5 Best places to stay in Ranthambore National Park

At the foot of Ranthambore’s rugged hills and surrounded by over 10 acres of grassland and fields dotted with watering holes, Khem Villas is a charmingly bucolic retreat and so-called ‘jungle camp’.

Tiger conservation runs in the blood of its co-owners, and their eco-friendly approach to discreetly high-end tourism – which helps benefit local communities – is laudable.

Accommodation comprises a mix of two exclusive villas with private sun decks, rustic cottages with open-to-the-sky showers and luxury steel-framed tents with wooden platforms and a distinctly ethnic feel. It’s the sort of place where you might spot jackals, foxes and mongoose skirting the property’s leafy boundaries.

Just 4km from Ranthambore’s main entrance, the property strikes an ideal balance between convenience and rural tranquillity. You’ll also probably learn more about Ranthambore’s tigers, the region’s other wildlife and conservation issues staying here than anywhere else in the region.

Built in around 1930 for the Maharaja of Jaipur, in the days when he paused here for a bit of R & R – usually involving hunting – with an entourage, this splendid hotel still bears traces of that heritage.

A few trophies glare down from the walls of public areas yet it’s the faint Art Deco feel, especially the main lodge’s curving facade (enclosing the original dining hall, lounge and bar) and the classy retro atmosphere, that lends a particular appeal to guests.

In the place of the entourage’s tents now stand low-rise modern wings with rooms and suites featuring subtle Indian décor and accents. Two suites in the main lodge were the private royal quarters.

The gates to the park are just fifteen minutes’ drive, giving easy access to the Ranthambore Park for tiger-spotting safaris.

Something of an outlier in Ranthambore’s hotels, Kipling Lodge stands amidst quiet farmland around 10km from the reserve’s heart.

Ranged around a simple garden, its rooms and suites occupy a clutch of simple ‘cottages’, some with rooftop pavilions and all with verandahs or patios.

It’s pleasant enough and there’s a modest swimming pool but the most appealing aspect is the C-shaped reception lobby and dining hall partially enclosing a tree-dotted terrace with tables.

It’s comfortable and extremely good value rather than luxurious and polished, and is just ten minutes’ drive from the gates of the Ranthambore Park.

Standing on the edge of Ranthambore Tiger Reserve, this exceptional retreat offers the last word in ‘glamping’. Ten extravagant, high-ceilinged tents replicate the feel and ambience of a royal Mughal travelling camp.

Just fifteen minutes’ drive from the entrance to Ranthambore, the hotel offers twice-daily safaris (just after sunrise and late afternoon) to see the tigers. Other experiences include guided walks to Khandar Fort inside the reserve, horseback safaris and excursions by camel through the property’s hinterland. Male guests can have a barber’s traditional shave, while women can try traditional henna skin-art.

Along with the swimming pool there’s also a spa tent with ayurvedic treatments, massages, yoga and aromatic baths. An organic garden complements a fine-dining restaurant and you can round off dessert with drinks around a divan-ringed fire pit. There’s nothing else quite so luxurious near any of India’s other tiger reserves.

Service and attention to detail don’t come more polished and impeccable in Ranthambore than at Vanyavilas. Guests stay in enormous lavish tents inspired by maharajahs’ travelling camps – which are, to all intents and purposes, villas. Expect four-poster beds with canopies, teak floors, claw-footed bathtubs and private patios.

The main hotel building lies behind an imposing entrance gate, with elegant pavilions set beside shimmering pools, housing the restaurants, spa and snooker room. There’s also a delightfully bookish bar complete with a fireplace for colder nights.

Manicured lawns stretch out around a good-sized pool and sundowners atop the property’s observation tower are the perfect way to end the day.  The gates to Ranthambore National Park – home of the region’s famed Bengal tigers – is a short drive away.