GETTING HERE

YogaMagic is peacefully situated in a lush coconut grove surrounded by paddy fields, 2km inland from the beaches of Anjuna & Vagator and 7km from the nearby market town of Mapusa in North Goa. We are intentionally tucked away with no signboard and a little hard to find so the easiest way to get here is to ask us to send a taxi to collect you.

By Air

Dabolim (GOI) is Goa’s airport, 45 mins – 75 mins drive from YogaMagic, depending on the time of day.

International Services to/from:

Doha/Qatar – Qatar Airways
Muskat/Oman – Oman Air
Dubai – Air India
Sharjah – Air Arabia

Domestic Services/connections to/from all major Indian cities including Mumbai, Delhi, Pune, Bangalore, Chennai, Ahmedabad

Domestic Airlines : Air India, Spice Jet, Indigo, GoAir, Air Asia, Vistara, Trujet

By Rail

A wonderful experience if you are feeling adventurous and have the time. There are several trains a day from Mumbai to Goa. Early morning train for stunning views and evening for the overnight sleeper. Journey takes about twelve hours with plentiful food and refreshments available onboard.

Mumbai and Trivandrum trains alight at Thivim, 45 mins from YogaMagic.
Bangalore and Delhi trains alight at Margao, 2 hours drive away.

Booking is essential at least two weeks before your journey on the Indian Railways website https://www.irctc.co.in/nget/train-search which can be quite a challenge to navigate. We have a wonderful travel agent in Anjuna who can arrange trains or busses for you, much easier than booking yourself: Brian at Speedy Travels: speedytravels@gmail.com or 0091 7030 153253.

By Sea

A completely new service last season which we have yet to try for ourselves. An overnight cruise from Mumbai to Goa/Goa to Mumbai which leaves 3 times per week. See the website for timings & reservations: https://angriyacruises.com/

By Road

The easiest way to find us is to put us into Google Maps. From Mapusa take the road to Anjuna and Vagator, up the hill and down the other side. After about 3km turn right signposted Vagator just before the large white church of St Michael the Archangel, Anjuna. Follow the road around the front of the church to the small crossroads by Bobby Bar. Go straight on towards Vagator for 300m with fields on both sides, then turn left just after the large blue and white Portuguese house on the left, opposite ‘Labour of Love’. We are right at the end of the lane, through the iron gates.

GETTING AROUND

Taxis and rickshaws can be arranged anytime at reception. We can also arrange jeep, car, scooter or motorbike hire, though we emphasise that this is not the place to ride on two wheels if you are inexperienced.
We are about 2 kilometres from Vagator and Anjuna beaches, 5 minutes drive away or about 35 minutes walk. Morjim, Aswem and Manderim beaches are much longer and quieter, about 20 minutes away by taxi.

Goa

From the lush green hills of the western ghats in the east to the golden tropical sands in the west, goa is the smallest state in india – just twenty to thirty miles wide and home to over sixty miles of palm fringed coastline. Colonised by the Portuguese for over 450 years, Goa once more became a part of india in 1961. Today the towns and villages reflect that mediterranean influence, mingled with the exotic magic of India – this is apparent in both the architecture and the world famous Goan cuisine There’s a beach in Goa to suit every taste: lounge in the sun, enjoy water sports or explore further afield to find solitude and tranquility.

There’s more to Goa than seaside sun worship; inland the fertile hills and valleys are studded with colourful temples and grand churches depicting the rich and diverse cultural heritage. Adventuring is safe and simple and local people are both friendly and helpful. The main languages spoken in Goa are Hindi and Konkani, although English is widely understood. The pace of life is relaxed and, thanks to the hippies ‘discovering’ Goa in the 60’s, the tourist infrastructure caters for western needs. Thankfully, however, Goa retains much of the charm that initially drew people here.

VISAS

It is mandatory for every traveller (except citizens of Bhutan, Maldives and Nepal) to obtain a tourist (or other relevant) visa, which requires holding a current passport with at least 6 months validity. Citizens of most countries are eligible for an evisa: https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/evisa/Registration
This requires online registration and payment before you travel, carrying a print out of your evisa confirmation with you for processing at immigration.

referee in India

YogaMagic EcoRetreat,
1586/1 Grand Chinvar,
Anjuna, Bardez 403509,
Goa, India

Phone: +91 (0)823 700 3796
Names: Phil Dane or Juliet Leary

HEALTH

Most travel and health platforms describe Goa as a low to no risk destination with the majority of our guests and expats living here preferring not to take anti-malarial medication at all, however the choice is yours. There are no mandatory vaccinations except yellow fever, only if you are arriving from a country with high risk of yellow fever virus.
Whilst malaria isn’t a problem, there are a few mosquitoes, which only come out around dawn and dusk, when it is recommended to cover up and use mosquito repellant to avoid getting bitten. We set up mosquito nets at “turn down” in the evening and infuse the rooms with smouldering incense and coconut husks to keep them away.
It is not recommended that you drink tap water anywhere in India. Our drinking water is triple filtered from our own well, provided free of cost and very safe to drink.
We recommend all our guests to arrange suitable travel insurance before they leave home.

MONEY

There are several ATM’s within 5 to 10 mins walk away from YogaMagic. Please tell your bank that you are travelling to Goa because often they become suspicious when seeing a transaction from India and have been known to block cards without warning. We can arrange for a local travel company to come to the hotel to exchange cash (minimum Rs10,000) if you require. All payments at YogaMagic can be made online.

WiFi

We have a WiFi connection in reception which is adequate but not very fast, so we ask guests to keep their online time to a minimum and avoid streaming or heavy downloads. Many of our guests take the opportunity whilst here to unplug and enjoy a “digital detox”. There are recharging stations in reception for lap tops, phones and devices.

WHAT TO BRING/WEAR

Goa is very used to westerners and their dress, or lack of it, so you are fine with standard holiday-wear in most places. If you want to visit a temple or a church, you are expected to cover shoulders and legs out of respect. If you are planning on travelling outside Goa, or go off the beaten track, we would recommend wearing more cover as bare skin tends to attract a lot of attention.

During the months of November, December and January the days are hot and sunny but the nights can be rather cool so its worth bringing a light jacket or a shawl, especially for the morning meditation and late evening.

Bring flip flops or sandals which can be easily slipped on and off. It is considered good manners in India to remove your shoes before entering a building, home or a temple.

A hat is essential if you are heading out during the day.

If you are sensitive to sounds it might be worth bringing some good ear plugs that you like to use, although we do provide them if required. Being in nature there are many sounds which most people find therapeutic : birds, squirrels, crickets, distant monkeys or dogs. India is also notorious for festivals and each week the local temple performs bhajans (sacred singing) which is actually really lovely but can go on sometimes : ) We are not too close to the parties as they tend to be by the beaches a couple of kilometres away, but still you may hear some distant sound during the party season. Thankfully there is a mandatory sound system curfew at 10pm.

A torch is also very useful.

Bring a water bottle so you can refill from our filtered water dispensers. We do have lovely copper or stainless steel water bottles for sale in our reception shop should you forget. Remember to drink plenty of water during your holiday with us.

We provide mosquito spray, ours being a natural one which is quite light, so please bring a stronger one if you are particularly sensitive.

If you are planning to ride a scooter or motorbike whilst you are here then it is essential to bring protective motorcycle clothing, a good helmet and gloves.