Farm Stays That Will Help You Embrace The Simple Life

Haloumi House (2 room), Cheddar House (2 room) or Colby Cottage (single room) will house you at this organic cheese farm, should you happen to find your way to Conoor. Their eco-friendly practices and holistic approach to life means that you’re expected to take part in the workings of the farm. You could even choose to stick on for two days for their cheese making course to learn how to make Gouda, Romano, Parmesan, Feta and even Camembert. Actor Aamir Khan’s cousin, director and producer Mansoor Khan and his wife Tina, own Acres Wild.

Where: 571, Upper Meanjee Estate, Kannimariamman Kovil Street, Coonoor, Tamil Nadu

Price: INR 3,000 upwards {approx.}

Contact: +91 9443232621

Find out more about them here.

Looking over the Kosi Valley in the Corbett National Park, amidst the forests of Almora, at Dana Pani you are encouraged to join in activities like working on a vegetable patch, herding goats, or milking buffaloes alongside the farm help. The farm still follows non-mechanised methods, so you’ll need to leave behind technology and your urban existence back home and instead embrace the simple life here. Trekking, bicycle excursions, cooking classes and jungle yoga are other highlights. You just might even get lucky enough to say hello to a big cat or two while out on your evening walk.

Where: Dana Pani, Kumaon, Uttarakhand

Contact: +91 9719243939

Price per night per person: INR 1,000 {approx.}

Find out more about them here.

Tucked away in Avalanchi (about 25 kms from Ooty), these guys blend the organic farm life with some wildlife action. You can get down and dirty on the self-sustaining farm, hang out with the gentle farm animals, or unwind at their spa and gaze at the lake below. The 35 rooms are all wooden and most even have a working fireplace to brighten things up.

Where: Vakkiel Thotum, Muligur Village, Emerald Post, Ooty, Tamil Nadu

Price: INR 6,500 upwards {approx.}

Contact: +91 9487000111

Find out more about them here. Follow them on Facebook here.

Also called Aanandache Shet, rustic and relaxing is what best describes this stay. About 300 kilometres from Mumbai, it is a long-running eco-friendly farm which offers you the hospitality of a Konkan style home. Three rooms with clay beds, a machan or a perch atop a tree, and a backyard in nature’s lap ensures complete closure from the modern world, while star gazing, trekking and fishing are top activities. You also get to eat fresh Maharashtrian-style food, made from ingredients you’ve likely picked yourself, as you learn how mangoes and capsicums are grown.

Where: Near Katal Wadi, P.O. Phungus, Chandika Mandir Road, Sangameshwar, Ratnagiri

Price: INR 5,000 {approx.} upwards including stay, tea and complementary activities

Contact: +91 9820002863

Find out more about them here. Follow them on Facebook here.

Really connect with nature and animals at this farm which has unfortunately recently closed down their hhighly tempting B&B option. But head there to temporarily share {there’re over 70 acres of it} with 50 cows and buffaloes, horses and chicken, and activities here include walking through fields, trekking along the plantations or even milking the cows, feeding chickens or plucking coconuts {if you dare}. Sign-up by Wednesday and head over there during the weekend to help out. Luckily though, they still have breakfast and brunch under the lovely thatched roof, all made with fresh produce and ingredients.

Where: Old Mahabalipuram Road, near Sathyabama University, Chennai

Price: INR 500 for two for breakfast

Contact: +91 9176050562

Find out more about them here. Follow them on Facebook here.

Run by Brigadier General Hari Pant, you can volunteer your expertise in exchange for living at this eco-camp at the Himalayan foothills near Kathgodam. Strictly for those who will bring some talent and get involved in the farm’s ongoing projects, you can get first-hand experience on ecology and its nuances while connecting with nature. A holistic place, it sees everyone cooking and eating together too.

Where: Village Raila, Above Dogaon, Manora Range, District Nainital, Uttarakhand

Price: INR 250 – INR 1,000 a day, depending on how long you plan to stay.

Contact: +91 7895388003

Find out more about them here. Follow them on Facebook here.

The resort, which extends the organic tag to accommodation too, offers nine mud huts as stay. Be a part of the rural agriculture process as getting your hands dirty literally will be second nature to you thanks to farming sessions which is part of the experience. Get ready for some hands-on manual labour because tilling the soil, smoking the trees, de-weeding the land and watering plants are part of the agenda. Cool off in a pool filled with neem leaves to soothe your muscles, and then tuck into food, which you will help cook as well, made from locally-sourced ingredients including berries.

Where: Surya Vatika Road, on Jaipur-Chomu Road, Maheshpura, Jaipur, Rajasthan

Price: INR 1,200 upwards

Contact: +91 9435031097

Find out more about them here.