"Twelve courtyard villas on 35 private acres beside Bandhavgarh's buffer forest"
Not a single tree was cut to build Samode Safari Lodge. Samode Hotels, the group behind Samode Palace, Samode Haveli and Samode Bagh, put its Bandhavgarh lodge in the quiet Mardari village area, deliberately away from what the hotel calls the tourist hospitality zone, and had Pradeep Sachdeva Design Associates shape it around the trees that were already standing, with reclaimed timber floors, solar-heated water and Gond tribal art on the walls.
The 12 villas borrow their forms from neighbouring Mardari, and each one is a small estate: a private courtyard, a living room, a sunlit bedroom and a broad private deck with shaded day-beds that convert for sunset yoga and sundowners. Wooden four-poster beds carry scalloped canopies and feather duvets; the bathrooms come with brass fittings, a fireside tub the hotel calls Elizabethan, twin vanities, a walk-in dresser, a forest mural and a splendid outdoor shower. The main lodge adds a bar lounge, library, interpretation centre and recreation room, with an infinity pool and a standalone spa, with individual and couple's treatment rooms, looking over the Bandhavgarh foliage.
"No two meals are served in the same venue."
That is the kitchen's promise: an open-plan fireplace restaurant one night, the poolside or the forest-facing wooden deck the next, plus pop-up spots around the grounds. Menus run Continental by day and Indian by evening, fed by the lodge's own kitchen garden.
The lodge sits against Bandhavgarh's buffer zone, about 25 minutes' drive through wilderness from the Khitauli, Magadhi and Tala gates. Private jeeps come with naturalists who double as your hosts, and Bandhavgarh permits full-day safaris, a rarity among Indian parks that lets you follow the 450 square kilometre reserve at your own rhythm. Night drives typically run from 19:00 to 22:00. Over 80 per cent of the team is recruited from nearby villages, and it shows in how personal the place feels. For a first serious tiger trip done properly, this is the benchmark.
In Bandhavgarh, Madhya Pradesh. The nearest airport is Jabalpur (JLR).
The lodge sits beside Mardari village overlooking the reserve’s buffer zone, deliberately away from the main tourist hospitality zone, and is about a 25-minute drive through forest to the Khitauli, Magadhi and Tala gates.
The lodge arranges personalised safaris with private jeeps and experienced naturalists who double as your hosts. Morning and evening drives last around three to four hours, and full-day safaris, which the lodge describes as a rare offering among Indian national parks, let you move between zones at leisure.
Peak season runs from October to March, and the lodge advises booking safaris in advance during this period.
Each of the 12 villas has its own private courtyard, plush living room, sunlit bedroom and a private deck with shaded day-beds, plus a bathroom with a freestanding tub, twin vanities and an outdoor shower.
Yes. An infinity pool sits next to the main lodge alongside a spa with a curated therapy menu, both overlooking the Bandhavgarh foliage.
Samode Safari Lodge sits at Bandhavgarh National Park in Madhya Pradesh. Which gate to use, when the park opens and how the zones are allocated are on the Bandhavgarh page. Permit, jeep and guide fees for Madhya Pradesh are in what a safari costs.
One of twelve villas modelled on the neighbouring Mardari village: private courtyard, plush sitting room, sunlit bedroom and a sprawling private deck with shaded day-beds. Wooden four-poster bed, freestanding tub, twin vanities, outdoor shower and a hand-painted forest mural.
Folk-art villas, Gond, Dhokra and Bagh print, at the edge of Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve, where safaris, Baiga kitchens and bush dinners follow the jungle's rhythm.
Rates on request, usually back within the hour
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New A small resort at Ranchha village on the edge of Bandhavgarh, of six air-conditioned cottages with king-sized four-poster beds, large windows over the green and their own sit-outs, plus five twin-bedded deluxe rooms spread across the property. The restaurant, The Waterhole, is built with re-used bottle walls and worn-out tyres and serves what the house calls The Jungle Feast. There is a forest view plunge pool, a butterfly garden and an in-house potter's wheel.
Rates on request, usually back within the hour
Ask on WhatsApp
New Twenty villas of about a thousand square feet each, on the edge of the Bandhavgarh tiger reserve among the Vindhya hills, built around a watercourse with private sit-outs and decks. There is a multi-cuisine restaurant, a swimming pool and a spa, and the lodge runs its safaris in jeeps with its own naturalists.
Rates on request, usually back within the hour
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