Dera Amer

The founding family bought 180 acres of neglected scrubland here in 1981 and set out to return it to wilderness, turning down developers who wanted the plot for something more profitable. Three decades on it is a sanctuary for domestic and wild animals on the edge of the Aravalli forest. Staff come from the surrounding villages, some since the camp began, and the camp funds the nearby junior school. Its two resident elephants, Laxmi and Rangmala, were taken in from city work in 2006 and 2009; the camp does not permit elephant riding and its safaris go on foot.

Six canvas tents in colonial safari style stand well apart in the scrub, furnished with Cawnpore cots and planter's chairs copied from Raj-era models and made by local artisans, each with an attached shower room. The whole camp takes twelve adults at most, and no more than one family or two couples at a time. A natural swimming pool built from local materials is filtered by plants, and its overflow waters the jungle around it. Meals are served al fresco, from an organic vegetable plot worked by villagers and camp staff.