Pashan Garh, A Taj Safari
Panna, India
A dry-stone safari lodge on the edge of Panna's tiger country.
Panna is one of India's great conservation comeback stories: tigers vanished here in the 2000s and were painstakingly reintroduced, and today the park is thriving again. Pashan Garh is the place to base yourself for it, a run of twelve dry-stone cottages inspired by African bush lodges but built entirely from local rock.
The pace is all early drives and long, lazy afternoons, with expert naturalists reading the forest for you. Beyond the big cats there are sloth bears, the Ken River full of gharial and mugger crocodile, and the extraordinary temples of Khajuraho within reach.
The Verdict
A serene, design-led safari lodge in a park that fewer travellers know, which is exactly its appeal. Pair it with Khajuraho for one of central India's most rewarding trips.
Coming back from a dawn drive to breakfast on your private stone terrace, the valley below still full of birdsong and mist.
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