Village life · Hee Bermiok

Cardamom groves and orange orchards walk

Walk through the shade forests where Hee Bermiok's families grow black cardamom and through their orange orchards, and see how the crop is harvested and smoke-dried in the village, with your homestay host or a village guide.

Hee Bermiok1,950M

Photo: Anjan Kumar Kundu · CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Sikkim is one of the world's main growers of large or black cardamom, a tall plant that grows in shade under alder and other trees on moist slopes. Wikipedia notes Hee Bermiok as rich in cardamom and orange plantations, and both shape the village year and family incomes.

Your host or a village guide will take you into a cardamom grove, where the pods form in clusters at the base of the plant, and to the smoke houses, called bhatti, where the harvested pods are dried over a wood fire for several days. From November to January, walk through the orange orchards when the fruit ripens.

Ask about prices, plant diseases and how the crop has changed; farmers here are frank about both good and bad years. Buy cardamom or oranges directly from a family if you can.

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Questions travellers ask

Before you book

When is the cardamom harvest in West Sikkim?

Large cardamom is usually harvested from about August to October, depending on altitude, with the pods then dried in smoke houses for several days. Visiting in September and October gives the best chance of seeing harvest and drying, although rain can still fall in September.

Can I buy cardamom and oranges in Hee Bermiok?

Yes, in season you can often buy directly from farming families or in Bermiok Bazar. Cardamom keeps well and packs easily. Oranges are sold from November to January. Prices vary each year with the harvest and market; ask your host what is fair before you buy.

Is the farm walk suitable for children?

Yes. It is a gentle walk on village paths, with plenty to look at and taste, and children usually enjoy the orchards. Some paths through the cardamom groves are steep and muddy, so wear shoes with grip. Watch for leeches in the wetter months of the harvest season.

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