About 6 kilometres West of Ponda lays the Tropical Spice Plantation. It draws crowds of tourists, but the 45 minute tour is quite interesting. You’ll learn all about Indian spices - from black pepper to fantastically fragrant vanilla - and the way they’re used in the kitchen. During the tour you’ll find out how the spices are collected from high up in the trees. You can also discover a wide variety of nut and fruit trees at the plantion, like cashew and papaya trees. The tour starts out with a healthy snack served on banana leaves. In the garden you see from which plants the colourful spices are obtained. The tour is followed by an al fresco lunch buffet. It’s also possible to go on canoe or row-boat tour through the on-site bird sanctuary, which provides a habitat for 25 bird species.
Address: Arla Bazar Keri, Ponda