Bijapur Lodge

Best hotel we have been to around India. The lodge, the nature, the activities and most important, the people are incredible, we have been deeply pleased by the kindness of all the staff, what and incredible vision of hospitality. We recommend the lodge and the activities : leopard safari and diner in the nature

We spend 2 nights here including 3 safaris. I loved every moment of it. On arrival we were greeted with a refreshing towel and a welcome drink. The manager showed us our room which is very spacious and spotlessly clean. There is no reception so check in was done in the room. We were the only guests during our stay and all staff made sure we had everything we could wish for. Even after every safari (during which we saw many leopards) we were welcomed with a cold towel (much appreciated after a dusty drive) and a ginger drink. Food was good. Portions are not very big, but for us this was actually a good thing. Furthermore I am quite sure you can ask for more at any time. This was not needed for us so we did not ask. When we said goodbye the entire staff waived to us. Now there are some minor point for improvement. One of them is the restaurant which is quite noisy because of the use of ‘hard’ materials like wood and stone and lack of plants or bigger curtains. It was ok for the 2 of us, but if you have more guests is will become one big echo-hall. Thankfully they sat us outside at the bonfire for the second night. The second point of improvement: as mentioned we were the only guests which resulted in the staff giving all their attention to us. Although each and every one of them was as nice as they could be, it was a bit much. At certain moments there were 4 men observing us having food which felt a bit awkward. Our waiter was an amazingly nice ***, and is obviously still being trained. There were some minor flaws there as well (retreiving my plate while the toast was still in my hand and asking how our day was when our mouths were full with food). All in all the goods outweighed the improvement points in such a way that it still deserves 5 stars!

The hospitality of this place can't be questioned. Really well constructed aesthetically pleasing place with lovely personal touches. I loved the little gifts in our rooms with a bit of history behind its creation. We were the only guests and they treated us royally. Welcome drink was a fascinating unusual pink organic drink. Food was delicious. We are vegetarians and had no problem. I loved the Pyaj Kachori in the morning. Nice bonfire in the evening. The staff treated us like relatives on the way out, wishing for our safe travels with Prasad and I was genuinely touched by that. All the satff were uniformly warm and polite. The in house naturalist Ahmad Ali gave us a tour of the property with great enthusiasm and I'm pleased to see how they are trying to maintain green credential and helping the local community. Ali Bhai and Chandradeep ji went out with us for leopard safari and unfortunately this has to be the worst wildlife experience I have ever had. The fame of Leopards of Bera has spread far and wide and sadly that attracts people who have no respect for nature. I have travelled in all five continents and never ever I have come across a crowd more unruly, completely oblivious of others, boisterous, loud and totally disrespectful towards nature and the poor leopard. This beats the Mara river crossing crowd and even other places in India, like Tadoba. There is a reason why I do not like Indian tourists in the forest ( I'm an Indian by birth) and it was in full force here. One leopard was sighted and hundreds of jeeps descended on the poor leopard stressing it hugely. What hurt me was to see that jeeps were breaking branches and uprooting trees to make path for their clients to see the leopard. After seeing this pandemonium in the evening, next morning I made it very clear that I had no intention of seeing a leopard and taking part in this obnoxious circus. We enjoyed the exhilarating four wheel drive over the rocky terrain, had coffee, watched beautiful sunrise and did some birding. I genuinely feel bad to take one star away for reasons which are beyond their control but the main reason for coming here was to capture leopards and that was not fulfilled. So please avoid Indian holidays to avoid local crowd or go to a resort with exclusivity. The local resort owners must do something to stop this unregulated proliferation of safaris.

The most incredible place with a fantastic pool. So quiet, only the sounds of insects and birds. We were looked after with amazing food, lovely friendly welcome, gorgeous room/suite. We saw leopards and amazing birds on our safaris with a wonderful guide. We’d love to go again.

Our stay at Bijapur Lodge was just amazing. The surroundings, the rooms, the pool, the food and the staff, all were so great. Nothing was asked too much for the very generous staff. We were even suprised by a private candle light dinner by the pool! Also the leoparard safaris were unforgettable. We had a unique experience and will never forget our days in Brijapur Lodge. We hope to come back one day.