Junglemantra Bandhavgarh – Unique Safari Camp

Bandhavgarh National Park is considered to have the highest density of Royal Bengal tigers than any other park in India. Apart from being a major tiger habitat, there are other unique sights in the park – the most iconic of them being the spectacular Bandhavgarh Fort which towers over the forest.

Bandhavgarh was our first stop, followed by the breathtaking Kanha and last but not the least Pench. My folks and I traveled around Central India last month for 10 days in search of the Royal Bengal Tiger.

Jungle Mantra Bandhavgarh – What to Expect?

Junglemantra Bandhavgarh
A warm welcome at Junglemantra Bandhavgarh

With the thought of an exciting adventure looming at the back of my mind, we started our jungle adventures with a three day odyssey to discover the picturesque wild of Central India as a guest of the chic and urban feeling retreat, Junglemantra. 

The word ‘mantra’ translates to magic in English, and this luxurious abode set in a 20 acre patch of pristine jungle fits the name to a tee. Importantly, Junglemantra is located along the boundary of the Khatauli zone of Bandhavgarh National Park in a secluded but strategic area. As a result, wildlife sightings enroute to the resort or even inside the grounds itself are routine and have been recorded from time to time on the hidden cameras. We were thrilled to see a video of a large male tiger, who had the audacity of killing a cow and dragging the carcass hardly 30 m away from the lodge to finish it. Now that was quite a sight and listening to these stories while sitting on open grounds in the vicinity, was such a rush. 

Tiger bandhavgarh
Tiger spotting is fairly easy in Bandhavgarh

The extensive foliage within the boundaries of Junglemantra has resulted in a prolific population of bird species, with as many as sixty varieties found here itself. Guests just need to relax on the open verandahs facing the jungle and catch a glimpse of them. The genial hosts of Junglemantra, Mr Vallabhdas Ramji and his enterprising son Shailin, have created this six cottage property keeping privacy and tranquility in mind.

My folks and I had countless interesting conversations related to environment and wildlife with our lovely hosts/ owners at Junglemantra. Our evenings were spent over beer and bush talk, whilst day break (in between safaris) was enjoyed on the lounge chairs reading books.

junglemantra
Or newspaper, as my dad prefers 🙂

We had an unforgettable three nights stay at Junglemantra in Bandhavgarh.  The getaway served as an ideal destination, especially because of the scenic location. We give it an extra star for the fantastic meals, which were always produced fresh and contained local ingredients mainly. A variety of alfresco meal options were made available, with the highlight being the bush lunch.

junglemantra
Bush lunch with our delightful hosts

Jungle Mantra Image Gallery

The thatched bamboo cottages were rustic, classy, extremely comfortable and came with spacious ensuite bathrooms.

Cottages at Junglemantra
Cottages at Junglemantra are cozy, comfortable and spacious

The rooms were air-conditioned and had private sit outs for views of the forests. Service of the staff, right from security to room boys was outstanding.

Thatched cottages with sit outs
Thatched cottages with private sit outs

The lobby area where tea, coffee, snacks and food is served, was beautifully decorated with bamboo furnishing and charming jungle themed decor.

Impeccable decor at the lobby are
Impeccable decor at the lobby are
junglemantra bandhavgarh
Brown hues add to the jungle vibe
junglemantra sit outs
Lovely sit out for reading, birding outside the lobby – my fave spot for sure!
junglemantra
Luncheon with a view!!!
junglemantra lounge
This lounge bed was another great reading spot
quirky decor
Cute and quirky decor adds charm to the place

Bandhavgarh Safaris – What to Expect?

Bandhavgarh is an excellent park for Tiger sightings in India. One of the very best, so to say. Hence, if you are a wild cat fan, adding it to your bucket list would be ideal. 

At Junglemantra, our safari trips were organised by carefully choosing a good naturalist/driver who ensured that everyone had a good time.

We were extremely lucky to see two sloth bears on our very first safari. This sighting is rarer than spotting a Tiger and as big time jungle lovers, we as a family, are always just delighted to be in the bush.

sloth bears bandhavgarh
Sadly I could only get their furry black bums on camera – but its proof enough I saw these two cuties

Another unique encounter we had in the park on our next safari was spotting a beautiful crested hawk eagle preying on a baby spotted deer. This was such an awesome sight and I managed to get it all on video – 

Lo behold, we were not done with the amazing experiences yet. As luck would have it, the next day we had an extraordinary encounter with the tiger. The majestic beast crossed the road twice in front of us and we treated our eyes to the view from close proximity. Of course, I caught everything on camera again – 

Other good sights –

Gaur - Indian Bison
Gaur (Aka Indian Bison) is common in Central India so a delight for North Indians like myself 🙂
Red-headed vulture
Red-headed vulture
Scops owl
Two well camouflaged Scops owls – can you spot them?

Guests are advised to book their safaris as early as possible due to the limited slots available.

How to Reach Jungle Mantra Bandhavgarh National Park?

There are a number of ways to reach Junglemantra. The nearest airports are at Jabalpur and Nagpur, which are well connected to Delhi. It takes five hours by road from Jabalpur and seven hours from Nagpur to reach Bandhavgarh. By train, the nearest railway station is Umaria, from where Bandhavgarh is a forty minutes drive. Just contact Junglemantra if you want them to arrange your pick up/ drops to/fro railway or airport. 

Jungle Mantra Map

For easy navigation, here’s Junglemantra dotted down on Google maps –

Contact Info for Junglemantra –

Address: Bandhavgarh, Tala, Rancha, Distt. Umaria, Sarmaniya, Madhya Pradesh 484664
Phone: 099105 86006

Convinced? Book now or read other raving reviews on TripAdvisor first 🙂

All in all, we had a lovely head start to our 10 day jungle adventure with Junglemantra and the wonderful hospitality shown by Shailin and his entire staff/team was exceptional.

Jo

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