If one is happy with basic amenities, the village offers
two very fine beaches and a healthy dose of peace and quiet.
Parties are occasionally held here, drawing revellers across
the river from Anjuna and Vagator, but these are rare intrusions
into an otherwise tranquil, out of the way enclave.
Beaches of Arambol
Modern Arambol is scattered around an area of high ground
west of the main coast road, where most of the buses pull
in. From here, a bumpy lane runs downhill, past a large
school and the village church, to the more traditional end
of the village, clustered under a canopy of widely spaced
palm trees. The main beach lies 200m farther along the lane.
Strewn with dozens of old wooden fishing boats and a line
of tourist café bars, the gently curving bay is good
for bathing, but much less picturesque than its neighbour
around the corner.
The smaller and less frequented of Arambol's two beaches
can only be reached on foot by following the stony track
over the headland to the north. Beyond an idyllic rocky-bottomed
cove, the trail emerges to a broad strip of soft white sand
hemmed in on both sides by steep cliffs.
Freshwater Lake
Behind the surrounding of the second beach lay a small
freshwater lake extends along the bottom of the valley into
a thick jungle. Hang around the banks of this murky green
pond for long enough, and one will probably see a fluorescent
yellow human figure or two appear from the bushes at its
far end. Fed by boiling hot springs, the lake is lined with
sulphurous mud, which, when smeared over the body, dries
to form a surreal, butter coloured shell.
How to Get There
Road:
Buses to and from Panjim pull into Arambol every thirty
minutes until noon, and every ninety minutes thereafter,
at the small bus stand on the main road. A faster private
minibus service from Panjim arrives daily opposite the Chai
(tea) stalls at the beach end of the village.
Boat:
Boats leave here every Wednesday morning for the ninety-minute
trip to the Anjuna Flea Market. Tickets should be booked
in advance from the Welcome Restaurant by the beach, which
also rents out motorcycles.
