‘I love mangoes so much, I would live with them’ is a thought we’ve all had once in our lives while greedily gobbling down honey-sweet Alphonso mangoes – the one thing that single-handedly redeems India’s scorching summers. That throwaway comment can now become a reality at this idyllic mango farm, 30 km off the Mumbai-Goa highway, which hosts farmstays for mango lovers.
Ganesh Agro Tourism Mango Farm – Ratnagiri’s secret
Tucked away in the fertile plains of Ratnagiri (the GI-tagged birthplace of Alphonso mangoes) is Ganesh Agro Tourism – a 40-acre organic farmstay in the village of Nate. Its namesake, Ganesh Ashok Ranade, and his wife Varada own and run the place. If you’re imagining a vast orchard of trees heaving with sunny mangoes ripe for the picking, you’re right.
The couple welcome visitors at the height of mango season (April to May) at this beautiful plantation in Ratnagiri to harvest AND enjoy the fruits of their 2,000 mango trees.
Harvest mangoes, go on tractor rides and live like a farmer
By which I mean you will learn to climb up trees, identify mangoes that are ripe for the picking and pluck and eat them right off the branch! A feat that is possible because the farm makes its own organic fertiliser from cow dung and creates chemical-free pesticides using neem leaves.
Don’t believe it? You’ll get to see the farm staff do all of this and jump in and participate yourself under Ganesh’s guidance. Teaching visitors about the entire process of how a mango comes into existence—from seed to sapling—is a key principle of Ganesh Agro Farm’s eco-tourism experience.
Visitors also get to help staff package mangoes into crates on their way to markets in Mumbai, Pune, Thane, Nashik and other cities, and discover what makes Ratnagiri’s laterite soil the perfect fertile ground for the world’s #1 mangoes.
Besides eating, harvesting and living in a mango-induced haze while you’re here, there’s a ton of other activities to enjoy. Ganesh takes visitors on tractor rides to see paddy cultivation first-hand, or even enjoy boating and bird-watching.
Eat delicious mango-based meals and stay in a traditional mud room
The couple also takes guests out into the orchards for picnic lunches of home-cooked meals where mango is the showstopping ingredient. Tarty mango-infused dals like amti, quenching coolers like aam panna and a variety of pickles, juices, chutneys and aamras that Varada makes from scratch are part of the menu. Or simply devour mangoes raw, pulpy nectar dripping down your fingers, as nature intended.
Guests can swing by for a day trip or stay overnight for a taste of rural life AND the revered hapus mangoes, as they’re fondly called in Maharashtra. The farm has five well-equipped rooms for overnight stays, including a traditional mud room without air conditioning for an authentic experience of being a farmer. Even if it’s just for a day or two.
The inspiration behind Ganesh Agro Tourism
A similar farmstay experience inspired Ganesh in 2008 to create this mango haven. “I came across Saguna Baug, India’s first agro-tourism initiative by food scientist-turned-farmer Chandrasekhar Bhadsavle and decided to check out this beautiful green space in Raigad. That planted an idea in my head and I’ve never looked back since,” says the commerce graduate-turned-farmer.
After that life-changing trip, Ganesh returned to his father’s farm and sowed 1,000 mango saplings, adding to the 1,000 trees his father planted in 1978. Today, guests from Europe and beyond frequent this father-son duo’s passion project that has generated jobs for the locals and preserves rural farming practices that would otherwise die out.
How to book a stay at Ganesh Agro Tourism Mango Farm
You’ll come for the mangoes and stay for the magic of nature that’ll sweeten up your weekend getaway. Sweetening it some more is the price point – packages cost INR 3,500 per couple, including all meals and activities. That’s almost half of what a luxurious staycation in Mumbai would cost you. Find booking details here