a few times, the view up the beach from there is great. PL

hi we've done the Fort Aguada with Eddie and Enid as well and it is well worth the money, has is the evening in Panjim with the boat trip and entertainment thrown in, can remember how much it is, not much though

jayne

that ones a fiver if its the sunset boat trip.

its certainly worth a fiver, many thanks mrstella

Hi
Hampi is probably not a trip for a first-timer, but we've done it twice and really enjoyed it.

It's for you if you like ancient (14th C) culture and don't mind spending 3 days away from the beach and 2 x 10 hours on a train and are happy to get up very, very early.

Nothing like the hard sell, Huh?

Hampi is outside the the state of Goa, into Karnataka.

For more info, have a look at this website:
http://www.melotours.com

Please note, I'm not necessarily recommending that you book with this company (we actually booked with the rep), it's just to give you an idea of what the trip entails.
As I remember it, all the different tour companies come together at Margao station and are looked after for the 3 days by the Indian rep who works for Melo Tours.

Cheers

Thank you every one for so much advice. It all sounds so fab i am so excited. Two weeks just isnt going to be long enough I will have to get saving for a second trip! Jude

September - funny time of the year! Not yet right for getting tooooo excited and yet still the right time for thinking - dreaming - waiting etc etc. enough - who has done some interesting trips over the last year or so out of goa and seen the real "India" - not just the waterfalls!! Wildlife - fishing - historical sites etc - but also some out of the out of the way places. Just to start things off - we have friends that for one week go to various parts of the state and this time got the gonkan train north for about one hour - got off - kanataka - got a taxi - ended up in a palace type indian state hotel and had a realy good week for very cheap prices - 800 rupees room night - and very good service. Chiers Brian

don`t also forget the varous childrens homes and the animal tracks Brian

A good trip to see in Goa, is definitely Dudhsagar Waterfalls, its one of the most amazing waterfalls in India. The journey there takes you through a jungle via a Jeep, you have to walk a few hundred yards over rocks and small bridges, but its a pleasant walk nothing to steep. When you get there make sure you take a camera with you, because the views are absolutely breathtaking, its a waterfall like you've never seen before. The waterfall itself is natural, from rocks that have fallen into place to create a flow of pure water falling 400-500 feet high. It's definitely one of the most amazing things you will have seen. You will have a tour guide along with you, to show you the way, and you can swim in the water right around the waterfall and right up where the waterfall drops down....but the water its absoltely freeeeeeezing. Half way up through there waterfall is a train track, a passage way from Goa to Delhi. Enjoy.

Also there is a place called "the Spice Plantation" where you can buy frsh spices and herbs, and also you can have elephant rides which is an fantastic experience.

Edit- great trip suggestions! I have removed the bold writing as per posting rules.
Fiona Ht mod