Embraced by Kanha National Park, Singinawa Jungle Lodge leverages upon its ideal location with utmost care for mother nature
Providing a well curated experience, Singinawa Jungle Lodge has established itself firmly on the preferences of wildlife and nature enthusiasts. Ideally located in one of the most renowned wildlife regions of the country, Singinawa Jungle Lodge is nestled in the forest of Kanha National Park in Madhya Pradesh, just off the buffer area. True to its name ‘Singinawa’, meaning ‘protectors of the sacred forest’ in Nepalese language, the jungle lodge has also made its mark in conservation activities through Singinawa Conservation Foundation.
Singinawa Jungle Lodge offers spacious accommodation options with its 12 cottages and two bungalows of one and two rooms respectively. An interesting thing is that each of the 12 cottages signifies the wildlife diversity of Kanha National Park. The cottages are named after animal species such as tiger, barasingha, leopard, gaur, sloth bear, jungle bear, Indian wolf, jackal, sambar, cheetal, dhole and Bengal fox. The present owner and management company of the property, Wild India Resorts Kanha, took over the lodge in 2015 and since then has made numerous changes to the property with a view to reflect local tribal culture and arts.
Art connect
The refurbished lodge houses an art meseum, Kanha Museum of Life and Art, unique to Singinawa Jungle Lodge and dedicated to showcase the tribal art of the region. The museum is curated by Dr Alka Pande, a leading authority of art in India. The 1,000-sq-ft museum is an ode to the indigenous Gond and Baiga artisans and their artworks. The entire museum is powered by a solar energy facility which generates 10 kilowatts of electricity and also powers several parts of the property, alongside the museum. Sharing more, Ghanshyam Singh, manager – operations, Singinawa Jungle Lodge, says, “The museum is our unique selling point (USP). The new management is keen to promote local tribes through showcasing their art and culture.”
Nature’s haven
Whilst leveraging upon nature’s offerings, Singinawa Jungle Lodge believes in returning back to nature and society in as many ways it can. Singh comments, “Apart from solar power, we try to use less plastic and more organic products wherever possible. Our major focus is on conservation activities, not on pure business.” All cottages and bungalows feature products that are made organically and a wood boiler heating system is used to reduce electricity consumption. The Singinawa Conservation Foundation is involved in various wildlife conservation activities and awareness programmes. The foundation has in the past built five water holes for the core area of the park, held health camps for 56 villages in the buffer zone of the park treating 2300 people, helped procure seven 4×4 vehicles for each of the forest ranges within Kanha and is now working closely with the government authorities in connection with health care, education and other activities.
It is also associated with TOFTigers, a collective action initiative to save tigers and forests across the Indian subcontinent, involving travel operators, providers, parks, communities, governments and visitors.
Time spent at Singinawa Jungle Lodge is not a mere stay experience. Jungle safari is a major activity for guests, which gives an opportunity to immerse in the wild amidst the forest’s flora and fauna. However, the list isn’t confined to safaris. The lodge offers numerous activities such as night safaris, village visits, buffer zone and nature walks and cycling tours. The lodge has a team of six trained naturalists to guide guests and share their local understanding. Providing a memorable experience, local Baiga dance performance is also organised, which in turn helps them preserve their tradition and earn a livelihood. Additionally, 80 per cent of the staff at Singinawa Jungle Lodge is local, in line with its objective to work for the welfare of local populace. Its CSR activities also include health camps, educational camps, and providing support to villagers in terms of resources.
Tulika Kedia, managing director, Singinawa Jungle lodge, shares, “The evolved traveller in today’s time looks at travel more as an experience rather than just stay and F&B experience at resorts. The various activities like the jungle walks, cycling trails, village interactions, the aromatic cooking trail at Singinawa go a long way in making our guests experience the environment they are in. Since the beautiful forests are a complete opposite of the city life, all our guests are charmed by these activities. We have a lot of instances where guests after having done two-three safaris, ask us to do an activity instead of a pre-booked safari; and it is these experiences and stories that pull them back for their second or third visit to our Lodge.”
The lodge houses two indoor F&B venues, Bhaat Kholi and The Lair, which also aim to showcase local cuisine. The property also features two multi-functional outdoor areas – Chougan and Leopard Rock – which serve as ideal venues for gatherings and candlelight dinner. Wellness offerings at the lodge include Meadow Spa, which overlooks the lodge’s swimming pool, The Wallow.
Revealing future plans, Kedia informs, “As part of the upcoming season, Singinawa is launching a first-of-its-kind Yoga Safari on October 2 this year. This will be a six-day programme, guided by a leading wellness expert from Delhi. On the itinerary are various Yoga and meditation sessions, forest bathing (Shinrin Yoku), mindful bird watching, eating and learning about healthy food and of course some tiger safaris. We truly believe that wellness tourism fits well with the natural environs of our forests. We are also planning to build a wellness centre with various rooms to do these wellness activities within the lodge premises.”
The team behind Singinawa Jungle Lodge believes in ‘word of mouth’ and considers it the best form of marketing. “Our whole focus is on providing top-notch experience at the lodge in all aspects, and introducing innovative programmes like the Yoga safari, Young Rangers programme for kids, and long stay wildlife research itineraries. We get a lot of support from the travel agent fraternity, as they send us foreign and domestic guests who are looking for a complete luxury wildlife experience, many notches above the standard jungle experience which is a norm at many other lodges,” adds Kedia.
