SAVOI PLANTATION

A trip to any Goan spice plantation is very refreshing and rejuvenating to all the senses. One can learn how local spices and herbs are grown organically. This was my trip to Savoi plantation.

On reaching the spice plantation we were guided by john to the the river way by bridge or by boat depending on the season. At the entrance of most spice farms, you will be given a warm Goan Traditional welcome and offered a refreshing herbal drink. Once inside you can at once inhale the fragrances of fresh spices such as nutmeg, cardamom, cinnamon, black and white pepper, coriander, chilies, and betel nut. Interspersed in this plantation are also fruit trees and vegetables such as cashew, custard apple, banana, citrus fruits and pineapples. we also got to see the art of how Betel Nut pluckers climb these trees, over a hundred feet above the ground and then swaying from tree to tree.

Afternoon lunch is served mostly in an open air environment on hygienic & green banana leaves which are biodegradable. The food is generally fish curry and rice with local vegetables which will spice up your appetite. The desert mostly comprises fruits. We also got an opportunity to sip the local brew called feni or urrak, which is brewed from Cashew apples or coconut. According to John, most of the Spice Plantations in Goa are located near lakes and streams, so you can do some boating and fishing too. Enjoy birding by the lakeside, or just relax by the water bodies of the plantation. Watch the cuckoos, owls, hornbills and parrots flock to the trees that dot the Spice Planation in Goa.

John encourages tourists to get back to nature and hence organizes spice plantation trips located in the hinterlands of Goa. Goa has a variety of spice plantations to offer and they are all mostly located in the heart of central Goa around the temple town of Ponda. Some spice plantations are more interior located in Bicholim district of Goa.

John advised us that a tour to any Goa spice plantation is very refreshing and rejuvenating to all the senses. One can see how local spices and herbs are grown organically in Goa. During the day, we could see the men scramble on the Betel Nut trees, over a hundred feet above the ground, swaying from tree to tree and collecting ingredients for mixes and spices. The adventurous few are offered jungle juice which is eighter the local brew called feni or urak.

 The Western Ghats in Goa are ideally suited for growing Indian spices. The rich red soil of Goa and the tropical climate are favourable for spice plantations to flourish. Nutmeg, chillies, betel nut, cashew.

While touring the Spice Plantations along with John’s Boat Tours, we came across fruit trees like custard apple, banana, citrus fruits and pineapples. According to John, most of the Spice Plantations in Goa are located near lakes and streams, so you can do some boating and fishing too. Enjoy birding by the lakeside, or just relax by the water bodies of the plantation. Watch the cuckoos, owls, hornbills and parrots flock to the trees that are present on the Spice Plantations in Goa.