Tag Archive farm tour

BySoul Mountain Expeditions

Fruit Orchard Visit

Unlike a typical tour or hike to some place for sights, this trip takes you to a family run fruit orchard in Fagu near Shimla. This area is one of the biggest producers of apples in India and a lot of people in this area depend upon fruit farming for their livelihood. Most of the farms are owned by local families who work hard to get a good crop ever year. Contrary to what most people think, the work goes on for all year as the trees need constant care all year round. Some of the basic farm work includes watering, turning soil, weeding, spraying of fertilisers, pest control and pruning. Apart from these, such fruit orchards have numerous things to do like water harvesting, bee keeping, compost pits,  vegetable farms, cows and numerous other essential things which keep farmers busy everyday. This farm tour helps you discover most of such activities at different times of the year.fruit orchard trip in India

BEST FOR:  An extended weekend getaway from Delhi NCR with exciting scenery on a small budget.

Trip Summary:
Day 1: Pickup and drop from Shimla for visit to fruit farm.
DURATION: 1 day
BEST SEASON: All year except during heavy snow.
DIFFICULTY LEVEL: Low
MAXIMUM ELEVATION: 2200 m.
WEATHER: Rains quite often. Normally cool weather in summer and cold in winters.
EQUIPMENT: None.
COST: INR 3000 (USD 40 ) for a single person. INR 2500 per person for 2 or more guests.

ITINERARY

A car will pick you up in from Shimla or nearby place and take you to the fruit orchard in Fagu. There you will be given a first hand view of actual work which goes on to keeping a farm in good condition day after day all year. You will walk through the farm, get an introduction about different types of trees, their use, ways of their care and more. You may get to meet some workers who mostly live on the farm or nearby and learn about their daily lives on the farm as they go about it, if they are free. Apart from trees, there are a lot of other aspects like bees, cattle, compost etc. which are essential to keep a fruit farm functioning properly. This tour also covers these aspects. During harvest season, the guests can see how the fruits are plucked, washed and cleaned before packaging firsthand. Earlier, most of this work was done manually by hand but use of new technology has made this job a lot easier.

 GENERAL INFORMATION:

  • Travel itineraries in the mountains  do not necessarily run exactly as scheduled. Keep a buffer for delays due to weather, road conditions etc.
  • Any additional expenses caused by delays, medical condition, road blocks and other causes will be borne by the guests.
  • We recommend a comprehensive  travel insurance and a medical checkup before the visit.

INCLUSIONS

  • Pickup and drop from Shimla.
  • Tea and snacks.

EXCLUSIONS

  • Personal expenses, refreshments during road journey, alcohol.
  • Anything not mentioned explicitly in the above program.