Shergarh Tented Camp, Kanha National Park

With just six tents, all of which recently went through a complete transformation and upgrade, Shergarh is a wonderful place from which to explore Kanha National Park. Each tent is set amongst a young woodland, individually spaced to give total privacy from one another. Guests zip into homely canvas from a mud-finished verandah to a large bedroom, either twin or double bedded with space for an extra bed if required. Attached bathrooms are pukka (not tented!) and spacious, with a twin-basin unit and separate toilet and shower rooms, as well as plenty of luggage-storage and hanging space. Each tent is housed under locally handmade baked mud tiles which have the dual-function of shading the tents from the sun and providing insulation when it's cold. At the centre of camp is a water reserve charged all year round by two natural springs, which attracts an array of birds including kingfishers, cormorants and the seasonal breeding of hundreds of egrets. It is overlooked by the Main House, where guests congregate to dine and share stories of the day or quietly laze on the verandah choosing from a selection of books. Chefs prepare light salad lunches using ingredients fresh from the garden or local markets. Dinners are traditional home-style Indian recipes, delicately flavoured and accompanied with flat-breads and pickles. Continental cuisine can also be prepared on request. Homemade cakes and biscuits flow as well as homemade muesli and a few in-house inventions as breakfast treats to enjoy on safari.