Forsyth Lodge: Your Ultimate Weekend Sanctuary

Last month, Piglet and I made a quick weekend getaway to Forsyth Lodge – a place located in Madhya Pradesh in the heart of the Satpura National Forest. We visited because I had won a giveaway on Instagram, and I needed to redeem the prize before April. I was struggling with my family to get a weekend when we were all free. Alas, to no avail! Eventually, Piglet and I scrambled and made the trip so we wouldn’t waste the voucher.

Piglet was super-thrilled to have a 1-1 trip with me, with no bossy elder sister to hog the attention. And I was thrilled to take Piglet for a special treat and pamper him a little bit for doing so well at school (yes! he was a topper. A grade 1 topper, but still, I think it’s a big deal!)

Where is Forsyth Lodge?

Forsyth Lodge is located in the middle of India in the Satpura National Forest. It’s about four hours south of Bhopal – the capital of Madhya Pradesh (and I believe, the closest airport). If you want to travel by train, the closest railway station is Hoshangabad (an hour’s drive away).

I think a map will be helpful if you’re planning a visit.

We opted to fly into Bhopal and then take a cab as it’s the quickest way to get there. Since we were there only for a weekend, we didn’t want to take the train and waste much time traveling (it’s a slow train).

What’s so special about Forsyth Lodge?

We recently went on safaris in Sri Lanka, and we had a fairly good idea of what to expect when it comes to staying. But Forsyth Lodge blew our minds regarding the stay, the food, and the service.

The Stay

This is a fantastic place to stay. The rooms are individual houses. We had the cutest cottage that was just the perfect size for us. Apart from a super-comfortable bedroom and bathroom, we had a back patio where Piglet and I hung out between safaris.

The naturalists at the lodge even said we could spot animals right from our backyard. Piglet really hoped to spot a leopard or deer but we weren’t that lucky.

The decor of the place is also to die for. The style is rustic but sophisticated. I especially loved the majestic Gond art near the staircase.

Piglet loved the study. Not only was it full of animal and plant picture books for him to browse through, but there was a magnificent chess set; he didn’t get the game rules when I tried to explain, but still, he was pretty impressed by the size and the pieces.

The Food

I don’t have any pics to share with you because I was so busy gorging (and trying to get the picky one, aka Piglet, to eat something).

But seriously, the food was top-class. It was so good that I worried about wasting it on a non-foodie such as Piglet.

On the first night there, they served us a mind-blowing lemon coriander soup, followed by the most amazing Shahi paneer dish with paranthas.

Seeing Piglet pick at his food, they asked and got his food preferences – only the blandest food with minimal vegetables, and prepared that for him.

Thankfully, they continued preparing their culinary delights for me. On our second day, I wished to try local food. No worries, they set up a delightful village-style menu for us. I can confidently say that I have never tasted better daal batti anywhere. On request, Piglet got some pasta according to his specifications, which he promptly wolfed down.

While leaving the place, I inquired about the chef wanting to give my compliments. To my surprise, the chef isn’t a trained one. He’s just a regular dude from Nepal who loves to cook. Not only does he cook local food, but he cooks Continental, Italian, Chinese – just about everything. If you’re particular about food, just let them know while booking your stay. This is just so they have the ingredients on hand (as the place is remote, they need to buy special ingredients for special meal requests).

The Service

The service at Forsyth Lodge is first-class. Each guest has their own personal naturalist assigned to them. And this person takes care of all your needs. The naturalist accompanies the guest on all the safaris. And since there was one person with us, we were fast friends by the time we left.

Piglet – the animal lover especially appreciated our naturalist’s discourse. He looked forward to not just the safaris but also the nature walks and the wildlife discussions over lunch and dinner.

The Safaris

Did I mention the naturalists are really well-informed? Having a great guide along with us on our safaris was awesome.

Unfortunately, the animals weren’t always so cooperative. The Satpura National Forest is famous for sloth bears, leopards, the occasional tiger, tons of deer, wild buffalo, and so much more.

We were able to see the wild buffalo and deer and tons of birds, but no sloth bear, leopard, or tiger.

Well, that’s the way of safaris, right? Sometimes you get lucky; sometimes you don’t.

What I can say, though, is the landscape around was beautiful, and even though we didn’t see as much wildlife as we hoped, Piglet and I loved our drives through the forest.

In one portion, we even stopped for a picnic, and that was absolutely the best experience!

Ending this post with this last fairly scenic shot. One thing I really appreciated about the safaris here was every once in a while, we could get off the jeep and walk around.

Of course, the naturalists were sure it was safe before letting us off!

Overall thoughts

Forsyth Lodge is a great place to stay while exploring the Satpura National Forest. It’s a little expensive, but it’s completely worth it.