Goa culture tour, tailor made

country:	India
location:	Goa
departures:	This trip can be tailormade at a time to suit you and adapted to suit your budget and requirements. We can mix and match according to the dates, length of stay and places you would like to visit.
price:	From £2590 for 2 people (13 days) excluding flights. We can arrange flights from the UK

Goa holidays

India holidays

the amazing things you'll be doing

This tour takes you from Goa’s famous golden beaches and dense forests, to a palace overlooking the Arabian sea, a remote forest eco-lodge, and a Hindu pilgrimage site.

Highlights include:

Dolphin watching by boat & ferry rides

Beaches and swimming

India puppetry and folk dancing

Yoga and meditation; ayurveda massage

The hills of the Western Ghats

Trekking; birding and wildlife

Village walks; markets; bullock cart rides

Homestay

Goan home cooked food (inc fresh fish & sea food).

Family holidays: The tour is suitable for families, including those with children who are relaxed about staying in non-western environments (e.g. the food is Indian). There is plenty for children and lots of potential playmates.

This tour stretches from the comfortable to the luxurious and the homestays we list should not be confused with those that cater for backpackers.

Photo: Sculpture from Wildernest Forest Lodge

day-by-day itinerary

Day 1-2:	We’ll meet you at Dabolim airport and take the 1½ hour car journey through paddy fields (farmers drying their paddy harvest), to the homestay (a self contained apartment) of Carl and Barbara, in Taleigao, a suburb of Goa’s capital, Panaji. Carl is India’s leading wildlife artist - he’s listed in ‘Asia’s Who’s Who’ and if you have a book on Asia’s birds, the likelihood is that he illustrated it (Field Guides, Book of Indian Birds, Birds of the Indian Subcontinent, Birds of East Asia etc). Barbara worked with Delta airline and is well connected in the area. She grows vegetables and fruit trees in the garden, watered from an underground rainwater tank built under the house. Barbara and Carl will act as your hosts during your stay, either accompanying you on your explorations or pointing you in the right direction, according to your preferences (you will have your own car and driver). From their home you can explore Panaji. Built of the banks of the Mandovi river, the city offers good shopping, the daily vegetables and fish market, contemporary Indian art, and a lively Old Latin Quarter with occasional street music. There’s also Old Goa in the hills; the flea market in Anjuna beach (Wednesdays, October to May); Arpora Saturday night market; concerts, music and classical dance at the Kala Academy at Miramar; rock carvings at Rivona; as well as the village and market by the homestay. You can join Barbara cooking if you like and they’ll take you to the finest restaurants in the area.
Day 3-5:	From an apartment near the city, we’ll go to the other extreme – a forest eco-lodge in a 400 acre private forest. The journey to Wildernest in the Swapnagandha Valley of the Western Ghats takes 2 hours. Swapnagandha Valley is on the border of Maharashtra, Karnataka and Goa. The valley is overlooked by three huge waterfalls and surrounded by dense forest. Leopards, wild boar and bisons are spotted in the region, which is best known as the home to a variety of medicinal plants. One hundred and fifty species of birds are spotted there. The community based project is staffed largely by local people. There are 2 sacred groves (known locally as ‘Devrai’) situated on the 400 acres site and – unusually – 12 families from the pastoralist tribe ‘Dhanger’ (of African descent) live around the reserve. Wildernest also provides financial and material support to the local village school. There are 12 forest lodges (some over looking the valley), with king sized beds, and spacious bathroom and toilet. The swimming pool is built into the forests. The restaurant serves a mixture of traditional Maharashtra, Karnataka and Goan Cuisine from neighboring villages (kept warm in clay pots) and there’s a bar called Cloud 9! During your time here, we can go trekking to the waterfall and over the hillsides, go birding, visit the nearby village, take a bullock cart ride down the old Portugese highway, meditate in the dedicated centre, and watch folk dancing in the evenings. Your hosts are from the local area. On our visit we met Sushama, Linta and Namdev, all of whom are knowledgeable about the terrain, wildlife and birds.
Day 6-8:	From a forest hut, we’ll take you by car (2 hours) and then by ferry boat across the waters to a palace on a large island at Goa’s northern most outpost. Tiricole Fort was originally owned by the ancestors of H. H. Rani Bhonsales (Barbara’s friend) but was seized by the Portuguese in early 16th century. The Fort was converted to a hotel in December 2002. It has seven huge and luxurious rooms filled with history, magnificent views of the Arabian sea, and is staffed largely by people from the local village. Over the three days, you can explore the premises (there’s a courtyard and a chapel - St Antony - in the Fort), go dolphin watching by boat, take village walks around the island, walk to Redi village beach, have an ayurveda massage, do yoga (you need to inform the staff in advance), or simply gaze at the Arabian sea, drinking cashew fenny – the acclaimed local brew.
