Pernem on the Maharashtra Goa border and just a stone throw off the highway, is a secluded township for a traveller looking for a day off the beaches. The Chapora and Tiracol rivers offer amazing views and one can bond with the locals discovering their way of life and joining in with them fishing!
Pernem offers an accurate picture of what Goa was like many years ago. While Pernem has become a natural pit stop for tourists who drive down from Mumbai and Pune to Goa, it hasn’t really received its due given the quality Goa experience it offers.
One must visit two of their best places, the Shri Bhagwati temple and Deshprabhu House. Why you ask? Westerners will connect to this more, but Deshprabhu House a huge villa is home to the world’s only Hindu Viscount. For those of you who are wondering, Viscount is a rank and an honour in the European nobility.
The grandeur of the Shri Bhagvati temple with an army of elephant monuments is one of the best the region offers.
Getting to Pernem is easy enough if you’re driving into Goa from the north. It’s one of the first places you hit after entering the state. It’s a little over 32 km from the capital Panjim and one can hire a cab. Beware though! You might just end up paying a premium. Alternatively, one could hire a bike and ride down if the weather permits.