9 Amazing kid-friendly Places to Visit and Things to do in North Goa, India

Looking for the best activities, attractions, and places to visit in North Goa with family? Including something unique! If so, look no more!

North Goa is known for its party scene and excellent beaches. However, there’s much more to North Goa than just these things! Read on to discover our top recommendations, from kayaking and cycling to fun parks and more.

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1. Hit the beaches

Goa is well known for its long sandy stretches and warm water. There are plenty of family-friendly beaches in North Goa with clean sand, clear water, and gentle waves.

For the best beaches in North Goa, check out the massive stretch of coastline covering Morjim, Ashvem, and Mandrem beaches. These are some of the cleanest and quietest beaches. They boast long, flat, light sands and shallow, rock-free swimming.

Check out the full lowdown about North Goa beaches here.

2. Visit the Goa Science Museum in Panjim

If you’re looking for a more low-cost, educational activity to do with kids, don’t miss the Goa Science Center in Panjim, North Goa.

The entry fee is tiny at 30 rupees per person, and you can buy separate tickets if you wish to see the 3D movie or visit the planetarium.

The science center isn’t only for kids. Anyone with a curious mind will enjoy spending time there and learning about how things work.

The main featured exhibitions/areas when we visited were the mirrors section (which includes a mirror maze), an exhibition for the year of pulses, and an underwater discovery area.

We also got to see some fun experiments, included in the ticket price, which are on at regular intervals during the day.

You’ll also find plenty in the outdoor area, although it appeared a few of the outdoor experiment areas were a little faulty?.

3. Cycle through North Goa’s fields

Cycling alongside the fields and wetlands is one of the many fun activities to do in North Goa.

You can let Cycling Zens take care of it all for you, whether you’d just like to hire a bike for a few hours or you’re up for a guided tour.

Along with a few of the crew from Nomadgao, I went on the Salvador do Mundo bike ride with Cycling Zens and enjoyed the picturesque surroundings along the easy-level 12km (1.5-hour) route.

Given it was my first time in an e-bike, it was an extra-leisurely experience. I may be converted and, from here on in, opt out of the hard yards that come with a regular bike ?

The guides were friendly and helpful, and they knew the perfect local spot to stop for samosas and chai near the end of the ride.

Check out Cycling Zens and hire a bike or join a tour if you’re looking for an active adventure in Goa. They have other routes that are around 2.5 hours, plus they offer multi-day excursions.

4. Kayak through the mangroves

Kayaking is another of the fun activities you can do in North Goa. Try Local Go Kayaking, based in Chikhli, a bit further inland from Siolim.

You can choose a morning or sunset kayaking tour, which will take you cruising slowly along the Chapora River and through the mangroves.

I decided to float around and pick up whatever rubbish I passed, so by the end of it, my kayak had the equivalent of a large bag full of trash. Mostly plastic bottles, a few glass ones, plus a full bag of trash itself.

The scenery is green but…hazy. I certainly missed blue skies there.

You’ll see plenty of birdlife here, and can also swim if you wish.

5. Explore the aguada fort

The Aguada Fort, just south of Candolim, is an interesting attraction to explore in North Goa.

The Portuguese ruled Goa from the early 1500s, and a century later, they decided they needed this fort to keep various other European forces out.

Aguada has a massive freshwater water storage tank, and passing ships often stopped to replenish their stores here.

The Fort Aguada lighthouse, constructed in 1864, is one of the oldest in Asia.

Check it out if you want a taste of history. You can easily visit Candolim or Sinquerim beach afterward.

Fort Aguada is open between 9 am and 6 pm each day. The entry fee is almost 10x for foreigners, but still only 200 rupees.

We also visited the Chapora Fort while in Goa, which you can find out more about in our things to do in Anjuna post.

6. Visit the basilica of bom jesus in old Goa

The Basilica of Bom Jesus is the most iconic of Goa’s churches and is a magnificent example of well-preserved Portuguese architecture.

Make sure your shoulders and thighs are covered if you wish to go inside and appreciate the interior’s beautiful carvings and designs. They don’t have anything you can borrow to cover up, so you’ll need to be prepared.

In saying that, the security didn’t seem to mind some men walking around wearing singlets as we call them in New Zealand (tank tops if you’re from the US, or vests for those from the UK!).

The church is located in old Goa and has earned the title of a UNESCO World Heritage site. It holds the remains of Saint Francis Xavier and is one of the most historically significant places to visit in Goa.

If you’re looking for a quiet place to pray, you might be disappointed with the floods of tourists moving through, unless you’re very good at focusing within.

The church also has a garden, an art gallery, and some sort of light show. Entrance to the church is free, but there is a small charge for the gallery and light show.

The Basilica of Bom Jesus is just around the corner from the Old Goa ferry terminal. We visited the church before heading around to catch the ferry to Divar Island.