Day 9-11:	From a place of luxury, we’ll take you on a 4 to 5 hour drive to a place that has an air of simplicity. Gokarna, in the state of Karnataka, is a pilgrimage site in India for devotees visiting temples (Mahabaleshwara, Bhadrakali and Venkataramana). It is believed that the idol of the deity in Mahabaleshwara temple is more than 1500 years old. Although off the western tourist map, SwaSwara – a series of 24 villas along the Om beach – is popular locally. The setting, surrounded by coconut groves and paddy fields, is low key, and the running of the villas is environmentally sensitive. The villas themselves are built from natural materials, most of which is sourced locally. Kitchen waste is converted into biogas for cooking; waste water is filtered by rushes and purified for watering the gardens, and rain water is collected and used for cooking and drinking after two purification processes. During the next three days, you can practice meditation and yoga, take lessons from the residential art teacher, go bird watching, join the kitchen staff cooking, take long walks crossing the cliffs to the adjacent beaches, explore the villages, visit Gokarna temple and go swimming. There are seventy staff working at SwaSwara, recruited from the locality. Much of the food is also grown locally (they serve fish but not meat), and they also serve local wine which they’re keen for you to try.
Day 12:	We’ll make our way back to Panaji (4 to 5 hours), this time staying at Panjim Inn in the centre of the city. The Panjim Inn was built by the Portuguese and lies the city’s Latin Quarter. It was built in the late 1800’s by Francis Assis D’Silveira and has been owned by the same family for five generations (the gilded pelmets and wrought iron railings across the 1st floor verandahs have the family insignia). The building has huge Burmah teak beams and rafters, carved rosewood almirahs, and period furniture. Although restored, it has an elegantly crumbling air about it. There are twenty four bedrooms, and a restaurant serving local and continental food. You do can any final shopping you want, before your journey back home.
Day 13:	After a farewell meal, we’ll make our way to the airport for your journey back home – or you can take an optional extension (at extra cost)
Optional extensions
Extension 1:	Rural farm life in Maharastra (2-3 nights) We’ll take you on the 4 hour train journey, far away from the tourists, to a place called Oras in Sindhudurg, in the state of Maharastra. You’ll pass farms, forests and small towns on your way. On arrival, we’ll take you to the rural homestay of Sashikant Kadam and his wife, Shubhada. From the homestay, you can explore the nearby villages, temples and markets, and farmland. You can also go boating in the backwaters of Nerur par, spend a day out on the beaches at Tarkarli or go walking in the surrounding mountains. Or if you travel by car (and get the train back), we may be able to have lunch with Her Royal Highness Rani Bhonsle, at the Palace at Sawanthwadi. The Queen is a personal friend of Barbara and Carl. She is a descendant of the oldest ruling family in Konkan (Maharashtra), the Bhonsale dynasty. The kingdom was established in 1692 and the family own the palace and much of the surrounding land. To revive the traditional Ganjifa art, the Queen has created a space for artists and craftsmen to work within the palace. The artists make hand painted traditional Ganjifa cards (a game dating back to the Mahabharata), playing cards, toys, Indian traditional games and hand painted lacquered furniture.
Extension 2:	Ruins of Ancient Hindu empire at Hampi (2-3 days) If you have a passion for history and architecture, you can take the 9 hour train journey from Panaji to Hampi - a vast area of 14th and 15th century palaces and temples that once formed the wealthy capital of a huge Hindu empire said to have been "greater than Rome". Although mostly destroyed by Muslim invaders in the 16th century, it is still impressive and you can spend days wandering around. The best place to stay is the “Boulders” resort located on the banks of Tungabhadra River, 7 km away from Hampi.
Extension 3:	Beach houses (and tents) overlooking the ocean (min stay 7 days) 'Elsewhere' offers four beach houses, split from the mainland by a salt water creek, sitting directly on the beach facing the sea. You approach it by crossing the creek by bamboo footbridge. Your companions during your stay are turtles and otters. The owner – Denzil – is a prominent fashion photographer in Bombay. The place has been in family ownership over many generations. The beach houses are built in a traditional style, with open sitting areas to watch the sea. There’s electricity, running water, cooker and fridge. Or alternatively, you can stay in Otter Creek Tents. The luxury tents face inwards toward the creek, with sitting areas outside and a bamboo jetty over the creek. The tents have four poster beds, ensuite toilets and bathrooms with hot showers. During your stay, you can cook fish over a fire, go birding watching, see the fishermen bring in their catch, watch otters (they nest upstream from the tents and can occasionally be seen swimming past); and if you’re lucky see the turtles nesting. Or, you can just sit and watch the ocean.

