Rustic Village Homestay 2
This tiny village surrounded by mountains, makes for a perfect getaway. Beautiful drive through open fields and forest adds greatly to the overall experience. The entire village is inhabited by one big family-like community and their warm hospitality will surely leave you amazed.
Here, you can experience rural life at its best; help out in the fields, tend to the cattle, cook with the local women, fill water pots at the handpump, lend a hand in all activities around the village and play lagori with the excited bunch of village kids. The authentic rural Maharashtrian cuisine is a humble yet delicious experience. This village is located at foothills of mount Ajobadad (Rishi Valmiki’s last resting place) – trek to the top and witness a piece of the Indian mythology and history. The view from the top is breath-taking, we assure you.
Through this trip, you will experience the richness of culture, abundance of nature, still preserved and practiced ancient traditions, knowledge systems, colourful and diverse lifestyles but most of all the welcoming & loving villagers. All-in-all, a trip designed to bring you close to nature and discover the authentic rural India.
Daily Plan
In the spirit of relishing the village peace and calm, the schedule is not strictly time bound. However, here is an outline of the plan –
Day 1
8:00 am Leave from Mumbai
11:30 am Arrival and traditional welcome. A guided walk around the village to learn about their settlements, medicinal plants, farms, vernacular architecture and lifestyle.
- Thereafter, Day 1 is dedicated to the ‘Farm to Plate‘ activity. People in the villages put in a lot of love and hard work in their food. Starting from tilling their land, to growing the crop, harvesting it and then processing the grains with traditional methods and cooking for their families. People in this village primarily grow rice. Women start their day early and take out the grains, dehusk it, pound it and grind it using age old traditional tools and then use the flour to make Bhakri (an Indian rice bread cooked on open fire).
- You get to participate in all of these activities. Also, don’t forget to try your wood chopping skills. Most houses still use firewood to cook their food.
- The village has breath-taking waterfalls in the monsoon months (June to September). So, if you are here around that time, feel free to hike up to the origin of the waterfalls.
- In the evening, guided walking tour through the forest or to the water canal. You can spend some time swimming here.
- Camp fire with anecdotal storytelling session with the villagers. (not conducted during monsoons).
Day 2
Today you will participate in various activities that are a part of the day-to-day life of this community. Some of the activities are as follows –
- Work at a farm: Based on the season, participate in the work that’s happening on the farm- transplant paddy in monsoons, harvest in winters etc.
- Work with the cattle: Indian farmers regard their cattle the status of God. You can feed the cattle, bathe them and join them for a walk. Witness the lovely friendship between man and animal. Usually, the kids take the cattle for grazing and you can accompany them on this journey.
- Fill water pots: 24 hours flowing water supply isn’t available in the village. So, women and children, walk to the nearby fresh water storage tank or hand pump and fill their matkas (earthen pots) and bring it back to the house where water is stored in smaller tanks for cooking, daily chores, bathing, washing etc.
- Cow-dung Flooring: Villages across India use cow-dung as a natural cleaning and disinfecting agent. They coat their walls and floor with cow-dung. This acts as an insulator and keeps houses cool and clean. The disinfecting properties of cow-dung also keep various infections away. You are welcome to try out this unique activity.(not carried out during monsoons).
- Spend some time playing village games with some excited bunch of kids, interact with locals and try a hand at drawing Rangoli or learn how to drape a ‘Nauvari saari’ (Nine yards of elegance) from our village women.
Day 3
- Start your day early (around 8 am) and head for a trek to the historical Ajobagad Fort. This is one of the heritage hill forts in Maharashtra and stands tall at 4511 ft above the sea level.
- Mid-way to Ajobagad Fort, is Rishi Valmiki’s ashram. Legend has it that the Indian epic, Ramayan, was written by Rishi Valmiki while he rested here. Beyond the Ashram, as you cross a rivulet and ascend for one and a half hour (through waterfalls in monsoons), you reach the cave of Luv-Kush (twins from Ram and Sita), which is believed to be their birth place. Above these caves is a precipice called the Cradle of Sitamai.
- The hike falls between easy to medium in terms of difficulty and the view from the top is surely breath-taking! Don’t forget to carry your water and some snacks on the trek.
- You will reach back to the village until lunch time.
- 3:00 pm After lunch, head back to Mumbai.
Accommodation
A choice of accommodation can be selected between the double or 4-occupancy camping tents or a village homestay for those who wish to have a closer experience of the village life.
The village homes are basic and rustic where mattresses are laid out on the floor. Your stay may be arranged in a separate room within the household. Fresh and clean mattresses, bedsheet, pillows and blankets are provided for the guests in either choice of accommodation. Western washrooms have been especially built for the guests at the campsite or outside the house. Please bring your own toiletries, soap, sanitizer, paper towels, toilet paper and footwear suitable for a rough terrain.
