Wild Fig Bungalow
Our Story
Wild Fig Bungalow is our treasured home, which we are happy to share with like-minded guests. We do not have air conditioning or television. The internet is somewhat unreliable, and mobile services limited to Jio. If you are ready to trade these 21st century “givens” for a spectacular location, ecologically responsible property and personal hospitality - within a comfortable drive of Mumbai or Pune – Wild Fig Bungalow is for you. Read More
THE PROPERTY
Our 9-acre property, with gorgeous views over Thokarwadi Lake, a reserved forest, and the Western Ghats, occupies the entire western slope of a small valley. But throw in the adjacent lake shore and the reserved forest (with its family of langurs inhabiting the old “aadal and wild fig trees), and we have many more private acres at our guests’ disposal. Well past the monsoons, a gushing stream at the bottom of the property flows past paddy fields, making for a perfect, natural, private pool. Further upstream, a natural spring bubbles out from under a rock, shaded by a virgin forest. While we do have over 200 fruit trees and a large vegetable field, we have kept much of the property in its natural state, to encourage the proliferation of the various birds and small mammals which inhabit the area. Read More
YOUR HOMESTAY
The house was built by my husband. And when I say built, he actually worked hands-on with local craftsmen, who could not read drawings or diagrams. We took great care to use locally-sourced materials and keep the footprint of the home as inconspicuous as possible. Read More
OUR OFFERING
Of the three bedrooms, we keep one for ourselves, and make the other two available to our guests. The rest of the house – including the 54-foot-long verandah with its planters chairs – is open for you to use. Read More
THE VILLAGE
Kusur, a remote village of 40 houses, is nestled among the Western Ghats at a height of 2200 ft. Looking east, you see Thokarwadi Lake which extends to the Deccan Plateau. A short walk westward through fields and forests takes you to the escarpment of the Sahyadris, with a shear drop down to the coastal plains of the Konkan. During the monsoons, you can stand at the continental divide of peninsular India and see the exact point where the rainwater diverges – westwards towards the Arabian Sea and eastwards to the Bay of Bengal. This confluence of ecosystems gives Kusur a charm of its own, whether in the monsoons, or in the drier months.
