Best time
November to February is the season: dry, sunny days, a calm sea and every shack and water sport open, with Christmas and New Year the busiest weeks. March to May is hot and quieter; June to September is the monsoon, when the sea is closed to swimming and water sports but the state is green and at its cheapest.
- November to February, 20 to 32°C: The season: dry, sunny and calm sea, shacks and water sports open. Christmas to New Year is the busiest and dearest fortnight.
- March to May, 25 to 34°C: Hot and humid by midday; quieter beaches and lower rates, with the sea still open for water sports until the monsoon.
- June to September, 24 to 30°C: The monsoon: heavy rain, a rough sea, most shacks and sea water sports closed and the Dudhsagar jeep safari shut, but green, empty and the cheapest time of year.
What to pack
Light cotton, swimwear, sunscreen and a hat for the beaches; something covering shoulders and knees for the Old Goa churches and the temples at Ponda; walking shoes for the forts and the Dudhsagar trail; a rain jacket from June to September.
Getting there
Goa is about 650 km from Hyderabad: a flight of about an hour and a quarter into Dabolim or Mopa, or an overnight road journey of 12 to 13 hours through Hubli and Belagavi, which is how the South Goa and Dandeli group trip travels.
Goa is about 560 km from Bengaluru: an hour's flight into Dabolim or Mopa, an overnight train to Madgaon or Vasco da Gama, or ten to eleven hours by road through Hubli.
From Chennai, Goa is an hour-and-a-half flight into Dabolim or Mopa; by train it is most of a day, and by road over 900 km.