PENCH TREE LODGE, INDIA
Anyone who read The Jungle Book as a kid has been haunted by memories of Shere Khan, Mowgli’s terrifying antagonist. Although there are just 3,000 Bengal tigers left in the world, at least 60 of them are known to haunt Pench National Park. These 300sq km of damp valleys and dry forests were the inspiration for Rudyard Kipling’s famous tale and they’re still roamed by sloth bears (like Baloo), wolves, pythons and, of course, tigers.
Bed down like an extremely chic and ecologically minded Mowgli in one of six new treehouses which have recently opened in this little-developed area. Set in 16ha of woodland on the edge of the village of Pench, it’s easy to imagine the fictional character playing with the Bandar-log monkeys under the Mahua trees, although he would have looked decidedly out of place in the infinity pool. Built on stilts, the treehouses blend contemporary design with traditional jungle living. Think dark wood panelling, contemporary brass bedsteads and colourful tribal fabrics opening on to balconies shaded by fig trees.
Take a jeep or walking safari to get up close to the park’s residents or cycle around the lodge’s grounds, spotting wild peacocks. Take your breakfast on the balcony and head to ‘the watering hole’ in the dining lodge for dinner. This thatched hall serves Indian and Mediterranean dishes such as rose-coloured kulfi, baked cod and broken wheat pudding.
THE DETAIL Doubles from £235 per night, including all meals. The nearest airport is Nagpur (150km). penchtreelodge.com