On a Trail Through Forts of Goa, India

The tour will start at 8:45 AM when we pick you up from your hotel. We will reach the northern banks of the river Mandovi to visit Reis Magos Fort. Our cultural evangelist will make you relive the life and times of a bygone era when this Fort was a prominent feature of the Kingdom of the day. It used to be a base for the  Portuguese army in the 16th century. During Goa’s struggle for liberation, it was used as a prison for political prisoners. Post-independence, it also served as a hospital for some time. 
We will visit two mini-exhibitions on the Freedom Struggle of Goa and the Goa of yesteryears. We will drive to the majestic Fort Aguada overlooking the Arabian Sea. Massive ramparts and bastions constructed using the laterite stone welcome us.  Our cultural evangelist will narrate events that happened in this Fort during the liberation of Goa from Portugal. We will visit the famous lighthouse of Aguada which has been guiding ships for centuries. During the Portuguese times, trade and warships used to be stationed here. Later it came to house political prisoners of the Portuguese.
We will next visit the sea level portion which contains gunpowder storage rooms, prisons, barracks, officers and chaplains living quarters and a chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Good Voyage. A highlight of this visit will be the largest of all the freshwater springs called the ‘Mother of water’ or ‘Mae de Agua’.
The last destination on this Forts of Goa trail is Chapora, a mighty fortress on the banks of River Chapora that separated  Portuguese Goa and Goa under the rule of local Marathas. Our cultural evangelist will recap the important events which happened here which changed the course of Goan history and geography including the story of how Marathas under the leadership of Chhatrapati Shivaji attempted to free Goa from Portuguese rule. The fort is very famous among Bollywood movie fans because of featuring in the blockbuster ‘Dil Chahta Hai’.
At about 2PM we will have lunch and then drop you off at your hotel at about 4PM.

Highlights: Reis Magos Fort, Fort Aguada, Chapora Fort.

Departure: daily. Includes: a private guide, 15 km radius of Panaji hotel pick-up and drop-off, private transportation, lunch, all entrance charges. Minimum 1 person.