About 12 km from Sanjan and 25 km from Silvassa lie two miles of virtually virgin beach fringed with whispering casuarina groves. Which is more than most visitors bargain for, but Nargol seems singularly unimpressed by its spectacular coastline. Barely 20 km from Daman, it's a higgledy-piggledy little village with old villas, crude tenements and mud huts flanking crooked lanes that peter out by the deserted beach.

Although tourist facilities are practically non-existent, you can swim and sunbathe here without a care in the world. The beach is more or less private, has a gentle, rock-free gradient that allows you to wade in for nearly half a mile in low tide, and the sand is clean and fine.

Apart from its star attraction, Nargol is much more than just a beach. This is where the Parsis landed in the 13th century, seeking refuge from Muslim invaders in their Persian homeland. They were given asylum by Jhadav Rana, the local Hindu king, and stayed on to build their prosperous little hamlets on the southern tip of Gujarat Gholvad, Dahanu, Palghar to the south and Daman, Devka and Udvada to the north. Four miles from Nargol, at Sanjan, a commemorative pillar marks their arrival here. Non-Parsis are prohibited from entering the premises, but you can catch a glimpse of the imposing structure from outside.

But it's a fading legacy. Today, most of the old Parsi villas in Nargol have been abandoned for the skyscrapers of Mumbai. Yet, a handful remains, invitingly open to offer a glimpse of four-poster mahogany beds and carved furniture. Many of these mansions belong to the chikoo cultivators who own the plantations, or wadis, that dot the area. Drive around and find one; they're easy to spot with their dense foliage of stunted trees and the unmistakable woodsy aroma of chikoos hanging in the air.

Local tribals tend the plantations. If you happen to be in Nargol on a Saturday morning, head for the ST Bus Stand. A bone-rattling, 15-min ride will get you to the weekly market in Khatalwar rows of pavement stalls selling chunky tribal jewellery, clay pots and stoves, dried fish and edible roots.