Panna National Park, North & Central India, India

Founded in 1986, this rambling safari lodge was the first in the area and enjoys a superb location, with huts and cottages scattered over fifty acres of undulating jungle, bordered by the River Ken. Its centerpiece is a rustic machaan-style dining hall with a fabulous riverside deck where you can dine by candle light as fish eagles swoop past and crocs slide through the shallows.

The rooms are spacious, cool and smart. Some have private courtyards and open fires. A speciality here are their night safaris based at a remote camp in the forest. Other incentives to extend your stay include boat and fishing trips on the river; and Khajuraho’s only an hour’s drive away.