7. Visit Divar Island and have a mud bath

Divar Island is a fantastic place to visit if you’re looking for an offbeat experience in North Goa.

Divar is an inland Island surrounded by a small passage of water. We caught the cute car ferry from the Old Goa ferry terminal. It was only 10 rupees per vehicle. I couldn’t believe it… Nothing else is 10 rupees! That’s like 0.12 USD!

Does anyone else love these car ferries? We have been on these little ones in Dalyan, Turkey, and Koh Lanta, Thailand, and think they’re pretty awesome.

After just a few minutes, you’ll arrive at Divar Island, an oasis of quiet compared with the rest of North Goa!

Divar is lovely and green, and has a few small restaurants and shops. We spent the afternoon at a random, private lake I found on Google maps.

Swim in a small lake and enjoy a Unique mud bath Experience

If you want to check it out, it’s a rather interesting experience and an excellent place to escape the crowds. Just head to Moradia dos Quadros, a homestay on the island.

The gate was locked when we arrived, but I managed to find a gate around the back, and the owner Neves let us in. Neves is quite the character, and along with his welcoming personality and home, this felt like one of the most unique things to do in North Goa!

Neves made us very welcome but if you do go, be prepared for a long initial talk about your upcoming mud and swim experience.

The short version is that they charge 1000 rupees per person, although they did give us a discount as a family. You can wear their old clothes, shoes, and hats, so you don’t get yours ruined in the mud! (Rest assured those are not our clothes in the picture below!).

Then you walk through the field to a shallow swimming lake and spend as long as you like enjoying the water and clay.

When you walk back, you can use the outdoor rain shower and an indoor shower if you wish, plus help yourself to any drinks you want to buy from their fridge.

I love these random adventures I manage to find for our family, and this was one of the most fun things we did in North Goa. It was definitely the most unique!

8. Have a fun day at Sharvraj eco farm

If you’re looking for a family-friendly attraction in North Goa, check out Sharvraj Eco Farm.

Ok, so I’m a little disappointed in them because we corresponded on WhatsApp, and they told me they’re open every day… which they mostly are… but they neglected to tell me they were closing for a few days for maintenance (and there was no indication on their website).

So we drove an hour to get there (on my birthday, of course, ?), only to find they were closed. We won’t hold it against them, though. By the time you visit, the waterpark at least will be looking like new.

Luckily they do have an awesome playground, which is free of charge, so we stayed to play for a while.

On normal days when they are open, there are several activities you can enjoy there. They apparently used to charge a single fee, but now the charges are separate. They can add up, especially as a family, so decide what you’d most like to do if you’re on a budget.

We were primarily going for the small waterpark, which is 600 per person. It has a couple of large-ish (not huge) slides and a kids’ pool with slides. They were painting the slides and pulling up tiles from the pool floor when we were there, so it should be nicely renovated if you visit.

There’s a small kids’ theme park with rides, 300 per person. Other activities include an adventure park and a zipline, and each of those is also 300 per person. From what I could understand, the adventure park and zipline are only for adults.

You can purchase thali at the restaurant or bring your own food and enjoy it at one of the picnic tables.

9. Swim at a hotel or resort pool

It’s hot all year round, so one of the best things to do in North Goa is to swim at a hotel or resort pool.

We haven’t come across one that hasn’t allowed us to use their pool for a fee, and that’s during the high season. We normally make an afternoon of it and have lunch there, followed by a few hours of swimming.

Occasionally the pool might be free to use if you spend money at the restaurant. Most often, the fee is between 100 and 500 rupees per person.

Some of the North Goa resort pools we’ve tried are:

* The Lazy Dog at Mandrem (no charge when using the restaurant).
* Laguna Anjuna (about 100 per person).
* The Assagao Birthing Center (not a resort, but they charged 100 per person).
* Radhika eco-resort in Arambol (100 per person per hour).
* Cochichos resort in Vagator (250 per person).
* Marquis Resort in Candolim (maybe 250 per person or a little more).
* The Nilaya Hermitage in Parra (500 per person, but an absolutely stunning hilltop setting, so try it out if you can!).

Things to do in North goa | In conclusion

We hope you’ve got some great ideas for things to do in North Goa. If you’ve been following us for a while, you might be aware that I (Elly) love hiking. It’s one of my favorite activities. However, I didn’t do any hiking in Goa because we were there during the dry season.

Most of the hiking trails in Goa feature gorgeous waterfalls best seen during the wet season. Aside from this, I put them in the too-hard basket as a family. We felt like we did a lot of driving in Goa to get from place to place and decided not to add difficult-to-reach hiking destinations into the mix this time around.

I did try looking for organized hiking day trips, although the ones I contacted told me they only run tours during the wet season.

PS. If you’re looking to stay longer in Goa, you may also be interested to check out our top tips for moving to Goa.

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