Goa is set to launch India’s first amphibious vehicle, which will be used to ferry visitors along two routes in the sunshine state



On its inaugural run, the amphibious vehicle was tested both on land and in water

There’s good news for those of you who run to Goa the first chance you get. In a month's time, you will be able to explore the state in a whole new way — aboard an amphibious vehicle called The Duck. And as the name suggests, the vehicle can ply on both water and land.

Duck tours are a great way to explore cities and towns located next to water bodies. These type of tours first became popular in USA, but can now be found elsewhere in the world. And finally, they’re here in India.

Sairaj Dhond and Carlos de Sousa, brains behind the project

“We realised there was a need to innovate with tourism. Duck tours have been successful in plenty of other places around the world. When it comes to India, what better place can you think of than Goa?” says Sairaj Dhond, director of Goa Duck Tours, which will be managing the operations.

As of now, two 32-seater vehicles are ready, and they will span two guided routes in Goa. The first, Dhond says, is the heritage trail, which will take passengers along the River Mandovi and then back on the road so they can explore the historic city of Old Goa. “The second is a hinterland trail to Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary, through which people will get to see another side to Goa,” he adds.

To begin with, the tickets will be priced between R600 and R750. If these routes prove successful, more routes will be added to the roster.

The journey so far

Dhond shares that although discussions began two years ago, the road to completion has been fraught with hurdles.

“The vehicle was ready a year-and-a-half ago, but due to the novel nature of the technology, there was no existing legislation under which we could seek approvals,” says Carlos de Sousa, managing director of Amphibious Design India, which has designed the vehicles.

After going through as many as six stages of approval from central and state authorities, the Duck is finally ready to be shown off. What makes this achievement even more remarkable is the fact that the vehicles have been made in India, from scratch. “Eighty per cent of the parts have been sourced from within India itself. The remaining parts have been manufactured by my partner Miles Needham, in Hawaii,” explains de Sousa.

Why not just use refurbished Ducks from the World War II era, like so many US-based duck tour operators do? “That was not even an option we considered. Those vehicles are inefficient and bad for the environment,” he says.

The way ahead

Although Goa is the first to test this technology, de Sousa reveals that his company has been approached by several other state governments, including Maharashtra, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. “Mumbai, too, will be launching duck tours in the near future,” he adds.

He also believes that soon, these amphibious vessels will find use in areas outside of tourism, such as rescue and disaster management.