SET IN THE WILD

EMBRACED BY THE FORESTS OF TIPESHWAR IN MAHARASHTRA, TIPAI WILDLIFE LUXURIES IS A LUXE REFUGE THAT HAS AN EDGE OF THE UNEXPECTED

- ANTARAA CHATTERJEE

A WHITE-THROATED KINGFISHER FLEW over my head as I attempted to take in the spread of the forest resort from my perch on the buggy leading me to my room. A 2.5-hour drive from Nagpur would land you at Tipai Wildlife Luxuries, a wildlife resort smack in the middle of a forest and only a kilometre away from Tipeshwar Wildlife Sanctuary. A narrow dirt path veers off the main road and leads you to the resort. Dotted with towering neem, mulberry and bamboo trees, the property unfurls in forks of slim paths leading towards different sections.

"I wanted to create an experience that embodies the joys of the jungle beyond wildlife sightings," says Keyur Joshi, the founder of Tipai, which is the inaugural project of the bigger Wildlife Luxuries plan. "Tipai was built to conserve natural resources and to transform the local communities who have, for generations, protected these lands." There are 15 villas in all, including four with private pools.

"Do you know the story of Talabwali?" asks Agnes T Sebastian, one of the naturalists at Tipai. She narrates how a Tipeshwar forest tigress had come down to one of the pool villas. Pregnant, the tigress called Talabwali (named so because her territory in the forest houses a vast lake) drank some water from the pool. She rested on the villa's verandah before returning to the forest. "Coincidentally, the villa she visited was named Shera." That particular villa has now been kept for guest viewing but can be booked in case other villas are unavailable.

THE STAY