Hidden Gem of Goa - Butterfly Beach

Butterfly Beach

After we shifted to Goa, we always desired to visit new and peaceful locations in and around Goa. During one such quest, we got to know about a secluded beach in Canacona District, South Goa and we decided to explore this location.

Palolem Beach

From Vasco da Gama, Canacona is a 1 ½ to 2 hours’ drive. As per the information received, we had to reach Palolem Beach first in order to take a boat ride to this isolated beach. So we drove past Margao to reach Canacona/Palolem.

Palolem Beach

On reaching Palolem Beach, we realized that PalolemBeach is the Calangute Beach of South Goa. Palolem Beach is a commercial spot with lots of shacks, hotels, restaurants, and shopping huts around the beach. Even in spite of the impending Second Wave, the beach was frequented by tourists. After a 2 hours’ drive, we were hungry and had a quick bite at the beachside restaurant.

After filling our stomachs, we proceeded to check the boat timings. The Boat ride costs around Rs. 1000/- per person (To and Fro) (the boats are closed in monsoons). The boat rides to Butterfly beach can be taken from Agonda Beach also. However, we were informed by the locals that we can also reach Butterfly beach by road. So instead of taking chances with the boat and unknown tourist, we decided to drive down. Lucky for us, the butterfly beach was towards Margao (just saved a few km).

Boat ride at Butterfly beach (From Palolem Beach)

An off-road from the main highway leads us to a muddy road. The road to Butterfly Beach is a narrow path and covered with bushes on both sides. The road is a one-lane road and it would have been difficult to cross over if a car came in the opposite direction. This 5 – 10 mins ride ends near a restaurant. The Beach is located near a laid-back village called Montecito.

Now the trail to Butterfly beach begins. We can either drive to the beach by Bikes which costs approx Rs. 200/- per hour or walk your way to the Beach. We preferred to walk down and it was really a good decision as the road was really dangerous for the bike ride. On the route, we found the bikes parked as the last rocky patch was difficult for the bikes.

The 20-25 minutes trail to Butterfly beach was tiring due to the afternoon heat. However, my husband (Ganesh) enjoyed it as for him it was the smallest trek of his life. Beyond the dusty trail below our feet and scorching sun over our heads, the beach slowly revealed itself to us from the bushes.

This semi-circle-shaped beach was one of the smallest beaches we had ever seen but it was also the cleanest beach. The beach has white sand and translucent waters.

The beach is said to be a home for butterflies because of the hilly/rocky topography around it. However, we didn't see many butterflies around maybe as it was afternoon. The Butterfly Beach is called so because the shape of the valley in which it is concealed is similar to that of a Butterfly.

The Beach also provides a good sighting of dolphins. Also, the beach provides a site to see the goldfishes, Sea Urchins, sea cucumbers and redfish during the low tide. The Kites flying around the beach surely tested our photography skills. The beach is a photographers’ delight.

The beach's pristine shoreline is ideal for swimming, surfing and sunbathing, and its unique east-west orientation makes for some truly spectacular sunrises AND sunsets. Our first visit to Butterfly beach was not as exciting as we drove down from Vasco and reached there in the afternoon. We hope to stay in Palolem and visit the beaches around Palolem at Sunrise/Sunset. - Mohini Nabar