Live On The Wild Side At Jungle Retreat In Masinagudi

Into the wild really takes on a whole new meaning when you’re talking about Jungle Retreat with charming villas and rustic tree houses. Plus, deer, elephants and monkeys for company. Life is good.

Jungle retreat is nestled in the Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary at the foothills of the Nilgiris. Once you trundle through the forest roads to their resort property itself, you’ll lose cell reception and with that all your woes of city life too. There are standard rooms with a large verandah to sit at and enjoy spectacular views of the mountains and on occasion have tea with some innocent deer. They have a luxurious double bedroom villa, but what caught our fancy was the treehouse! Ah! The Enid Blyton books we’ve read came to life as we traipsed up the stairs to a well-appointed room with basic, rustic but comfortable amenities.

Alas! The room couldn’t lure us for long though as the swimming pool looked far too inviting. Created from a natural looking rock formation, it’s like you’re in a natural spring with the mountains looming over you for quiet company. And after a splash around, you best sign up for a jungle safari because, after all, that is why you arrived at wilderness. You’ll be lucky to spot tigers, but should they behave as elusively as they usually do, deer, bison, elephants, birds, and marginally menacing monkeys and langur.

What we actually greatly appreciate about this place is that they are very pro solo female travellers. So any group checking in must be made up of at least 40 percent by women. They also don’t allow any corporate off-site parties, so you can rest assured that it is a very family-centric resort and kids and ladies can roam around safely. The only thing that may come in your way is a friendly pooch, a notorious monkey or a lost deer.

The food here {INR 2,000 for all the meals across the day} is simple and homely, so don’t go expecting Cordon Bleu levels. It serves the purpose well, and it mostly comprises Indian delicacies with a few jacket potatoes made on the bonfire during colder months.

Truly a retreat in every sense of the word, we’ll pack our bags and drive all night to get there. You’ll really unwind here as other guests too come looking for tranquillity over a bonfire, bonhomie and a bottle of whiskey.