Bori Safari Lodge in Madhya Pradesh

We have just returned from the most wonderful trip to the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. We started our trip in Bhopal, staying at the Jehan Numa Palace Hotel after an epic 14 hour drive from Delhi, where we live.

The next day we drove to another property owned by the same group, Bori Safari Lodge, in Dhapada village, close by Bori Wildlife Sanctuary.

This was a game lodge like no other I have stayed in India.

The design aesthetic is one of pared down luxury, with modern, stylish rooms and oodles of space.

We were a party of 4 (2 couples) and so in these strange Covid times, we were relieved that we were accommodated in 2 rooms that share a common approach and entrance but that were a short walk away from the eating areas.

Not that we needed to have worried, to be honest. The health protocols were fully in place and all groups of guests were seated apart for meals.

The rooms are spacious, with a deck and loads of space inside.

Loads of nice touches too. A French press and good coffee.

And this, for calling the staff, if needed!

Absolutely love it but sadly could find no justification for using it 🙂

In the evening there were warming braziers and pretty lanterns:

For the first 2 days lunch and dinner were Indian, but when we asked the chef for non-Indian food one day, we were treated to an outstanding pan-Asian lunch and a memorable dinner.

There were always lovely (& healthy) nibbles before the meals, and over drinks around the fire:

And breakfast, do I hear you ask?

Ah, now that was a treat.

A real treat.

Most mornings we ate a delicious breakfast in the jungle.

Like so:

We would head off to the jungle in the dark (with blankets and hot water bottles to keep us toasty warm) and after a couple of hours, we’d find a safe spot, and enjoy fresh coffee and a delicious spread prepared by the Lodge.

The one breakfast we has at the Lodge, on our last morning before heading back to Bhopal was absolutely delicious with the best “poha” I have ever eaten. But, having said that, there is nothing to beat breakfast served on the bonnet of a jeep in the jungle.

The best!

Without exception, the staff at the Lodge were top class. Polite, helpful, knowledgable and always masked, which is a sad necessity of these weird times we’re living through. They would wave to us when we arrived back at the lodge, where we’d be greeted with hot towels to wipe off the dust and a refreshing drink.

The gate keeper would test out temperature on every arrival – again, another sad necessity in these Covid times.

We opted for as many game drives as possible, and we were lucky enough to be driven by the charming Aly Rashid, the owner and manager of Bori Safari Lodge, for the first day. He then had to attend a conference about eco-tourism, so the rest of our drives were with the delightful, knowledgeable Shubham Alave who is a great photographer to boot, and who answered our questions with infinite patience and also led us on a fun jungle walk.

An excellent jungle experience, with elegant luxury and wonderful service. There’s a pool, but…yes, right first time…it is closed, in these Covid times…

100% recommended.

For rates and bookings, contact https://www.jehannuma.com

In the interest of full disclosure, we travelled with friends who know the owners of the Jehan Numa hotels, but we paid our way and no-one knows that I blog or write reviews.