At Kanha Jungle Lodge, the Bhati family has cultivated friendships with many of the people from the Gond and Baiga tribes over the last several years. This camaraderie allows guests to experience an insight into the lives of these beautiful tribal people of India. The experiences curated by the Bhati family at Kanha Jungle Lodge allow glimpses into the lives of the villagers, the local inhabitants with an ease and sensitivity that sharpens your understanding of the local culture and life.
If you scour the villages in the vicinity of Kanha, thatched bamboo roof machans are not unusual to find. And it’s the same design aesthetic that gets replicated effectively at Kanha Jungle Lodge. The sal and bamboo furniture displayed in the rooms is an ode to what’s locally available while the artwork is a testimony to the colorful folk art of Kanha.
While 95 percent of the work force at Kanha Jungle Lodge is local, 50 percent of the total work force are tribal women from nearby villages who are trained as per global hospitality practices to serve guests. This is Sankhala family’s commitment towards empowering the local population and ensuring the families are always able to sustain themselves.
From woven lampshades to wastebaskets in bamboo, Kanha Jungle Lodge is an ode to the local crafts that exist in abundance. To empower the local population, products are sourced directly from the locals while ensuring that they are in sync with the local crafts.
Additionally, Kanha Jungle Lodge is plastic-free.
In the 1970s, J. Swaminathan, one of the leading painters in modern Indian art, put the spotlight on the tribal art of Madhya Pradesh. In Kanha Jungle Lodge, too, local art dots the numerous sections of the lodge with the aim to encourage local artists while introducing them to the guests.
We grow medicinal plants for the staff to use.
We grow lemongrass to serve this tea.
If the foundation of the Sankhala family relies on its unstinted support towards forest conservation...
The Story for Conservation started in the Sankhala Family three generations ago...
At Kanha Jungle Lodge, the Bhati family has cultivated friendships with many of the people...
In the dense forests of Kanha Tiger Reserve, also known as Kanha-Kisli National Park, the mornings are magical...
An increasing focus for Kanha Jungle Lodge has been to promote farm to table food...
If peace and quiet is the new definition of luxury, it’s in abundance at Kanha Jungle Lodge...
Kanha was a joy to explore, complete with a grassland area where rare southern swamp deer thrive, having been brought back from the brink of extinction. With a core area covering 580 square miles, it is the second largest reserve (after Satpura) in Madhya Pradesh: I took in part of the west of the park from Kipling Camp and a southern stretch from my last port of call, Kanha Jungle Lodge.
Sankhala is certain I’ll see a tiger. He tells me this as we bump along the dirt roads of Bandhavgarh National Park, India’s tiger country – 1,540km2 of swaying grassland and tropical forest where the mighty Bengal tiger roams freely.
From the moment I enter Bandhavgarh National Park, it’s clear the wildlife is never far away.
