I return from a rain-soaked safari in Pench National Park to cold towels pressed into my palms and a glass of nimbu pani. There’s no loud chatter of guests swapping stories of deer kills and near-misses with tigers—just birdsong. Thank god for that because the tiger eluded me that morning. We are at Haldu Tola, a standalone five-room villa in the buffer zone of Pench. Here, a private jeep and dedicated naturalist are yours alone. Plus, a personal chef, surprise dining spots overlooking the forest, and a sense of intimacy that’s rare to come by in Central India’s safari lodges.
Haldu Tola sits on a verdant parcel that wraps around a courtyard with flowering bushes and butterflies. So, when owners Shumeet and Della Banerji tell me this was once a barren wasteland with nothing but a haldu tree, it’s hard to believe. The husband-wife duo first set out to plant fruit trees to supplement the incomes of local villagers, alongside building a two-bedroom cottage for themselves. But one monsoon later, when the once neglected plot burst into green, they felt it would be a shame to keep this beauty to themselves. Today, the Banerjis’ love for the land spills over into every corner of Haldu Tola, showcasing not just the forests but also its people and culture. The duo commissioned over 50 local artists, many of them women, to paint and carve the space by hand.
Doors and pillars whisper Gond myths through intricate carvings, ceilings unfurl with folk murals overhead as you sip your morning tea, and the walls display paintings by Bhuri Bai, who is a Padma Shri awardee and the first tribal woman from Madhya Pradesh to carry Bhil and Gond art beyond village walls. All around, Banerji’s collection of tigers, chital and curious figurines from across India brings the spirit of the jungle indoors. The rooms, some with four-poster beds, writing desks and bathtubs, are themed around the five elements of nature: earth, water, fire, wind and ether.
A poolside lounge beckons you to linger with a book, and for those who crave movement between sightings, there’s a gym and a pool. The dining area is made for leisurely meals, where we can imagine families or groups of friends gathering after a long day in the forest. In the morning, I watch ladyfingers and beans being plucked from Haldu Tola’s vegetable garden and carried straight into the kitchen, destined for lunch just hours later. Dining here feels like eating at a friend’s home. Lunch and dinner typically feature a sabzi from the garden, dal and river-fresh rohu curry served with warm rotis and rice. Breakfast is a generous spread of upma, poha, eggs to order, and fresh fruit.
Each room frames the forest with large windows, but there’s also a terrace and a distant machaan overlooking a watering hole, offering guests the thrill of a possible sighting even before they hop into a jeep.
Into the jungle, about 20 minutes from Haldu Tola to the Jamtara gate, we are accompanied by Ajay Kumar Bhavre, a seasoned naturalist with over a decade of experience, including years at the nearby Jamtara Wilderness Camp. When I visit, the park is just two days away from closing for the season, and light barely filters through on this rain-lashed day. But as we drive past the dripping canopy, Bhavre keeps us hooked with story after story: a tiger leopard face-off, two wild cats locked in a fight, and even a fleeting glimpse of a big cat just minutes from Haldu Tola. That morning, though, we content ourselves with the jungle’s smaller treasures—herds of chital, which Pench is renowned for; a lone peacock trailing its sodden feathers; baby jackals hiding in the bushes; and an Indian bison standing still.
At Haldu Tola, you don’t need to venture far to catch glimpses of the wild. Later, Bhavre leads us on a walk around the property, where we spot an Indian scops owl tucked into a tree hollow, and flitting flycatchers dancing through the branches. We may not have seen the tiger this time, but for our city-weary souls, the hush of the forest is reward enough.
