Mahua Kothi Bandhavgarh Jungle Lodge
Mahua Kothi Bandhavgarh Jungle Lodge
Nestled in the vicinity of the breathtaking Bandhavgarh National Park is the first of the Taj Safaris Lodges. The name Mahua Kothi draws inspiration from one of India’s most beautiful trees, the Madhuca Indica, or as it is commonly known, the Mahua or butter tree. Its luscious off-white flowers take centre-stage in many Indian festive rituals, and here, at Mahua Kothi, it is at the centre of many a unique and delightful experience.
The lodge sprawls over the 40 acre grounds, around the renowned erstwhile tented camp, Churhat Kothi, the accommodation and facilities of the lodge blend charmingly into the quaint and rustic surroundings.
Mahua Kothi is the first of five Lodges that, in true Taj style, break new ground in the Indian tourism industry. Offering a never-before-experienced Indian wildlife circuit, replete with both adventure and – unlike any safari experience in the country so far – impeccable service and lush luxury.
Mahua Kothi promises an experience that is unconventional, focused on guests’ individual needs and emotions, knowledgeable, sophisticated and innovative.
Walk in to the cosily traditional guest area, with high ceilings, terracotta tiles, overhead fans, a fireplace, huge windows with window seats, beaten Bastar metal and hand-blown glassware. Freshen up in the Comings & Goings room. Step into the open kitchen that lets you in on the simple joys of butter being churned, masala being hand-ground, garden-fresh vegetables being chopped with sickles and rotis being expertly made on a chulha. Catch the jungle breeze out on the 600 sq. ft. verandah, browse leisurely through the Safari Shop, idle away the hours at the library or take a dip in the swimming pool.
When you’re ready to settle in, make your way through a private courtyard, with its shaded seating, to one of the twelve charming cottage suites, called Kutiyas. Built to replicate the vernacular style of Central India, affectionately known as MP chic, each is filled with quaint local touches. Wooden shutters, tapered hand-finished walls, stone floors, open rafters with roughly-hewn beams, handmade pottery roof tiles, rust and burnt orange local textile furnishings. Shower off your journey in the en-suite bathroom, pamper yourself with hand-blended, all-natural, guest amenities from the Taj Spa, relax with a game of marbles or Chaupad or indulge in an in-room Ayurvedic massage.
Dining in Mahua Kothi is an exciting and unexpected Safari in itself, with several deliciously surprising twists and turns.
Fresh local ingredients, homemade accompaniments, fruits and veggies grown in backyards, ancestral cooking and dining customs, and quaint village ambiences create never-before dining wonderlands that give you as much of a rush as the game drives to follow.
If you want to begin your game drive with the first rays of the sun, you can take along a steaming packed breakfast to enjoy deep in the woods or have a quick bite in the Lounge.
If you’d prefer a more leisurely first meal, make your way to the colourful vegetable garden in the backyard for the charming Baghiya breakfast – a sumptuous meal laid out on a bullock cart.
At lunchtime, picnic under the Mahua tree or by the nearby watering hole.
In the evening, enjoy cocktails made from the sap of the mahua tree, and dine under the stars, out on the terrace, with live spit-roasting, generations-old khud cooking, thali dinners and folk dances.
Revel in a cosy private dining experience in your private courtyard or on the terrace.
Guest areas for rest and relaxation
Library
Safari shop
Swimming pool
Spa
Treatments based on millennia-old Indian healing and massage techniques, using all-natural ingredients
Naturalists
The naturalists are more than just guides. Vigorously trained, they have an encyclopaedic knowledge of every inhabitant of the forests, and every secret nook and pathway of the wilderness. Warm, chatty, genuinely excited about sharing their knowledge and infectiously passionate, they are an integral part of what makes the Taj Safaris unique.
3 nights in a Cottage Suite on full board excluding transfers and flights
From £878 per person