Heritage walk in Old Goa to relive the golden age of Velha Goa

Sawani gave us a brilliant day in Old Goa and Panjim. She was full of good information and interesting narrative, but she is also wonderfully deliberate but candid in sharing her views, and kind to old people like us. She had a fine sense of how to corral way four wayward old whitehairs around, even in the throng at Bom Jesu. Lunch was at a modern local restaurant was delicious (Sawani chose for us), and the nice car and Ashok the driver made us comfortable and safe all day. Sawani gave us delicious treats after our visit to the Hanuman temple. While we liked and admired the colonial sites of Portuguese settlement in India, we were most grateful for the temple visit. Sawani guided us in making a sacrifice of oil, and invited us to sit on the floor among the worshippers as long as we liked. We were lucky to visit on a day of the week on which the temple's deity, Hanuman, is especially venerated. We were there with a variety of the faithful, young and old. This part of the visit was not about antiquity or art history, but about being among people living their lives.

Guide was incredible. Had an answer for every question and was fun to walk around GOA with. Booking was efficient and helpful. Would highly recommend.

During a recent business trip to Goa, I planned to take a conducted walk of the World Heritage Site at Velha (Old) Goa while I was free for a few hours on a weekday. Several tours were listed on TripAdvisor, but this was the only one which inspired confidence; so I booked a slot for it, although it was the most expensive option. A few hours before the tour was scheduled to begin, I got a message from Sawani, who introduced herself as the guide for the walking tour and sent me a link for the starting point. Unfortunately, the car I had booked on the day of the tour reached very late and I was afraid that I would miss some of the attractions. I contacted Sawani, who informed me (much to my relief) that it was a private tour and I was the only participant! I reached Viceroy’s Arch, the starting point of the tour, to find Sawani waiting patiently. She turned out to be an energetic young lady, perhaps half my age. However, I had much to learn from her, ranging from the properties of Laterite to the peculiar symbol of a double-headed eagle found in many cultures across the world. The tour started from the Viceroy’s Arch, built by Francisco da Gama in memory of his ancestor Vasco da Gama. Then we visited the picturesque St Cajetan’s Church (which few tourists visit and which was not on the list of attractions provided by the tour operator). We also spent a few minutes at the so-called doorway of Adil Shah’s palace. The next halt was Se Cathedral, the largest of the surviving churches of Goa, which makes the astounding claim that it is the biggest church in Asia! The Archaeological Museum located behind the cathedral turned out to be a real treasure house, and Sawani – whose core specialization is not colonial history but archaeology – had much to say. She not only explained the significance of the Portuguese sculptures and artefacts, but also those of pre-Portuguese era which were on display. She quoted stories from the Puranas to explain the finer details of the Hindu sculptures. We also visited a portrait gallery on the first floor and later saw inscriptions in Persian and Marathi, apart from the relics of a queen of Georgia. After spending an hour or so at the Museum, we visited the adjacent Church of St. Francis of Assisi. Then we went inside St Catherine’s Chapel, which few tourists manage to see. By then I was quite tired and we took a break at Ratna Sagar restaurant - where I had a snack and a cup of coffee, but the indefatigable Sawani simply sipped hot water! Later, we visited the Basilica of Bom Jesus where there were huge crowds for the upcoming feast. After a brief stop at their souvenir shop, we proceeded to the ruins of St Augustine’s church. Sawani showed me the site where the church had once stood, as well as the attached nunnery/monastery, patiently answering all my questions. I noticed that there was a museum of Christian Art across the road, but it was not open to public. I must say that Sawani played her role with aplomb, displaying much patience, knowledge and enthusiasm. Best wishes to her! I am also satisfied by the services provided by the website and the tour operator, except for the fact that the ticket says that Entrance charges are included and goes on to list “Entry/Admission” to various attractions covered in the tour. This might have been a significant benefit if this tour had been in Paris, Rome or Istanbul, where one typically pays ten euros at each location and two or three times that amount for “skip the queue” facility. In Velha Goa, on the other hand, admission is free of charge at all the attractions covered in the tour, except for a ten-rupee ticket for the Museum. Hence the promise of including entrance charges is not just irrelevant but also unethical. Note: This listing is about the walking tour offered by 5 Senses, not about the attractions which are included in it; and so my review is mainly about the tour itself. However, I do intend to post reviews of the individual attractions later.

We had half a day free on a Saturday and we decided to take up the Old Goa heritage walk based on reviews on tripadvisor,. The tour was fantastic led by Ram a very well read professional guide. He began with a good background about the history of Portuguese rule in Goa and how Old Goa was their capital and they built magnificent churches here. We visited several Churches built in Portuguese style including Bom Jesus and it was spectacular. Five Senses Tours also arranged a convenient pick up, drop to my hotel. The local food provided during the walk was the icing on the cake. Highly recommended.

We had booked the old goa walk with 5 Senses walks. It was a great booking experience as we got craft number as well as the picture of the guide well before the day. On the day of the tour Ram picked us up on time from the lobby and drove old goa. Ram is a great guide and made us feel very comfortable. He knew his history and he also told us interesting anecdotes which made it fun. The vice Roy arch is where we began and then we saw a slew of magnificent churches. Basilica of Bom Jesus was spectacular. It was a lovely way to relive the glory days of Velha Goa.