tailor made holiday

This trip can be tailormade to create a unique holiday for your individual requirements by travel experts with intimate knowledge of the destination. It is a more luxurious trip that will suit those who enjoy immersing themselves in new cultures and environments before relaxing in comfort in some of the best and most characterful local accommodation! Quality and value are the hallmark of these trips.

how this holiday makes a difference

Our tours are hosted by a husband/wife team from the local community, who are themselves conservationists. Barbara and Carl bring their knowledge of the area, as well as their friendships, to the tours. We start this tour by taking you to their homestay.

All drivers are local to Goa. We use local owned and staffed restaurants, accommodation and homestays throughout, and many are active conservation projects in their own right.

One example is Wildernest, a forest eco-lodge in a 400 acre private forest in the Western Ghats. The land originally belonged to the local villagers. Five years ago, a large mining consortium started negotiations with the villagers to buy up the forest land for mining. Three conservationists - Nirmal Kulkarni (an ecologist), Capt Nitin Dhond (a merchant navy captain), and Mr. Panduranga Narahari Dhond (a mechanical engineer) came to the rescue. Over a period of 18 months, the three worked intensively with the villagers, convincing them not to sell up to the mining company, but instead to work collaboratively to establish a reserve for community eco-tourism. A bank was – finally - found to support the initiative and the dream came true.

Another is SwaSwara – a series of 24 villas along the Om beach – which is off the Western tourist map, but popular locally. The setting, surrounded by coconut groves and paddy fields. The villas themselves are built from natural materials, most of which is sourced locally. Kitchen waste is converted into biogas for cooking; waste water is filtered by rushes and purified for watering the gardens, and rain water is collected.

Both Tiricole Fort and Panjim Inn are both illustrations of how architecturally significant buildings have been preserved by local people through tourism.

Or, if you opt for an extension, you could take the train and stay in rural Maharastra. The homestay is owned by Sashikant Kadam and his wife, Shubhada. Sashikant worked for Tata Engineering in Mumbai and his wife went to JJ School of Art and later taught art at school. They retired to their village in Oras to set up the home stay, which is simple and clean with home cooked food. From the homestay, you can easily explore the nearby villages, temples and markets, and farmland. Sashikant will be happy to accompany you on your visits. He has his own small orchard nearby. You can also go boating in the backwaters of Nerur par, spend a day out on the beaches at Tarkarli or go walking in the surrounding mountains.

The home stay concept in this part of Maharashtra was set up by a private organization called Culture Aangan. The organization – run by two friends, Rashmi, Yamini and George – is dedicated to rural development, art and culture. They work closely with local families in Sindhudurgh area to promote home stays. There are 3 home stays in the project. i) Shreeyog Paryatan - Oros. ii) Pitruchaya Farms - Devgad. iii) Nandan Farms - Sawantwadi

One of Culture Aagan’s initiatives is the Thakar Adivasi Kala Aangan, art complex in Pinguli (around an hour drive). Here, traditional art forms have been revived or preserved, including traditional leather and wooden puppets. We can visit the art gallery and, if given advance notice, the artists can organise a short performance (the Dashavatar performances depict the myths and legends of the 10 incarnations of Lord Vishnu).

Our travel pack which is sent to all guests includes information on local culture, language, appropriate dress, and environmental measures. When guests book a tour with us, we automatically offset their air travel through an agreement with Climate Care (even though we don’t arrange flights).

We work to ensure that our own operations are sustainable. Our office is based in our home in the village of Wye, Kent (UK). Wye village is home to Wye Cycle- who run one of the most progressive recycling, composting and local food projects in the country. We compost and recycle all our waste, and purchase most of our food at the fortnightly farmers' market and local farm shop.

Our tours are listed in the Ethical Travel Guide, published by Tourism Concern.

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