Samode Safari Lodge sits on thirty-five acres at Mardari village, hard against Bandhavgarh's buffer, with roughly thirty of those acres given back to rewilding. The architecture takes its cues from Mardari itself — hand-moulded brick, locally sourced material, tiled roofs — so the lodge reads as an extension of the village rather than an import from Rajasthan, which is not what the Samode name leads you to expect.
Twelve villas, each with a sitting room, a dressing area and an open-air bathroom, are spaced far enough apart that the forest stays the loudest thing. The park gates — Tala, Magadhi and Khitauli — are about twenty-five minutes out through the buffer, which means the drive to the gate is already a game drive.
Why We Place Guests Here
- Bandhavgarh holds one of the densest tiger populations anywhere; the lodge's naturalists are the reason a sighting becomes a story rather than a photograph.
- The buffer-side position means the transfer to the gate is itself productive — leopard, sloth bear and the fort’s langur troops on the way in.
- It is the most comfortable base from which to pair the park with the hilltop fort and the reclining Vishnu carved below it.
The Table
- Bush breakfasts between drives
- Dinners in the villa or under the trees
- Madhya Pradesh village cooking
The Elevated India Signature
The buffer-side approach — twenty-five minutes of forest between the lodge and the gate, worked as a drive rather than a transfer.
Questions, Answered
How many villas does Samode Safari Lodge have?
Twelve, on thirty-five acres beside the buffer zone at Mardari village. Each has a sitting room, dressing area and an open-air bathroom.
How far is Samode Safari Lodge from the Bandhavgarh gates?
About twenty-five minutes through the buffer to the Tala, Magadhi and Khitauli gates — close enough for the first drive of the morning, far enough to be out of the village cluster.
Journeys That Take You There
Explore the destination guide: Bandhavgarh, Madhya Pradesh ↗
Photography: Photograph courtesy Samode Hotels