Fort Aguada and its Lighthouse

Aguada was built by the Portuguese in the early seventeenth century on the headland where the Mandovi meets the sea, and it was named for its water: a spring inside the walls that let ships refill on the long haul round from Europe. The laterite ramparts and the dry moat survive on the upper level, along with a squat four-storey lighthouse tower from the nineteenth century, retired from service decades ago, with a working light standing close by. From the walls you look north up the long line of Sinquerim and Candolim beaches and south across the river mouth to the far bank. The lower fort by the water was used as a jail for many years and part of it has since opened as a museum.

History

The Portuguese built the fort in 1612 to guard against the Dutch, at the mouth of the Mandovi, and it became the most prized of their forts, covering the whole peninsula at the south-west tip of Bardez. Its freshwater spring supplied passing ships and gave it its name, Aguada, "watery", and its lighthouse, built in 1864, is the oldest of its kind in Asia (Wikipedia, Fort Aguada).

What's there

• The old lighthouse - a stubby four-storey stone tower inside the walls, no longer in service.
• The ramparts and moat - thick laterite walls and the dry ditch cut into the headland rock.
• The coastal view - the beaches running north and the mouth of the Mandovi to the south.
• The freshwater cistern - the spring-fed storage that gave the fort its name and purpose.

When to go

November to February is dry and pleasant; the monsoon from June closes much of coastal Goa down and the headland gets battered. Late afternoon is when people come, and the sunset over the water from the ramparts is genuinely good, but so is early morning when you may have the place to yourself. Allow two hours at most.

Before you go

The upper fort is a small site and can be walked in half an hour, so the drive is longer than the visit for some. There is no shade on the ramparts and the laterite throws heat back. Sunset brings a crowd and a car park problem. The lighthouse tower is usually closed, so you look at it rather than climb it.

Nearby

Sinquerim and Candolim beaches are directly below, and Old Goa's churches are about forty minutes inland.

Key facts