Ancient Rock Art, Bubble Lake & a Cave
Ancient Rock Art
9000-year-old petroglyph at Usgalimal, Netravati Bubble Lake & Rivova Caves
9000 year old Art, a lake & a cave
This journey moves through Goa’s deepest memory, long before temples or colonial towns shaped the land. At Usgalimal, you stand beside prehistoric rock engravings carved into laterite, dated by archaeologists to the Mesolithic period, where hunters marked animals and symbols along the Kushavati river—evidence of early human cognition and ritual behaviour. The Netravali Bubble Lake offers a pause in geological wonder: methane trapped beneath organic-rich sediments escapes as steady bubbles, a phenomenon explained by anaerobic microbial activity rather than myth, though folklore has long wrapped it in mystery. Rivona Caves then carry the story forward into early historic times, where laterite chambers, used by monks and ascetics, reveal how natural shelters became spaces for meditation and learning, a pattern well documented in early Indian monastic traditions.



Usgalimal Rock Art
We begin this Goa Tour at an ancient site in Goa located in a small hamlet on the banks of the river Kushavati. The petroglyphs or rock engravings from Panasalimal on the banks of river Kushavati date back to the stone age. The engravings on laterite has a depiction of animals, concentric circles, and human figurines. Our archaeologist will also show you a figure consisting of three stylized human arms or legs radiating from a centre and a series of concentric circles thought to have been a primitive means of measuring time!
Netravati Bubble Lake
At Netravali’s quiet freshwater pond, the surface breaks into gentle, rhythmic bubbles that seem almost deliberate. Geologists explain this as methane and other gases released by anaerobic microbes breaking down organic matter beneath the lakebed, a natural process seen in wetlands across the world, though rarely this visible. Local folklore once read these bubbles as omens, but standing here today, the wonder comes from watching geology and biology perform in plain sight—an everyday miracle powered by invisible life.
Lunch on a Spice Farm
Lunch at Tanshikar’s Spice Farm is a sensory reset after the archaeology and walking. Set amid cardamom, nutmeg, and betel nut trees, the meal reflects Goan rural food traditions rooted in seasonal produce and spice chemistry—many of these spices are known scientifically for antimicrobial and digestive properties.
Rivona Caves
The Rivona caves are carved into soft laterite rock and date to the early historic period, often associated with Buddhist or Jain monastic use between the 6th and 8th centuries. Their simplicity is the point: plain chambers, meditation niches, and water channels shaped to support ascetic life. Archaeologists note that such caves were chosen for isolation, stable temperatures, and proximity to water—conditions ideal for contemplation—making this stop less about monuments and more about understanding how silence itself became a spiritual tool.
Guided Tour
The tour of Usagalimal rock art, Netravati bubble lake and Rivona cave is led by a Guide to ensure the guests. The guide weaves archaeology, geology, ecology, and local memory into a single unfolding story—explaining prehistoric rock art through what science tells us about early human symbolism, demystifying the Bubble Lake with clear biological reasoning while acknowledging the folklore it inspired, and reading the Rivona caves as lived spaces shaped by climate, material science, and spiritual practice.
Private Tour
A private tour ensures that we are able to focus all our attention on the guest and adjust the pace of the tour according to their interests. Pick and drop from your hotel in an air-conditioned vehicle is included.
Tripadvisor Reviews

Pricing Chart
- Pick & drop
- Travel by Private Car
- Guide
- Entrance charges
- South Indian Vegetarian meals as lunch
- Pick & drop
- Travel by sedan
- Guide
- Entrance charges
- South Indian Vegetarian meals as lunch
- Pick & drop
- Travel by sedan
- Guide
- Entrance charges
- South Indian Vegetarian meals as lunch
Trip Itinerary
Temples of Goa Tour
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