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Four tiger reserves holding some of the finest sightings on earth, and an 18th-century fort built by a warrior queen as her seat of power in 1766—still run today by her direct descendant on the very riverbank she chose.
Madhya Pradesh sits at India’s literal geographic and ecological center, and our collection here reflects two entirely different registers of that centrality. Four of the state’s national parks—Panna, Bandhavgarh, Kanha, and Satpura—hold among the highest wild tiger densities anywhere on earth, each defined by a distinct landscape character: Kanha’s open grasslands inspired Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book, Bandhavgarh boasts the highest recorded tiger density of any reserve in India, and Satpura remains the country’s only major park permitting walking and canoe safaris alongside traditional jeep drives.
Away from the wilderness, our flagship heritage stay tells a story with few equals anywhere in South Asia. Maharani Ahilyabai Holkar, who ruled the Malwa region of the Maratha Confederacy from 1767 to 1795, moved her capital to Maheshwar and built her working residence, offices, and audience hall directly into the fort overlooking the Narmada River. This was not a summer retreat, but the actual seat of a sovereign kingdom she governed for nearly three decades—remembered for her statecraft, her restoration of sacred monuments across India, and the Maheshwari handloom tradition she established that continues in the town to this day.
Prince Richard Holkar, her direct descendant and son of the last Maharaja of Indore, restored the fort beginning in the 1970s and converted his ancestral home within it into an intimate hotel in 2000. Historian William Dalrymple famously described watching candlelit boats drift down the Narmada beneath the fort’s silhouette as one of the great experiences of the subcontinent—a piece of living theatre made possible only because someone with genuine, inherited stewardship of this place chose to preserve it with personal conviction.
Twelve properties across three distinct tiers—three world-class luxury safari benchmarks, four intimate Privé sanctuaries highlighting royal river heritage and private canopy living, and five experiential Escapes focused on walking safaris and eco-architecture.
BANDHAVGARH NATIONAL PARK · OBEROI'S SAFARI STANDARD & PRIVATE POOL VILLAS
Oberoi’s premier 21-acre wilderness sanctuary in Bandhavgarh—holding India's highest wild tiger density—featuring luxury canvas suites, private pool villas, and master naturalist safaris.
The questions we are asked most often about The Heart of India — answered through first-hand knowledge of the reserves, the river, and the properties we personally vouch for.
Bandhavgarh National Park—it boasts the highest recorded wild tiger density of any reserve in India, giving first-time visitors the strongest realistic opportunity for a sighting.
Satpura is the only major Indian reserve that permits non-motorized safaris—including guided walking safaris through the forest with expert naturalists, canoeing on the Denwa River, and night drives in the buffer zone.
Yes. Ahilya Fort pairs naturally with any of the four reserves as a cultural counterpoint, but stands entirely on its own merits as one of the most historically significant and serene riverfront heritage stays in South Asia.
We recommend 3 to 4 nights per park. This allows for 5 to 6 safari drives across different park zones, significantly maximizing your wildlife tracking and sighting opportunities.
Yes. Kanha, Bandhavgarh, and Pench connect seamlessly by private road transfers (3 to 5 hours apart), making a multi-reserve circuit very popular. We handle all transfer and permit routing personally.
October to June. The national parks are closed during the monsoon season (July 1 to September 30) for ecological recovery. October to February offers cool, green landscapes, while March to May provides peak tiger sightings near waterholes.
Park authorities strictly limit safari vehicle permits, which open 120 days in advance. We strongly advise confirming your reservation at least 3 to 4 months prior to travel to guarantee core zone entry.
Ahilya Fort was built in 1766 as the actual working capital of Maharani Ahilyabai Holkar—a female ruler who personally governed her empire—and is still owned and run today by her direct descendant, Prince Richard Holkar.
Extremely safe. They are professionally engineered, fully enclosed luxury structures built on sturdy stilted platforms 30 feet high in the canopy, equipped with modern plumbing, electricity, and 24-hour estate security.
Yes. Every property has been audited against our Five-Test Framework—evaluated for story, destination integration, singular experience, luxury execution, and personal recommendation.
Rather than treating Central India as a uniform jungle blur, our Heart of India collection spans four distinct tiger reserves and one sacred river town—each with its own landscape, tribal architecture, and conservation story.
India’s Highest Tiger Density & Baiga Architecture
HIGHEST TIGER DENSITY · BAIGA TRIBAL ARCHITECTURE · VINDHYA CRAGS
Ruined fort walls rise directly out of forests holding the highest recorded tiger density in India. Lodges here draw on the architectural traditions of the local Baiga tribal villages and canopy living.
Properties Featured:
The Jungle Book’s Grasslands & Open Starbeds
KIPLING’S LANDSCAPE · BANJAAR RIVER · OPEN-AIR STARBEDS
Wide sal forests and open grasslands along the Banjaar River that inspired Kipling. Home to riverfront canvas camps, Gond art sanctuaries, and open-air starbed machans on the jungle edge.
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River Gorges, Sandstone Cliffs & Earth Sanctuaries
KEN RIVER GORGE · GHARIAL CONSERVATION · DRY-STONE CRAGS
A dramatic sandstone gorge landscape distinct from the southern grassland reserves, home to a gharial crocodile conservation program alongside its tiger population and dry-stone crag lodges.
Properties Featured:
Walking Safaris & The Holkar River Legacy
WALKING SAFARIS · CANOE EXPEDITIONS · 1766 HOLKAR RIVER FORT
Combining India’s only reserve permitting walking and canoe safaris with Maheshwar’s Narmada riverfront—home to Ahilya Fort, a warrior queen’s 1766 seat of power still run by her direct descendant.
Properties Featured:
Our curation standard was forged in the Thar Desert and the royal court capitals of Rajasthan — where ancient fortresses, palace residences, and private tented camps defined our Five-Test Framework. Revisit the founding collection where Levistay began, covering Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Ranthambore, Jawai, Bikaner, and Udaipur.
Whether you are combining tiger safaris across Kanha and Bandhavgarh with a dry-stone stay in Panna or a sacred river retreat at Ahilya Fort, every itinerary across The Heart of India is curated personally by our travel directors. Connect with our team to design your custom route.
