In 2009 I stayed at one of the Taj Hotels group safari lodges, Baghvan, in India’s Pench National Park. The quality of the accommodation, the food and the all the staff and guides were superb. So when I heard  through their website www.tajsafaris.com that they had opened a new safari lodge in Nepal’s Chitwan National Park, it was added to my bucket list.

Chitwan NP is accessed through Bharatpur airport, a mere twenty minute flight from Kathmandu and then about an hour’s drive along largely unmade roads, past fields of rice, grasses, crops in flower, tiny settlements and slightly larger ‘frontier’ feeling towns, with children, goats, buffalo and chickens along the way.  The lodge arranged for someone to collect us at the airport in a TATA 4×4.  Chitwan is best known for its population of the endangered Asian greater one-horned rhinoceros, and the Taj property, called Meghauli Serai, (I’ll abbreviate the name to Meg S, as opposed to the disease MS) all but guarantees you’ll see them on their twice daily jeep, elephant-back and walking safaris.  Chitwan also has those funny looking thin-snouted crocodiles, the Gharial. The prospect of tracking rhinos on foot sounded really exciting, and I presumed they mustn’t be aggressive creatures. (wrong!).

And just before I left for my adventure I read more about Chitwan in Conde Nast Traveller’s November 2017 issue, where they wrote that the park also has a healthy population of about 120 tigers, and half that number of leopards!  Leopard sightings are reportedly very rare, and Meg S’s website doesn’t big-up the tiger either, because, as I know from my experience in India, if you hype up the chance of seeing a tiger you are often painfully disappointed.  But a walking safari in tiger territory – they don’t allow that in India – it sounds amazing!

We arrived at Meg S in blazing sunshine and found a handful of the staff in front singing and waving to greet us. With a cold moist towel fragranced with homegrown lemongrass, and a refreshing herbal drink, this was a fabulous welcome!  As we stepped into the lodge I was dumb-struck by an incredible blue infinity pool reaching down towards the sandbanks of the shallow Rapti River beyond.  It was a truly awesome sight.  Just a few months earlier the Rapti (which eventually flows into the Ganges) was in severe flood, due to a heavier than usual monsoon over the Himalayas. Some rhinos were even swept downstream into India by the high waters! Signs of the flood height could be seen in the trees near by, but luckily Meg S remained largely dry and it looked perfect and beautiful in the afternoon sunshine.

The joint General Managers, South African couple Markus Schroeder and Stephanie Mast, chatted with us while someone else took care of the registration formalities, and then we were taken to our room. Meg S offers one a collection of villas alongside the banks of the Rapti, or sixteen Meghauli Rooms in a three storey block about 150m from the main lodge building, overlooking a large free-form lily pond.  That building also houses the spa, on its ground floor.  When I made my booking I was in austerity mode, so I chose one of the Rooms, but when my circumstances changed I had it mind that I would try to upgrade to a villa, if I wasn’t satisfied with the room.  They put us in Room 8 on the top (2nd) floor of the block and as soon as we

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

entered it I just thought “wow this is good!”  On entering there’s a large bathroom incorporating wardrobes, drawers and luggage storage space. Behind glass walls is the toilet and a spacious rain shower. There is one wash basin with tons of space for toiletries and suchlike, and windows looking into the bedroom, which can be obscured by blinds if you wish.  The bedroom starts with a desk for work and ample power sockets and then a very wide super-comfortable bed, sitting in the middle of the room facing the full height and width glass doors and balcony. Said balcony had a small comfortable sofa and a single ‘hanging chair’ made from local materials and it offered the most beautiful of views. First there was the large pond below, with the fuscia coloured lilies and the visiting kingfishers and pond herons. On the other side of the pond was the row of thatched villas and beyond them the Rapti river, languid in its newly widened sandy river plain, then on the far bank after a few sandbars the forest of the National Park began, and in the distance were hazy hills in India.  It was all so beautiful.

I referred to the bed as ‘criminally comfortable’; a good quality supporting mattress topped with a three inch think feather and down ‘topper’, it was just so soft and difficult to get out of in the mornings. But it would be a crime to stay in bed and miss the morning activities!  Mornings at Meg S are a little more chilled than at African or other Asian safari lodges, as the safari excursions only get going at 08:30 or 9am. So Mr A and I tended to be the first in the breakfast room at 8 each morning. There was good barista coffee, a buffet of cereals, cold meats, fruits and pastries, plus a la carte fresh juices and cooked items.  We ate inside, but in warmer months one could eat on the large terrace outside, next to the pool, and looking down to the river, where lunch and dinner were usually taken.  Breakfast was very good; my only criticism is that their home made croissants were quite heavy and doughy, I think a change of dough recipe should be tried, with more butter, to create a shorter, flakier pastry.

