The Original Jungle Book

If asked to choose I would not have picked Pench as a holiday spot.My idea of a holiday involves either sipping cocktails on the pool or drinking in the history and heritage of a place. Pench National Reserve had none of these things and yet it turned out perfect.Nestled in the midst of the picturesque Pench forest,Jamtara Wilderness Camp is the perfect escape from the hustle and bustle of city life.The hotel has been very careful not to disturb the tranquility of the jungle without sacrificing the comfort of it's guests.Be prepared to be absolutely cut-off with technology as there is no television or cellphone reception and definitely none of the chaos we are so used to.

But this does not mean that any of us were bored at any point of time.The 5 hour long safaris twice a day kept you pretty busy.And in the evenings,meals were had in the common dining area...forcing you to interact with the other guests and the rangers rather than obsessively tip-tapping at our phones. Weather permitting there is a cosy bonfire to sit down and chat around with your drinks.We generally retired early anyways as the next morning you had to get up bright and early at 5am.

Now,I am not a morning person.So this getting up was my personal nightmare.But as soon as you enter the forest,the beauty of the sunrise takes your breath away.It is so easy to see why this was the backdrop of Rudyard Kipling's famous novel The Jungle Book. Bit by bit,you feel as if the jungle is waking up with you as the sunlight peeps through the trees.There are two gates you can enter through here.The Pench gate takes you to the larger part of the forest where the tiger sightings are more common.But the other less explored part can be entered through the Jamtara Gate.And even though,the animals are less easily seen here,the untouched nature more than makes up for it.Your breakfast is carried along in your jeep and served right in the middle of the jungle on top of the jeep or a viewing point.

All in all,it was the experience of a lifetime and I hope my pictures do a little more justice to the place than my words did.

The Bonfire Area.

The Common Dining Area.

The Luxury Tents with Private Balcony.

And I took the road less travelled by.

P.S.-This is not a sponsored post.All the views and pictures expressed here are my own and copyright of Shreya Jhunjhunwala.

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