Taj Jungle Safaris offer a new experience in the middle of a forest.
Over three decades ago I watched the Taj group put Goa on the tourist map and then astutely nurture India's love affair with the seaside resort. Something similar is happening with Taj Safaris.
India has some of the world’s best national parks, but until recently the jungle experience catered mostly to budget-driven nature lovers. Enter the Taj to make it an option for the well-heeled traveller. The Taj Jungle Safaris is a joint venture between &Beyond, (previously CC Africa) Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces and Cigen. (&Beyond runs over 50 luxury jungle lodges across Africa). So far, there are four lodges, all in Madhya Pradesh.
Two of the most exacting travel agents who service the upper end of inbound travel gave Taj Safaris a thumbs up. The first, a ferociously snooty grandee, said, “Due to their (Taj) tie-up with &Beyond, the jungle experiences are choreographed really well.” This, and the fact that their guests included Hemendra Kothari, Anshu Jain and Anil Ambani, connoisseurs of international jungle experiences, was encouraging.
The plan was to fly to Nagpur from Mumbai, drive to Pench, spend two nights at Taj’s Baghvan Jungle Lodge at the lip of the Pench National Park, and then take the 5-hour drive to the Kanha National Park and stay for another two nights at Banjaar Tola, the tented camp.
My concern was the sighting possibilities, given that I was going mid-April. The national parks were renowned for their abundance of wildlife like cheetal, sambar, gaur, nilgai, wild boar, jackal, leopard, and of course, tigers. A Taj spokesperson addressed these concerns. “March-April is when the jungle vegetation continues to thin out, and the animals congregate around water holes offering some excellent viewing opportunities.”
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Budget-wise, too, this made sense as Taj’s rates drastically reduce off-season, around April 15. In peak season, would Rs 32,000 per night be worth it? How did it compare with similar offerings abroad, like, say, Africa? I asked Raju Singh, who runs Ventours International Travels. “Though it might sound pricey, I think the Taj jungle lodges are worth it as the cost includes everything.”
Sensing it’s a new concept, Taj is doing aggressive marketing. A young couple I met, who’d come to Pench for their anniversary, had managed to avail of the offseason rate (around Rs 16,000 per couple) that was to kick in a week later. Others had similar experiences with rates as low as Rs 12,000. Compare this with experiences in Africa: In Botswana, at &Beyond Sandibe/ Nxabega Delta Lodge, high season rates are $2,020 per couple (low season would be around $900).
The two lodges I stayed in were exquisite, Baghvan at Pench had 12-bungalow suites, each with rooftop machan, outdoor showers, wooden bathrooms and quirkily-decorated public areas is an aesthete's delight. (Parsi tiles, giant ebony chests, and Smeg refrigerators). Add to it the 290-square miles of teak forest and the abundant sightings I had of cheetal, jackal, wild dog, boar, nilgai, rare birds, and the fact that the landscape was imbued in a lush peach-pink hue.
Banjaar Tola, again the brainchild of &Beyond’s decorating whiz Chris Browne, was even better. A stone’s throw from Kanha National Park, one of India’s oldest and largest (750 square miles), it had 18 tented bamboo and canvas suites and featuring decks overlooking the river.
The other offerings in the sector, like Jaisal Singh’s Sherbagh and the Aman-i-Khas at Ranthambore, fall in the same price bracket and are well worth a try. Then there’s Shergarh in Kanha offering an authentic African-style camping experience and the new Samode Safari Lodge in Bandhavgarh which is a good lower priced option. I think the lodges are an ideal getaway.
Once you’ve spotted your first tiger or watched a jackal chase a pair of cheetals or heard the jungle come alive with a hundred bird calls, you’ll wonder how soon you can return and what kept you away so long!
Malavika Sangghvi was a guest of Taj