2 – 5 December · Garhwal Himalayas · Habitat & Heritage Retreat
Harvest alongside villagers, ferment what you pick, study how people and wildlife share a forest, and end with films that ask how we should live. Four days in rural Garhwal. No experience needed, only curiosity.
The Retreat
Garhwal's villages hold knowledge that no guidebook carries: how a harvest is timed, how a ferment is read by smell and touch, how a farmer keeps a seed alive from one season to the next. This retreat puts you in those places, working alongside the people who practise it every day.
Over four days you'll harvest and ferment, study how people and wildlife coexist at the edge of the Benog Wildlife Sanctuary, learn to save seed on local farms, and travel to Sainji, the corn village, to meet the women running enterprises and self-help groups there. Screenings from the Alt Eff film festival begin on the evening of day three and carry through day four.
The Schedule
Day 1 — Harvest & Ferment
Harvest Session
Join villagers in the field and bring in the harvest by hand.
Fermentation Workshop
Led by Sanchita Agarwal. Learn how local produce is fermented, then work through the process yourself.
Village Interaction
Sit down with villagers and hear how the land, the seasons and the work have changed.
Day 2 — Coexist & Conserve
Wild–Human Coexistence Study
A guided study in the Benog Wildlife Sanctuary of how people and wild animals share the same land, and what that asks of both.
Seed Saving Tutorial
A hands-on session at local farms on selecting, drying and storing seed for the next sowing.
Day 3 — Sainji & Screenings
Tour of Sainji
Walk through the corn village and see how the crop shapes daily life.
Women Entrepreneurs & Self-Help Groups
Meet the women who run enterprises and self-help groups in Sainji, and hear how they built them.
Alt Eff Film Festival
The first screenings of the festival, in the evening.
Day 4 — Watch & Reflect
Alt Eff Film Festival
A full day of screenings.
Closing Circle
Share what you are carrying home from the villages and the films.
What's Included
All accommodation · All meals · Harvest session and fermentation workshop with Sanchita Agarwal · Wild–human coexistence study in Benog Wildlife Sanctuary · Seed saving tutorial · Sainji village tour and women's enterprise visits · Alt Eff film festival screenings
Pricing
Double Occupancy
₹35,000per person
Single Occupancy
₹45,000per person
Come as a guest.
The villages, farms and forest we visit are places where people live and work. Ask before photographing anyone, follow your guides' lead around wildlife, and pack warm layers and sturdy shoes for cold December mornings in the hills.
The Property
Register Your Interest
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