Chitvan Jungle Lodge

Three and a half kilometres from the Mukki gate, and the last stretch crosses a stream.

Chitvan stands at Samnapur village, at the quiet end of Kanha. The lodge takes its idea from Vanaprastha, the third stage of life, and uses the lotus as its mark.

Twenty cottages and suites, named for the elements

Akash suites have a separate living room and either bay windows or a first-floor terrace. Jal suites sit closest to the core, close enough to hear the deer calling. Prithvi suites run to nine hundred square feet and look at the Maikal hills. The two-bedroom Mahasagar suite has six private balconies. The Jal cottages are single-floor, over three hundred square feet, each with its own outdoor sit-out.

Between the drives

There is a multi-cuisine restaurant and a swimming pool. Kanha closes its afternoon safari every Wednesday.

Getting there

Jabalpur is the airport, 220 kilometres and about four and a half hours. The railway station is 200 kilometres and about four hours. The Mukki gate is 3.65 kilometres away, the last of it through meadows and across a stream.

What the rate carries

The package is APAI, so all three meals are buffets and they are in the price, along with a welcome drink on arrival and evening tea and coffee with cookies. Every applicable tax is inside the figure as well.