Banjaar Tola Kanha National Park - A Taj Safari Lodge

After our first experience with Taj Safari at Bandhavgarh couple of years back, we decided this time to visit Kanha. Again it was a long drive from Jamshedpur, with an intermediate halt both ways. On reaching there, we found that it was a long way inside the forest from the main gate on the highway. I followed the direction given by the security ***, and had an adventurous journey to the tent location. Later, I found that there was another straightforward and less adventurous approach road, which I used while leaving the premises. The tents are situated right on the bank of the river. On the other side of the Banjaar river, it is the core zone of national park. We were not that fortunate to see the tiger movement from the tent, but we saw a herd of spotted deer – they suddenly ran away as soon as there was repeated alarm calls by the monkeys. It was thrilling to watch that the deep forest activities were occurring just on the other side of the river, and perhaps we narrowly missed a tiger sighting also. The overall experience is quite similar to what we had in Bandhavgarh (interested person may take a look of my review of Mahua Kothi). Unique way of welcoming the guests, amazing hospitality, comfort, food, etc. – just typical of Taj. And again I would say, it is not just luxurious arrangements, it is the wonderful people who make the difference. A truly memorable experience for the lifetime. My sincere thanks and best wishes to all of them. However, there was one trouble that we experienced during our stay of two days. A number of frogs were entering – and they were found randomly here and there inside the tent, every now and then. We had to call the helpdesk repeatedly, and every time they came and recovered few frogs. I hope that this matter would be taken care of properly.

My husband and I visited Banjaar Tola for our first wedding anniversary. We had saved for a year to experience the luxury that Taj is known for. The resort staff was warm and welcoming, taking the time to familiarize us with the property. We opted for the all-inclusive meal plan. The chef personally introduced himself and shared a brief background, which was a nice touch. Unfortunately, the food did not live up to expectations. Aside from one soup, most dishes were disappointing—even basic items like aloo paratha and naan were underwhelming. I honestly cook better meals at home. We had specifically requested bacon for breakfast; although the chef confirmed it was available, it was never served. The culinary experience was the biggest letdown of an otherwise lovely stay. The room was beautiful, and the service was excellent. A special mention to Karan for his attentiveness. We truly hope a more skilled chef can be appointed, as food plays a major role in the overall experience.

We had a wonderful experience at Taj Banjaar Tola--principally because our naturalist, Priyanka, was so superb. She and the other guides are passionate about what they do, so knowledgeable and well educated and so enthusiastic about the whole range of flora and fauna present in the park. The hotel property is well situated for access to the park and very pretty, set ***** the Banjaar river. The staff are excellent and eager to please and the food is very good. Our room was huge and had a lovely deck and was very comfortable.