Mango Tourism on a Sabbatical

Head to this village in Sindhudurg for an authentic alphonso experience that will benefit the locals to

If you're among thethousands disappointedby the mangoes availablein the city this season,head t o Sindhudurg for anauthentic alphonsoexperience. Culture Aangan isorganising trips to the village,150 kms from Goa, all throughthis month, targeted at citydwellers and foreign tourists.And it's the village locals whowill benefit from this endeavour. Says Rashmi Sawant,founder of Culture Aangan"We have organised the visitin a way that the tourists stayat the locals' homes, eat theirhome-cooked meals, visittheir orchards and farms, usetheir modes o f transport,work with them and learnfrom them."

The basic package spansover two nights and threedays, including a stay withthe locals. The packages areflexible and can be modifiedto include educational as wellas recreational activities. Thehomes are located in andaround mango orchards andagriculture farms, withvarious activities developed around them. Visitorscan spend their days atthe farms, interactingwith the farmers andtasting and collecting mangoes. Otheractivities includeculinary sessionsthat teach you tomake jams, squashes,chutneys and a visit toa mango research station to study the varietiesof the fruit. "There areseveral other activities likepicnics at the waterfall andnature trails," says Sawant.

According to Sawant, thisis the perfect time to visitSindhudurg a s i t lies in thealphonso belt and the mangoharvest season is currentlyunderway. Also, by involvingthe locals at every step, thetrip stays rustic while offering a range o f activities tosuit everyone's tastes.

Still only in its first year,Culture Aangan has startedits holidays only in theKonkan region, but Sawantplans to take the concept ofrural tourism acrossthe country. "The aim is torecreate a model as suchacross villages in India withan aim to conserve andprolong cultural traditions,"she smiles.

What's on offer
Fruity fun
Mango plucking, collection
Studying varieties of mangoes
Culinary session
Waterfall picnic
Flora and fauna expeditions
Puppetry
Dolphin boat rides
Oceanography
Bird watching

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