One of the offbeat things to do in Goa includes biking through the quaint Divar Island. What no one tells you is how! On our quest to do things differently on our recent Goa trip, my friend and I took a bike (not a cycle) to Divar Island and the experience was just relaxing. So I decided to share the do’s and don’ts of cycling/riding through Divar Island.
How to get there!
You can reach the ferry point near Panjim to make your way across to the island. The ferry ride is completely free (yes, free!) and can accommodate bikes, cycles and even cars. So don’t shy away from getting your transport the way you’re comfortable.
Don’t take the first ferry route as it takes you to Chorao island (but we did end up there anyway, stay tuned at the end to know how.) Board the ferry at the second point and you’ll get there.
What to carry/get
- Bottles of water
- Bikes/any transport mode (You don’t get them on the island)
- Picnic basket with food (great spots for this!)
- Hat/some covering as the heat is blistering in the island
What to do in Divar Island
There’s not much to see in Divar Island except:
- Ruins of Kadamba dynasty in Piedade (Koti Tirth Thali)
- Our Lady of Piety Church and a burial ground dated from the 1800s
- Naroa fort (which we didn’t find, unfortunately)
The locals aren’t very sure where to direct tourists so what you can do is plan a simple day in a quiet island town. Soak in the sun, roam around traffic-less roads, find the beautiful architecture in every corner with colorful homes and picnic in a cool, shaded spot.
Chorao Island
As we roamed aimlessly in Divar, we found out we were truly lost as we didn’t know where the boarding point to the ferry was. So, as we rode, my friend saw a ferry that was about to leave and we just sped into it. (This is where our stupidity took us into a beautiful drive) Apparently, that was a connecting ferry to the Chorao island and we ended up roaming 14-20 km seeing sheer beauty from the backwaters to fields to mangroves and whatnot!
This island even has a bird sanctuary! And finally, we used the GPS and put Panjim to get to the right ferry point.
There’s a lot of calm energy waiting for you to experience at Divar Island, Goa. Take a day out there to find yourself amidst beauty and sheer brilliance.