How are you all doing? Hope you all enjoyed the festive season! In this post I'm going to be talking about my last month end spent at The Bamboo Forest - Safari Lodge at Tadoba. It was Vikas's birthday, and I had just gotten back from Sri Lanka the previous day. But since he loves adventure and nature I thought a getaway would be perfect for his birthday! I definitely found something that would interest both of us here! I am up for adventures & travelling too! I'm not really a nature person and the chaos in my city, the noise & the fast lifestyle works for the best for me but I definitely like spending some time in the arms of nature as well.
We reached the place in the evening on his birthday! Sadly, it's a 2 and an half hours drive from the Nagpur airport so we were kinda tired, but as soon as we stepped in! Omg! We were awestruck and got all excited for our stay at The Bamboo Forest Safari Lodge. We entered the hotel with some refreshments, welcome drinks & a hot towel to freshen up; Met Akshay the naturalist who was also our host for the next two days. He's actually one of the sweetest persons I have ever come across; warm & welcoming. He took us around the property, we had a fun chat & he also gave us the schedule for the next two days. Oh yes, very exciting! Since we reached on a Friday night, we ended our day with a good dinner after all the travelling. The food we had at the restaurant, Macchan, was definitely what I looked forward to. So yum! Everything from the bakery to restaurants was in-house. How cool!
Let's talk about the safari now? Oh yes! The Bamboo Forest Safari Lodge is ideally located on the edge of the scenic Maasal Lake a mere 10 minutes drive from Kolara Gate of Tadoba - Andhari Tiger Reserve. Even though I'm not a nature person, there is something about such places that is immensely captivating. It's so peaceful that you feel so connected with yourself & the Universe. Quiet, slow & peaceful. It's crazy how each one of us have different priorities. For some it might be family & friends, for a few others it can be social media (I'm surely one of them haha) & for some it's nature & wildlife. The naturalists I met there told me some really interesting stories and I loved them; no internet needed. They were so happy with the surroundings & the life they have there. They literally don't feel like getting out of that place. For me it was a little surprising but it's definitely fun... getting to know people & their stories. May be in the end it's getting to know life. Since we reached the place at night, Akshay wanted us to rest the next day & do an afternoon safari instead. That actually worked well & since I was travelling the last week too so a good night's sleep was more than appreciated. The next morning, we woke up, looked around, went for breakfast, then checked out the property, we literally spent hours at the patio of our villa! It was bliss. That corner though! I still can't get over it. We then had lunch and got ready for the safari!
I also met some other guests there, it was actually their 8th or 9th Safari! Can you believe that? I was literally wowed by that. The best part about safaris is that no matter how many times you go for it, the curiosity and excitement is just like your first time. Though you are doing the same thing, each time you go your experience is different. 4 hours of safari, no internet, no talking. You are engrossed looking around, searching for something, sometimes even you are unaware of what it is, but yes, you are just trying to spot something all the time! It's so exciting & fun! Post safari, we headed to the room to freshen up & then dinner! Couldn't stop talking about our day & yes the staff was really hospitable & they actually made a cake for Vikas in house. It was delicious! Haha. After the little celebration, we called off our long amazing day! We did an early morning safari the next day! Like say we started our safari at 5:30 am. Yeaaaa all ready to encounter the wildlife! Akshay definitely made sure we were excited all the time! He shared some of his wildlife experiences with us and gave us some fun facts. It was really great, but since it rained the previous night we couldn't spot the tiger and so that was a little disappointing. Nevertheless, it was a fun experience!! I literally enjoyed my safari time, and was definitely up for another one. 4 hours is actually a lot in the jungle but still it felt like there's so much to see and so little time. Having breakfast in the jungle was something now! Getting lost in the wilderness of nature is getting to know yourself better. Talk about the food at the resort, omg! Loved it.
I absolutely loved every meal of theirs! They had indian, 2 pasta dishes, soups & some yummy desserts as well! I loved the whole feel of the resort, so mesmerising! Love how it's done. Our villa was so nicely built & we really didn't wanna leave that place! Being architects, we both really admired the interiors & the planning of the lodge. Other activities in the lodge include star gazing sessions, bird watching & there's also a roof top gazebo for celebrations or to just sit and enjoy the beautiful view around! The view of the lake, the weather (which was not bad), the air, the sun & the place! We thoroughly enjoyed our two days at The Bamboo Safari Lodge & I would definitely recommend this place to you all if you are looking for a peaceful getaway! :) Thank you The Bamboo Safari Lodge for hosting us & for such an amazing stay! Love the hospitality!! :)
--- Good Vibes ---