Consumption of alcohol, drugs or smoking is strictly prohibited anywhere within the village or campsites.
Food
When you are at the village, your vegetarian meals are freshly cooked and served by a local family who will host you in their house for meals. The village houses are simple, basic and rustic homes. Customized menu options are not available. Traditionally, people sit on the floor or at the verandah and enjoy their meals. Meals are served at the following hours:
8:00 am Breakfast
1:30 pm Lunch
6:00 pm Evenings snacks
8:00 pm Dinner
Tea served here is traditionally black tea infused with lemongrass. Milk is not available for consumption here due to a cultural belief that the cow’s milk is meant for the calf only. If you need milk in your tea, it is suggested to bring your milk or milk powder or cream or coffee sachets alongwith as per your preference.
It is recommended to carry along your bottled drinking water for the stay as the village is far away from the main city shops.
Things To Note
This is an empowerment project. Your trip is providing livelihoods to the community. From stay to guides, to food and overall functioning of the project is run and managed solely by the local communities. The community is your host. Kindly treat them with respect. Please avoid asking them to carry your luggage, look after your children or run errands for you or your family/ friends. We also kindly request you to not give any tips or gifts to the villagers. The communities respectfully earn their livelihood through hard work. This is not an occasion for charity.
Package Details
Package Name: Rustic Village Homestay 2
Duration: 2 nights, 3 days
Total Cost: EUR 1260/- per person, all inclusive.
This price includes:
- Local transport to and from Mumbai
- Accommodation: Camping tent or homestay
- All meals listed in the program
- All activities listed in the program
- English-speaking Guide to accompany all through
This price does not include any flights, visa, local purchases, food, travel or any additional activities that are not already listed in the program. Please read our T&C document carefully regarding our no cancellation, no rescheduling and no refund policy.
By making a booking, you agree to the terms and conditions laid down by the organizer, Holiday In India.
Testimonials
Carmen G
This is a beautiful village about 120kms from Mumbai. We were welcomed by the villagers who were so kind to have us eat with them in their houses. It was a truly wonderful experience for us living all our lives in the city, to try our hand at various activities like ploughing the field, extracting the rice from the husk, grinding it and making our own rice bhakri (Indian rice flour bread). We also got a an opportunity to hike to a beautiful waterfall. Holiday in India has some villages which are unique in their own way. Visiting these villages is great to understand rural life. It is a one of a kind experience. Great going.
It was a solo trip on my birthday. The best gift I have given myself!! The village is beautiful!! l spent quality time with myself and with talented kids of this village. I enjoyed the riverside, trekking, chatting with little ones, learning about their tradition and culture, food and stay. It was overall a good trip for me. Thanks to Holiday in India for organising this lovely trip for me! I am definitely visiting again:)
Danielle
Vicky Luis
It was a lovely experience! Very insightful, especially for kids who live in fast city life and don't get to experience the serenity and peace of village life. The villagers were also very Warm and welcoming and we really enjoyed our stay close to the nature. Participating in the village activities was fun. The trek and the view from up there is beautiful.
F.A.Q.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Choose a package and write to us with your details. We will get in touch with you.
2. Make 100% advance payment to confirm your booking.
3. Leave the hassle of planning, scheduling and multiple bookings as per your chosen package, in our able hands.
4. Sit back and enjoy the experience of a lifetime!
By making a booking, you agree to the terms and conditions laid down by the organizer, Holiday In India.
Although the trip is available for booking all year round, the village dresses up differently in different seasons. The farming activities of the villagers also change as per the time of the year viz. time of sowing or harvesting etc. June to September are the monsoon months, October to February are the Winter months and March to May are the Summer months.
It is recommended to make your booking/s at least 3 months in advance in order to ensure a spot at the program of your choice.
Once a booking is made and confirmed by us, it cannot be cancelled or rescheduled for whatsoever reasons. Please be sure of your travel plan, dates and package before making the booking/s with us.
All payments are made through a secure payment link that will be shared with you via e-mail during our booking correspondence. A booking will be confirmed only after the 100% amount is received in our account.
The prices mentioned are all inclusive for the respective package/s viz. choice of wellness program, accommodation, meals for the duration of the scheduled stay, airport transfers, and activities mentioned in the daily schedule. There are no hidden costs.
However, should you undertake additional local outings (that are not already mentioned as part of the planned program) or purchases or decide to enroll in any additional program/s directly at the venue or decide to extend your stay – in such scenarios, you will need to bear all additional expenses at actuals; payable directly at the venue.