All of our meals were served to us by the same person, Sanjay. It seems you’re assigned a front of house person to look after your desires, and you’re allocated the same naturalist to accompany throughout your stay too. Ours was Nikita, a very charming petite Indian lady, who was a delight and a benefit (in terms of her knowledge) to be with.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We’d arrived just before lunchtime, so that was the first meal Sanjay served us, on the terrace, next to the  amazing pool.  MS tends to have a set menu for lunch and dinner, both changing daily.  At home I normally skip lunch, so I really wasn’t prepared for the size of the feasts laid on. Every meal, lunch and dinner, comprises a starter, a soup, a main course and a dessert, and it’s all included in the daily rate. The style of food is best described as ‘international’ but it has a clear bias towards local and Indian cuisine.  They can and will alter things a little, according to your tastes and desires.  One suggestion I would offer to the management would be to have the ability to provide more lighter meals to those, like me, who don’t eat a lot. But for this first lunch a happy and eager to please Sanjay managed to conjure up a nice salad with chicken for me, and a plate of cut fruit. (They have an on-site organic vegetable and herb garden)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alcohol is a chargeable extra, but it was fairly priced and there was a good wine list. A Gewurtztraminer was our favourite with light lunches as well as with slightly spicier food.  And don’t pass on the Nepali brandy if it’s offered! The idea sounds odd, but this was a genuinely smooth drink that brought a lovely ending to a dinner.  But I had a headache the next day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We were at MS over Christmas time and the lodge marked the occasion in some style, with tables around the pool, a live local band singing western favourites very well, and a large buffet area with lots of savoury and sweet dishes and spit-roasting turkeys. Our tables had large candles, there were wood fires around the place to give warmth, floating candles were in the pool and a pleasant relaxed atmosphere prevailed, with only 8 guests in the property, but all wearing ‘Santa hats’, and a visit from Santa himself. That was Christmas Eve; 25th December was just another normal day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On our last night, and when the guest count had increased to about a dozen, dinner was in a recreation of a Tharu village, in the lodge grounds, involving traditional dancing and local foods.  Nepal has a huge ethnic diversity in its gene pool which is enriched by the many tribal groups that have lived almost in isolation, in the valleys and plains for centuries. The Tharu tribe is local to the Chitwan area and Sanjay was one and he was so proud of that fact. He oozed with pride and joy when he told us about the Tharu food we’d be having, and that his sister would be in the Tharu dancing group.  It was a joy to be with Sanjay that night.  MS shines as a great example of how high end tourism can improve the lives and opportunities of people in the local community.

On another night we ate in a private dining room within the main lodge building, mainly because I was finding outside a little chilly. We were joined by our naturalist Nikita to discuss the wildlife we’d seen, but mostly just to get to know each other better, which was very nice.  Mr A and I were genuinely so happy to bond with Nikita and her boyfriend, who wet met later.

While the guests relax over dinner, members of the Meg S team are diligently compiling the permits required to take us on our activities the next day. Permits are needed for the jeeps and each of its passengers, for the boats ferrying guests across the river, for the elephants. I’ve abbreviated things, but believe me, there are a lot of permits and they all have a cost, but luckily it’s all part of your rate at Meg S, when you pay for the activities as part of your package.  Meg S is actually located in what’s called ‘The Community Forest’,

where locals are allowed to live and farm. Across the Rapti river is the National Park proper, where human access is strictly controlled.  If you choose to try an elephant-back safari it takes place within the Community Forest area, but fear not, it’s still brimming with wildlife.  The lodge owns two female elephants and keeps them 400m down the lane, but if both elephants are being used they will do their best to borrow one from a neighbouring lodge if needed.  Jeep and Walking safaris start and end on the far side of the river, so Meg S operates a small fleet of shallow draft boats, with comfortable seating, which are either paddled or punted by a member of the team.  Each type of safari is usually available in the morning and in the afternoon, and lasts 2 or 3 hours.

On our first afternoon we went on the elephants. It was remarkable to see the remains of a tiger kill so close to our lodge, and very soon we came across rhinos in the bush. But the highlight was having a great, extended view of a male leopard relaxing on a big tree branch.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mornings were foggy. On our first morning we had a boat safari, which involved drifting downstream in the mist as swallows flew around us. Apart from ducks we didn’t see anything else, but it was very peaceful and romantic.  BTW the fog tended to lift around 11am each day.

