Goa isn’t just for parties and beaches, it’s a great place to take a family holiday. While there are not as many things for kids to do in Goa as there are somewhere like Florida, it’s still got a handful of “do not miss” things to do in Goa with your kids on your India holiday.

While I think playing in the sand at the beach is enough fun for most, you wouldn’t want your kids to get bored so here are the options I know of for kids in Goa. I also have a guide to traveling with kids in Goa.

Don’t forget to pick up my Insider Guide to Goa and my Guide to India

General Goa Travel Tips

14 Fun and Affordable Things to do in Goa with Kids

1. Spice Plantation

There are two. I prefer Sahakari Spice Farm (although have written about visiting Tropical Spice Plantation). You can read about what a spice plantation visit would be like before visiting on this blog post. I do not recommend riding the elephants as I believe taming them for tourism is abuse and animal cruelty. They don’t look like they are treated that well anywhere in Goa. It’s 400 Rs to enter and then extra to play with and ride the elephants. 

tropical spice plantation goa

tropical spice plantation goa

2. Splashdown Water Park

Goa’s only water park has a lot of slides and such for little ones. Prices depend on the age of the kids. You cannot bring food and drinks in and you must wear REAL swimwear if you are getting in the water. Tickets are around 500 Rs. and even parents watching have to pay 350 Rs. 

3. Gokarting

This is pretty self-explanatory. It’s located in Arpora and every taxi driver will know where this is. It’s near the Saturday Night Market. They can go fairly fast and some idiots come here drunk and do wreck so if your kids are your young, maybe ask that they race with other kids. They can turn them down to let them go slower. Prices could change but were 200 Rs. for 10 laps.

go karting goa

4. Parasailing

You’ll find this in so many different areas of Goa and at nearly every single beach. I am not listing prices because it so heavily depends on your negotiating skills. You can also have most hotels set this up for you. Prices variable.

5. Dolphin Tours

This is very similar to the parasailing in that every single tour operator shop has boat tours to see dolphins. This is the same in that you need to negotiate and prices are range hugely. Prices variable.

6. Dudsagar Falls Tour

You can visit Dudsagar Falls for free! But, you do have to get there. The cost will be hiring a taxi driver or renting a car. You can rent a car for a day for around 1500 Rs but the road here is dangerous and you could get lost. You can hire a driver. It’s in Sonaulim, in the South, near the Karnataka border. Prices here with a taxi could range from 1,800 – 3,000 Rs depending on where you are located in Goa. 

waterfall goa

7. Exploring Fort Aguada

Fort Aguada is in Candolim near the Taj Fort Aguada (go figure!). You can walk out here for free and let your kids explore. You could read up on their Wikipedia page and teach your kids some Portuguese / Goa history while you’re there. There are more forts like Tiracol and Chapora you can check out too. This is Free. 

8. Butterfly Sanctuary

This is in Ponda which means you can see this on your way home from the Spice Plantation, both of which are in/near Ponda. It’s very small. We didn’t see one butterfly but we did see some HUGE spiders. On their page they have photos of pythons as well. You can find more information here. This is an NGO and it’s free to enter, but you should tip and they may ask you directly to. 

9. Olaulim Backyards

This is one of my favorite places to stay in Goa and it seems other’s too since it’s #1 in specialty lodging in Goa. They have an amazing pool, lots of animals (even a donkey), and kayaking in the backwaters. The owner can take you on a tour of the village, and you can use the bicycles. The local food here is great. They are on Airbnb which means you can use my referral code and get $25 off your booking if you haven’t signed up before! Olaulim is inland, near Mapusa and will give your kids that “jungle” experience. Rates for rooms start at $58 per night.

olaulim backyards india travel bucket list

olaulim backyards the other side of goa

olaulim backyards the other side of goa

10. Wildernest

Wildernest is a similar place with trekking and a wonderful pool for kids. It’s on the border of Karnataka and also has serious jungle vibes, since well – it’s in the jungle! This one is a little more “boutique” and pricey. You can click here to book.  Rates for rooms start at $88 per night.

11. Snow Park in Goa

Never seen snow? You can see “real” snow here. 50 tons of it make up the 5000 square foot play area. You can build snowmen and play in the igloos. Click here for more information and directions.  Tickets start at 495 Rs. 

13. Goa’s Ark

Goa’s Ark has a petting zoo too! It also has swing sets, play places, and a kids section on the menu. These are great options for long lunches so your kids can play while you enjoy your food. Lots of people take their kids here, so you can hope that there will be kids for your own kid to play with. It’s free to play if you order food.

14. Bhagwan Mahaveer

This is the largest wildlife sanctuary in Goa. It’s a great place to explore the Western Ghats and give your kids lessons on the jungle. You can do tours to see deer and bison. They say on their website you can see the black panther – wow! It’s near Dudsagara Falls and you could spend two days in this part of town doing both activities or drive back another day. It’s about 35 miles from Panjim, the capital. It doesn’t have stellar reviews on TripAdvisor. I haven’t been myself.  I cannot find the price of this online, sorry.

If you’re coming to Goa, also check out this guide for traveling with kids in Goa to see how to pack, what the trains are like, safety, and more which was written by an expat mom here in Goa. I also have a guide to planning your trip to India; click here to read it.

If you’re visiting, I hope that you can enjoy these things to do in Goa with kids and leave a comment to say which ones your kids liked.

PS: If you are coming to Goa, you definitely need my ebook, Insider’s Guide to Goa. It’s 170 pages filled with the most up to date, comprehensive information about Goa plus it has all my secret places to go that I’ve found after living here almost five years.This book has 50x more information about Goa than my blog and is organized to make things easy for you to find. Click here to buy it now.

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