For Your Next Goa Trip, Stay Sober And Visit The Salaulim Dam

Before you hastily plan your next Goa getaway around the usual routine of clubbing, devouring all the seafood and washing it down with questionably cheap liquor, do yourself a favour and add the Salaulim dam to your itinerary.

Elusively hidden in south-eastern Goa, the 16-year-old structure treads a fine line between being an essential cog in the state’s irrigation and drinking water supply system; it’s a modern-day engineering marvel.

A good 20 miles separate the dam from the coastline, the closest known Goan town being Sanguem {around five kms away}, and is built on the tributary of river Zuari.

They say that good things come to those who wait, and making your way to the Salaulim dam is no different.  Your best bet to get here would be on a two-wheeler, considering the questionable quality and terrain of roads leading to the destination {which could also be one of the reasons why the dam is visited by very few tourists and locals through the year}.

The dam drops down to a height of around 140 feet. The curved rim-like shape of the structure lends both ample area and force to the water gushing downwards as well as a spectacular sight to the few visitors it hosts every day; a beautiful reminder of how the Arabian Sea isn’t the only water body in Goa capable of such dramatic force.

While getting too close to the edge of the dam is strictly prohibited, the sheer force of the water lashing at the dam base generously drenches everyone around with a much-needed shower after a sweltering day. A few signboards around solemnly claim that photography is prohibited in the area, but don’t let that stop you. It seems that the law was helplessly lost somewhere in the thunderous yet tranquil aura of the dam. In fact, the visual brilliance of the spot is sure to uplift the most ordinary photographers to fleeting moments of supremacy behind the lens.

While everyone around you writes off Goan monsoons as “off-season” for a holiday, pack your bags and plan your escape to the Salaulim dam right away. Despite occasional showers en route, the roads remain relatively devoid of traffic, promising a breezy and picturesque journey.

All you really need for the trip is a raincoat for yourself and your backpack, something to photograph the phenomenon while you’re there and of course, a full tank, just in case you end up losing your way in the dreamy countryside.