On our 2nd afternoon we chose the jeep safari. Shortly after entering the park we had to deliver our permits to an army sentry post, which later checked us out of the park too. The Nepali Army has long occupied several training camps throughout the park, and it’s believed this is why the park hasn’t been plagued by poachers.  Within a very short time we drove through grassland (very tall ‘elephant grass’ is a common feature), forded a river and passed through riverine and then sal forest. We saw rhino, boar, each of the park’s four species of deer, birds, two species of monkey and ‘mugger’ crocodiles.  And tiger prints.  And only one other tourist vehicle all afternoon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Morning two saw us back on an elephant (a borrowed one) in the most peaceful and romantic state of slowly exploring the jungle in the mist.  This serene morning’s highlight was observing a rhino mother and calf, standing in a branch of the misty river.

The safari activity that most thrilled was the walking safari on our last afternoon.  But it might not suit the faint hearted.  Within seconds of getting off the boat across the Rapti we sighted two Gharial crocs sunbathing on the sandy banks, and then large tiger paw prints!  I found it incredibly exciting be walking where tigers had walked hours earlier. We walked through the jungle listening to hornbills challing in the trees above, to an almost dry riverbed which had a salt lick, where we waited in silence for half an hour. Out of the jungle came a female rhino and her 2 year old calf, just 30m in front of us. I was loving it, but our two guides urged us to quickly hide behind a tree in case the mother charged us to protect her calf.  I’ve decided to create an “Experiences” section to this blog, where I can give my readers more details and pictures of things like these safari adventures, rather than cover them in this Hotels section.

Here are some quick ‘need to know‘ snippets about having a trip to Meg S:

• Laundry is offered free of charge. It’s returned to your room same day.
• We didn’t come across insects in December, but in warmer and wetter months mosquitos will be around. There is insect repellant provided in your room.
• Leeches and ticks are present in the park, but we didn’t encounter them.
• Basically we didn’t come across anything ‘nasty’ at all, despite my hope of seeing snakes
• Ample mineral water is provided
• We didn’t experience any interruption to electricity, hot water or wi-fi
• Everywhere is kept very clean and tidy
• The spa has a good menu. I had a wonderful massage, but thought the treatment room was too cold in the evening.
• I think a minimum of 3 nights is needed to try a bit of everything that Meg S has to offer
• The villas are very spacious and a luxurious treat. They have indoor/outdoor showers, free-standing baths, a large four-poster bed bedroom and their own infinity plunge pool looking over the river.
• But the standard rooms are great, and made excellent if you have a top floor room with extended views
• Communicating directly with the lodge I got a rate of US$480 per day, in total for two people, including all meals and safari activities.  25 % deposit paid when booking. This is superbly good value for luxury accommodation and safaris, especially if compared with Africa.
• Chitwan NP is a superb place for an uncrowded safari.
• Access to Chitwan from Europe is similar in travel time and the transport connections required to African safaris, but easier to get to than Indian National Parks
• Contact with and learning from the local people is an honour to be treasured.
• Nepal is a very poor country still struggling with the aftermath of the devastating 2015 earthquake. It’s a politically benign nation that seeks calm relations with other countries, and it’s lovely tolerant people have long viewed us Brits fondly and The Brigade of Ghurkas has been a brave force in the British Army since the nineteenth century. We can choose to help Nepal in different ways: my mum’s church donates money to charities; I’ve spent money in their economy.
• I’m not saying ‘go to Chitwan out of charity’, I’m saying ‘go because it’s brilliant, and you’ll also be doing good’.

Meghauli Serai has my highest recommendation and an overall score of 9.5/10  Although getting there is a bit of a drag, especially having to transit the chaotic and polluted Kathmandu, Meg S is a beautiful contemporary property offering probably the greatest levels of luxury and service in the whole of Nepal.  The scenery and the friendly staff will seduce you into a state of total relaxation and peaceful bliss.  The safaris don’t offer the volume of wildlife you’ll see at some luxury South African lodges in private reserves, but that makes it all the more thrilling to have the encounters you will have here, and those encounters will be very personal, not shared with jeep loads of other tourists.  And all the staff are lovely, warm people, who all display a great joy and pride in working where they do.  I will return. One of these days I’ll see a tiger!!