A spice plantation walk and banana-leaf lunch
The valleys around Ponda, between the coast and the Ghats, are shaded and well watered, and for centuries they have been planted with areca nut, coconut and spices. Several plantations, still owned by local families, welcome visitors for walks and lunch. We use a quieter farm rather than the busiest coach stops.
A guide walks you through the plantation, showing how pepper vines climb the areca palms, how cardamom flowers at ground level, how nutmeg and mace come from the same fruit, and how vanilla is hand-pollinated. You see cinnamon bark cut from the tree, cashew trees, and the irrigation channels that keep the plantation green in the dry season.
Lunch is a Goan Hindu vegetarian meal, served on a banana leaf: rice, dal, vegetable curries such as khatkhate, sol kadi made from kokum, and a sweet to finish. Spices can be bought at the farm shop.
Questions travellers ask
Good to know
Are spice farm tours in Goa worth it?
A good one is, especially for families and first-time visitors to India. You see how pepper, cardamom, nutmeg and vanilla actually grow and eat a proper Goan vegetarian lunch. We choose quieter, family-run farms rather than the busiest coach stops.
How far are the spice farms from Panjim?
The plantations around Ponda are about 30 to 40 km from Panjim, roughly 50 minutes to an hour by car. From the south Goa resorts they are a little over an hour. They lie on the way to Dudhsagar and Tambdi Surla.
What is served for lunch at a spice farm?
Usually a Goan Hindu vegetarian thali on a banana leaf: rice, dal, two or three vegetable curries, pickles, papad and sol kadi, a kokum and coconut drink, followed by a sweet. Tell us about allergies in advance.
Also in Dudhsagar and the Mollem forests
More hours to plan around
