The Hindu / M Raghuram

Mangalore, Nov 4: Coming in for a landing at the Mangalore Airport, the Union Minister of Civil Aviation Praful Patel exclaimed: "My God! It is true; this is the garden of India!" Who could blame him for such a fervent show of emotion, considering he had been looking down at an expanse clad in all the hues of green, broken only by the blue of the meandering Gurupur river and the white surf of the sea kissing the outer shores.

Indeed, Mangalore is one of India's best kept tourist secrets, with all the ingredients for a tourism experience on a par with destinations such as Goa, with clean beaches, the serenely beautiful backwaters and the abundance of opportunities for nature tourism, wildlife tourism and white water rafting along the Western Ghats.

Wildlife enthusiasts, for instance, will rejoice over the prospect of visiting the Pushpagiri area in the Western Ghats, which is one of the most active elephant corridors in the country according to the Asian Elephant Study Centre at the Indian Institute of Science. The nearby Kudremukh National Park is also an animal watcher's paradise, with a range of animal and avian species inhabiting it. The Ghats are also home to a variety of flora, with over 300 indigenous types of herbs and medicinal plants growing here.

For those who do not wish to make the trek through the mountains, the incredible natural habitat of the Ghats has been recreated at the Western Ghat Arboretum in the Pilikula Nisarga Dhama.

Then there's the river front fishing village, Boloor, which houses the famous watch tower built by Tippu Sultan in 1753, well worth a visit for that unique peek into a fisherman's life, and that breathtaking view of the setting sun. As the sun sets, you can watch the fishermen dock, and carry home the catch of the day, and be greeted with the familiar, tantalising aroma of fish fry or fish curry. And if you're lucky, you might even get the chance to share an authentic seafood meal.

About 40 km from Mangalore is the Soans farm, which has been popular for over 85 years for its exotic produce such as, rambutan, mangosteen, durian, Barbados cherry, Surinam cherry, passion fruit, cocoa, bamboo, jack fruit, Rangoon cherry, star apple, star fruit, rose apple, custard apple, Malayan green apple, egg fruit, mulberry, breadfruit and butter fruit, besides a variety of ornamental and fruit-bearing plants.

The farm has also become famous more recently as a haven for peacocks. It also boasts a medicine wheel and a labyrinth that is based on a working model from Crete.