Aura of India: Hill Stations in Goa? Chorla Ghat, Dudhsagar, Netravali, Amboli

Dudhsagar Falls and its railway bridge on a forested slope of the Western Ghats in eastern Goa

Photo: solarisgirl, CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped), via Wikimedia Commons

The forest road east of Mollem in October, the monsoon just over and cloud still resting on the Sahyadri ridge.

Goa has no hill station, but its eastern border is a wall of forested hills, and a long day there feels a world away from the beach.

The Sahyadri edge, not a hill station

Goa has no hill station in the usual sense: no cool town on a ridge with old bungalows and a promenade. Most of the state is coast, river and low laterite plateau. Only in the east does the land climb into the Sahyadri, the local name for the Western Ghats, and most of these forested hills lie inside wildlife sanctuaries. People come by day for waterfalls, temples and views, not for cool nights. Keri, Collem and Surla, named on old lists, are villages.

The highest ground is in the far north-east, where Sonsogod, at 1,027 m Goa's highest peak, stands inside the Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary in Sattari. Close by, the Chorla Ghat road (NH-748AA) climbs from Keri towards Belagavi, through forest where Goa, Karnataka and Maharashtra meet. It is finest in and just after the rains, but fallen trees and landslips can block it in heavy weather.

Mollem, Dudhsagar and Tambdi Surla

The Bhagwan Mahavir Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park around Mollem cover 240 sq km, Goa's largest protected forest. Its famous sight is Dudhsagar, "sea of milk", a waterfall that drops 306 m in two stages, about 10 km into the forest from the Collem gate. The jeep circuit reopened for the 2026–27 season in early October. Only forest-registered jeeps go in, booked online through the Goa Tourism Development Corporation. The gate is open from 8 am to 3 pm, and the circuit shuts on orange or red rain alerts. Walking to the falls along the railway line is banned, and railway police fine those who try.

About 13 km from Mollem, at the foot of the Anmod ghat, the Mahadev temple at Tambdi Surla stands in a forest clearing: a small 12th-century Shiva temple of black basalt from the Kadamba period, still in worship.

Netravali, Cotigao and the southern uplands

South of Mollem, the Netravali Wildlife Sanctuary covers 211 sq km of Sanguem. The Goa Forest Development Corporation runs jeep trips to its two waterfalls, Savari and Mainapi. Beside the Gopinath temple in Netravali village, the Budbudyanchi Tali, or bubble lake, sends up a steady trail of small bubbles. Further south in Canacona, Cotigao is tall, shaded forest near the Karnataka border, with treetop watchtowers about 25 m up over waterholes where animals drink at dawn and dusk. It is an easy half day from Palolem.

Between the coast and the ghats rise a few lone hills. The best is Chandranath, a wooded hill of about 350 m near Paroda in Quepem, with a temple on top and long views over south Goa.

Getting there, and Amboli for cooler air

Fly into Mopa or Dabolim, or take a train to Madgaon; for Dudhsagar, Kulem station is close to the jeep counter. Otherwise you need a car, since buses rarely reach the forest gates.

For a real hill station, cross into Maharashtra. Amboli, at about 690 m in Sindhudurg district, is about 90 km from Panaji, with waterfalls, heavy rain and viewpoints over the Konkan.

Rules for the forest and the falls

Drownings at waterfalls have brought firm rules. In late June 2026 the district collectors banned swimming, bathing, diving and cliff-jumping at waterfalls, rivers and old quarries for 60 days, while still allowing guided trips run by the forest and tourism corporations. Similar orders come each monsoon. Some falls, such as Tonir in Mhadei, are out of bounds altogether.

Treks inside the sanctuaries need a forest permit from the Goa Online portal, and the Dudhsagar nature trail is walked only with a forest-approved guide. Plastic and alcohol are banned on the Dudhsagar circuit. Go early, when the forest is cooler and best for birds.

Hills to know

Sonsogod (North Goa, height about 1,027 m): Goa's highest peak, inside the Mhadei sanctuary.
Chorla Ghat (North Goa and Belagavi): the forest road from Keri up to Karnataka.
Mollem (Kushavati): the gateway to Goa's largest sanctuary.
Dudhsagar Falls (Kushavati, a drop of about 306 m): reached only by forest jeep from Collem.
Tambdi Surla (Kushavati): a 12th-century basalt Shiva temple in the forest.
Netravali (Kushavati): the Savari and Mainapi falls and the bubble lake.
Cotigao (Kushavati): tall forest and treetop watchtowers near Palolem.
Chandranath Hill (Kushavati, height about 350 m): a lone hill near Paroda with a temple on top.
Amboli (Sindhudurg, Maharashtra, height about 690 m): the nearest true hill station.

On the Chorla road the sea is out of sight, and Goa is only forest, cloud and the sound of water.

Plan your visit

Best season	October to March. The waterfalls are fullest in October and November. The Dudhsagar jeep circuit closes for the monsoon and on days of orange or red rain alerts.
How to reach	Mopa and Dabolim airports; Madgaon station, and Kulem station for the Dudhsagar jeeps. Sawantwadi Road station for Amboli.
Getting around	A hired car with a driver; buses rarely reach the forest gates.
Permits and fees	Dudhsagar: registered jeeps only, booked online through GTDC; check the current fare. Netravali: GFDC jeep trip to Savari or Mainapi, ₹570 a person (as of October 2026). Treks need a forest permit.
Where to stay	Mollem for Dudhsagar and Tambdi Surla; Valpoi for the Chorla side; Palolem or Agonda for Cotigao; Amboli for a cooler night. Or base in one of Goa's towns.
How long to spend	A day each for Mollem, Netravali and the Chorla road; half a day for Cotigao; a night or two at Amboli. More in our Goa guide.

Open Bhagwan Mahavir Wildlife Sanctuary, Mollem, Goa in Google Maps

Questions people ask

Does Goa have a hill station?

No. Goa's eastern edge is forested Western Ghats, mostly inside sanctuaries, with no hill town to stay in. The nearest true hill station is Amboli in Maharashtra, about 90 km from Panaji.

Is Dudhsagar open in October 2026?

Yes. The jeep circuit from Collem reopened in early October 2026. Book a registered jeep online through GTDC; it closes on heavy-rain alert days.

Can I walk to Dudhsagar along the railway line?

No. The railway route is banned, and railway police fined dozens of trekkers in 2026. Go by forest jeep, or on the guided nature trail with a permit.

What is the highest point in Goa?

Sonsogod, at 1,027 m, in the Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary in Sattari.

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Hill Stations in Goa? Chorla Ghat, Dudhsagar, Netravali, Amboli