Stately Outpost

A Wild Encounter Lurks Around Every Bend Of This Luxurious Stay In Satpura National Park.

- Neha Dara

As the jeep moves forward slowly on the dirt track, my husband and I keep our eyes peeled. Twice we’ve driven up and down this stretch leading to Reni Pani Jungle Lodge, trying to spot the pair of leopards that frequent it. The pugmarks tell us that one of them walked here just minutes ago, in the brief time it took us to take a U-turn and come back.

There’s a thrill in this just-missed sighting. It leaves us with a sense of being surrounded by the jungle, where an interesting encounter is possible at any turn. This feeling stays with us even when we are at the lodge, where we’re staying for two nights. A snaking path leads to our cottage, from where it is hard to see the 11 others that are spread out over this 30-acre property, hidden from one another by a veil of trees. After sundown, we’re always accompanied by a member of the staff when we walk to dinner and back, since there’s a chance of encountering a snake or other animals from the surrounding woods.