Nature’s silence is broken by the rains and its gentle roar is the chorus of the monsoon at Dudhsagar Plantation, a 50-acre farm nestled on the fringes of the Bhagwan Mahavir Wildlife Sanctuary at the foothills of the Western Ghats in eastern Goa.
“When the rains begin, the whole plantation transforms and comes alive with the scent of the earth,” says Ashok Malkarnekar, whose parents founded it in the 1980s. “The streams in the plantation begin to flow again, and the energy of the place is something else.”
In the monsoons, the plantation becomes a living, breathing ecosystem that is rich, green, and glistening.
A STREAM AND A GUIDED WALK
Dudhsagar Plantation’s monsoon charm lies not just in its lush greenery but in the immersive experience it offers. A freshwater stream in the property becomes the path for a guided walk that leads to a small waterfall that gushes in full flow during the monsoon.
Ashok explains. “At our plantation, guests are invited to slow down, take a dip in the stream, float a little, listen to the rain as it filters through the canopy. Here everything breathes in the rain.”
ENJOY MONSOON BOUNTY
The monsoon is a time for a different culinary experience. Forest foods begin to appear — wild taro (colocasia), edible ferns, seasonal greens, and sometimes rare mushrooms. Meals here are made up of nature's bounty.
“Monsoon food is incredibly special. It’s local, seasonal, and prepared the way our grandmothers did with care and instinct,” Ashok says. “We don’t do fine dining. We do honest, earthy meals.”
Guests are welcomed into a dining experience that is rustic, fresh, and true to the land. It’s nourishment that extends beyond the stomach.
Monsoon food is incredibly special. It’s local, seasonal, and prepared the way our grandmothers did with care and instinct. We don’t do fine dining. We do honest, earthy meals.
Ashok Malkarnekar
AFTER DARK
For those who stay the night in one of the plantation’s six cottages, the thrill continues after sundown. Night walks are organised around the plantation, offering a glimpse of the forest’s more elusive life: civet cats, snakes, frogs, nightjars, and bioluminescent mushrooms that glow like fairy dust on the forest floor.
“You don’t realise how alive the night is until you step into it,” says Ashok. “We’ve had guests just stand still, mesmerised by the quiet light of a glowing fungus or the sudden call of an owl.”
MORE THAN A RETREAT
Even when larger waterfalls like Dudhsagar are under restrictions during the monsoon, Dudhsagar Plantation’s private trails and water bodies offer safe, meaningful encounters with nature. There’s an old open well for swimming, and a natural spring-fed pool, both brimming during the rains.
More than just a retreat, Dudhsagar Plantation is a reminder of what Goa used to be and still can be. A space of solitude, clean air, and raw natural beauty, where tourism doesn’t take away from the land but gives back.
CELEBRATE NATURE
“We’ve never tried to scale this into something it’s not,” Ashok reflects. “It’s a quiet place. The kind that grows on you, the kind you carry back with you.”
Here, the monsoon is not a break in Goa’s calendar, but a time to celebrate. It’s when nature takes over with its abundance of rain, beauty, and life. This is the time when Goa is wild, wet and wondrous.
At Dudhsagar Plantation, you don't go chasing the monsoon, it will find you.