Northern India
Denwa Backwater Escape
Denwa Backwater Escape is located overlooking the mesmerizing backwaters of a dam built on Denwa River in Satpura National Park. It is built on 10 acres of forested land along the river, and across the water lies the national park which can be approached by boat, with jeeps available to take guests deeper into the forest. This position provides stunning views of the Denwa River, grasslands across and rolling Pachmari hills. The lodge’s own estate is gifted with a unique undulating landscape, water bodies, indigenous forest with a variety of flora and fauna and stunning river views.
The lodge has been mainly built using local materials like stone and baked tiles but the design is contemporary safari style. The rooms are decorated with unique leather safari furniture, crisp cotton upholstery, linen and local crafts. The main building and the pool are done up with vintage iron furniture and hand crafted wooden furniture, the wood for which is sourced from old furniture and sleeper wood.
Accommodation is in private villas, with eight Deluxe river view cottages, and two river view treehouses available. The cottages all feature a private terrace area, and it is possible to set up a bed and mosquito netting here, should guests wish t sleep under the stars in comfort. The dining hall overlooks the river, and serves a selection of traditional Indian cuisine as well as international dishes.
Facilities
All rooms have air conditioning, 24h hot and cold water, telephone, intercom and power backup as well as slippers, toiletries and hairdryer. Free Wi-Fi, restaurant and bar.
Local Wildlife
Satpura National Park is spread over 1427 sq km and was formed in 1981 after joining Satpura, Pachmari and Bori sanctuaries and the altitude ranges from 300 to 1,352 metres (980 to 4,436 ft). The terrain of the national park is extremely rugged and consists of fascinating deep valleys, sandstone peaks, narrow gorges, rivulets, waterfalls, thick dense green forest of Sal and other medicinal herbs, it also has large tracts of Teak forests.
Its fauna comprises Spotted Dear, Indian Bison(Gaur), Tigers, Leopards, Wild boar, Wild dog (locally called Dholes), Sloth bear, Black buck (unique attraction), Porcupine, Sambhar, Four Horned antelopes (Chowsingha), Otters, Crocodile, Malabar squirrels, Langurs etc. Indian Giant squirrel and White Bison are a special feature of Satpura National Park. It offers good birding opportunity due to its unique terrain and many water bodies including the Tawa reservoir. From November to March it also hosts a variety of migratory birds in the Tawa reservoir and fields around the park.
Optional Activities
Walking safaris, boat safaris, kayaking, hides, elephant safaris and the traditional jeep safaris also inside the tiger reserve. The buffer area also has been developed for activities like cycling, night safaris and camping.
Jonathan Morris
Area Specialist
If you have any questions regarding our India tours, please feel free to contact me on +44 (0)1803 866965
Best place we stayed! Totally fab. We were the only two guests and were put in the magical tree house. Loved the guiding lights which appeared every night. Fantastic food. All staff were superb, down to the gardeners – very, very classy operation. [Our guide] was the best we had all holiday. We really did not want to leave!