Excursão cultural particular: Ancestral Goa, Templo Shantadurga e vila de especiarias, incluindo almoço

Our guide tried so hard (with words) to make this a great experience, but it really wasn't. I think a private tour should be exceptional, but this one was a rip-off. Two of us paid $296 to visit two places with a total admission charge of less than $4 per person, two temples that were free, and a spice plantation that rolls tourists through it like an assembly line. Casa Araujo Alvares was interesting with its loud pre-recorded blasts of information and women ushers who hustled us through the building. Big Foot was less of a museum and more like a wanna-be Disney attraction with brightly painted plaster statues and blaring music. The exotic birds on display (real ones) were the best part of Big Foot. We visited two Hindu temples where we were told to enter on our own without a guide. Perhaps because the Hindu priests glower at foreign tourists? We obeyed all the rules for visitors, and a priest chased after us, yelling, as we left. I think he wanted us to come back and make a donation.... The most beautiful sight on the tour was the pontoon bridge leading over the lake on our way to the spice plantation. I learned a lot about spices from the plantation guide, but I didn't buy any spices, since they didn't sell the ground cinnamon I wanted, the reason cited by the salesperson being that it has a short shelf life (?) of only 6 months. (So how old was the stuff they were selling?) The dining area there is a large open shed with a tin roof, dirt floor and wooden picnic tables. The meal was not to our liking since my husband has gastric issues with really hot spices, and I'm allergic to coconut. Everything contained coconut. It was served mess hall style out of a variety of kitchen pots. Luckily we brought some snacks of our own. The car we drove in had air conditioning, but the seat belts didn't work. We asked if there were any bottles of water in the car, and they were in the trunk (boot). If the tour had been a lot less expensive, we wouldn't have minded so much, but it definitely wasn't worth the inflated price we paid. Maybe Viator and Trip Advisor should check into this. Warning: it looks like all tours in Goa end at the spice plantation, even if you've already been there. Bon Appetit!

Walking inside the churches, and the temes devoted to shiva and durga, as wellas tge spice temple,were my highlights.

Very nice arrangement in a vehicle and guided tour at temple and spice village were unforgettable trip we had.

<p>The guide was good and the tour informative. The buildings and museum were interesting. Spice garden was great.</p>

<p>This tour has been very nice. The experience in both temples has been wonderful. And the Spice Village is lovely. Very good experience!</p>

<p>Very enjoyable, guide knowledgeable, enjoyed viewing speces growing.</p>

<p>The tour was really good. Our guide had arrived on time and was very knowledgeable. The spice village and lunch was amazing. Really worth booking.</p>

<p>Goa was an amazing tour. We really enjoyed the spice village and luncheon. Also, the method used to show the Portuguese house and the lifestyle of Goa was very unique. We came away with great information and the food was terrific. This tour was the highlight of all our Indian visits.</p>