Auroville, near Puducherry, Tamil Nadu
Sadhana Forest (Auroville)
Volunteer reforestation and vegan community life
Details checked on the official site, October 2026 · We never take bookings or commissions
Sadhana Forest is a volunteer-run reforestation community inside Auroville, turning 70 acres of eroded land back into forest. It is less a retreat than a simple-living immersion: you sleep in a shared hut, eat vegan meals and put in daily seva alongside volunteers from around the world.
Help regrow a 70-acre forest on eroded land
Live in natural-material huts with compost toilets
Shared vegan meals with a global volunteer community
Starts from
₹600 / day
per person
About ₹3,600 per person for 6 nights
- Stay
- Meals
Compulsory food contribution, cash only; dorm space free; ₹300 for children aged 3–10
Indicative. Checked on the official site, October 2026.
Before you book
Arrival
Arrive any day
Couples
Couples can share a room
Phones
Not stated: ask the retreat
Food
Vegetarian food
Booking
Not stated: ask the retreat
Taxes
Not stated: ask the retreat
Great for
- budget travellers
- solo travellers
- digital detox
- families
Maybe not for
- Anyone wanting private luxury or room service
Good to know before you go
- Minimum stays vary: e.g. 6 nights for Indian residents and 14 for foreigners under 45 until Nov 2026, longer in Dec–Feb
- Strictly vegan; alcohol, smoking and drugs lead to immediate expulsion
- Volunteers give about 35 hours of seva a week; solar power only around 6 hours a day
Programs & stays
Rooms: Mixed dorm huts with shared bathrooms; a few private huts for families, couples and over-45s
Program names and lengths change. Check the retreat's calendar for current dates.
When to go
Best Dec–Mar. Dec–Mar is the driest; Oct–Nov brings NE monsoon rain; Apr–Jun is hot
- Winter · Dec–Feb
Getting there
Nearest airportChennai (MAA), ~3 hr drive
By trainPuducherry station, ~30 min drive
- ~4 hr drive from Chennai
- ~350 km from Bengaluru, best to fly
- ~830 km from Hyderabad, best to fly
- ~1,460 km from Mumbai, best to fly
Researched from the retreat's official website and public sources. Details change, so confirm prices, dates and policies with Sadhana Forest (Auroville) before booking.
- Photo: Vinayaraj, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Photo: Matthew T Rader, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Photo: Niranjan B S, Unsplash
- Photo: Sarang Pande, Unsplash
Run Sadhana Forest (Auroville)? Claim this listing to correct details and answer questions as the official team.
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