Taj Safaris Opens Luxury Lodge In Nepal
by Harvey Chipkin /Temple at Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh, India. Photo: Paul Mannix
Taj Safaris, which operates four safari lodges in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, welcomed its first lodge outside India—the Meghauli Serai in Chitwan National Park in Nepal, a UNESCO World Heritage site—with a reception for travel agents in New York this month.
Taj Safaris is a joint venture between Taj Hotels, Resorts and Palaces, a luxury hotel operator; and tour operator & Beyond.
The lodge has 30 rooms and villas with views of the river and sits right next to the jungle. Each of the 16 villas has its own plunge pool. There are 13 rooms in low-rise buildings and one presidential suite.
The lodge also provides a 24-hour restaurant, a bar and in-room , with almost half of the food produced right on the property and the rest purchased locally. Also available are massages, a small gym and visits to the nearby village. Small conferences can be held in the library. The park is open year-round.
The park is on the Indian border, a short flight from the airport in Kathmandu, Nepal, then a 45-minute drive, said Taj Safaris associate vice president of safari operations Mridula Tangirala. It is also possible to take a private charter flight to an airport closer to the lodge.
Guests have the option of private elephant safaris, jeep safaris, walking safaris or canoeing, as well as bathing and feeding elephants.
The starting rate at Meghauli Serai is approximately $136 per night including breakfast for a Meghauli Room or approximately $214 for the large Rapti Villa.
Stays at the lodges are built around naturalists, who get six months of training and serve as guide, concierge, butler and many other roles for guests. There is no minimum stay at the lodges and travelers frequently stay in more than one lodge on what Tangirala called India’s “first luxury safari circuit.” About 25% of guests are from North America.
Tangirala said there is a lot of room for growth in safaris in India and Nepal, noting that it is a very different experience from an African safari because of different terrain and wildlife.
Chitwan National Park is home to 550 native bird species and about 68 species of mammals, with the major attractions the greater one-horned rhinoceros. Other unique animals include the sloth bear, royal Bengal tiger and Gharial crocodile.
Agents talk about Indian safaris
Agents attending the Taj Safaris event said Indian safaris were the type of holiday their upscale clients are looking for.
Jack Bloch of JB’s World Travel in New York said, “The luxury market has lost interest in a week on a beach. If people have 10 days or more than want something with substance and that is educational. If they are taking their kids that is even more important. India is the kind of destination people are looking for so they can expose their kids to something more rewarding than the typical vacation.”
Leslie Overton, managing director of Absolute Travel in New York, said her agency sells a lot of India and safaris, noting, “Clients are much more interested in these kinds of trips than in the past. And Taj has become really good at tracking wildlife, which makes the experience even more memorable.”
Overton has been to Chitwan National Park, which she said has re-emerged as a destination in recent years.
And Siv Wadlin, a travel advisor with Tzell Travel, said she took her first trip to India last spring and is now eager to send clients there.
She went on a safari and saw “amazing wildlife like a tiger and her cubs. It’s an extraordinary destination for safaris, partly because of the way the Indians treat animals.”