“It’s very close to the forest entrance gate,” he said. ” Does the property have an electric fence?” I asked him, hoping he’d say no.
If there’s anything we had as a takeaway while visiting Kenya, it is the sheer thrill of the possibility of sighting a wild animal just outside your tent when you wake up in the mornings. So exciting right
Maya Grasswalk is a glamping site very close to the Kolara gate of the ‘Tadoba National Park. in Nagpur. The Kolara gate also happens to be the zone where the famous tigeress Maya’s territory is marked. Like any tourist, we came to Grasswalk Maya with the hope of having a tiger sighting in the wild. Before we checked out, we felt a sense of redemption of having spotted 9 tigers through 12 sightings totaling 6 safaris. I know!
It was a hot morning during January ( it was hot in Jan) when we arrived at Maya Grasswalk, someone walked to us, welcomed us with fresh cold towels and a tall glass of freshly made Shikanji ( Lime water with a hint of cumin) . It was refreshing! The Maya Grasswalk property sits on a stretch of land with 4 beautifully erected semi luxury tents as well as a truck which has been converted into a dining area for guests. Quite Funky we must say! Read on to understand why our stay in Maya grasswalk was so much more special :)
What We Loved
The Tents
There are totally 4 tents at the Maya Grasswalk. It would never get crowded like a resort or a hotel. These tents are adorned with the correct amount of Luxury just enough to make you feel pampered. A VERY VERY comfortable bed with a mosquito net, beautiful table lamps and an attached toilet.
The Food
When you go for a safari, food is not usually a high priority item on your mind. You’d want to see the tiger, have sightings of other wild animals and have a comfortable stay. The food in Maya grasswalk however, almost made us forget the purpose of our trip! We’d go right back there just to eat Chotu’s (the super chef) food. He’s pack yum breakfast each morning in picnic baskets and placed in our Maruti Gypsy vehicle just in time before we left for our morning safari at 5:50 am. We’d wait till its 7.30 am and hope that the guide wouldn’t judge us opening our boxes to see what he has packed. One day it was the tastiest poha, the other day it was upma and and then Maggie. By far the best Maggie we’ve ever had with no exaggeration whatsoever (usually a maggie cliche:)). When we returned from our evening safaris, hot chai and a pakodas or french fries would await us. The hot roties, choicest variety of curries and the dal were ever so perfectly prepared . We’d never forget the food he made for us and it sort of made our trip to Tadoba even better
The Shower
Since this was glamping, the showering area was separate from the tent. It was right behind each tent. It nice and rustic open shower with hot water as well. The joy of a cold water shower on a sunny day reminded us of the simple joys of life one can have! Like we told you, the right amount of glamour to the camping. See the pictures, you’d know why we loved it so much!
The Location
The glamping location is a walkable distance from the Kolara gate of the park. The guides and the drivers know the properties and would pick us up from our tents. It was so close to the forest that one night when we were warming ourselves up on the bonfire, the nearby villagers spotted a black bear in the prowl. Their torch lights revealed us those gleaming eyes in the darkness. Apparently one can hear the growls of tigers from the tent (Tiger’s growl is very loud and you might feel like it’s right here but it’s really far away) How exciting is that?
The Service
In a normal resort, the service ends with giving you the right accommodation, food etc. In Maya Grasswalk, the service was extended to even finding us the right guide in the forest. Having a right guide in a forest is crucial. The amazing peeps from Maya Grasswalk suggested and arranged Amar as our safari guide. Very confidently we can say that it is because of Amar that we managed to spot this elusive tigress Maya (After whom the property is named) after a ten day hiatus in Tadoba. The resort manager, Kishore’s advice was always spot on and stems from years of experience which is second to none!
What We Did
We stayed in Maya Grasswalk for 3 nights. We went on 6 safaris. We’d come back to our tent by 11:15 am after the first safari, have a quick shower, and a good meal afterwhich we’d head-out on our next safari which begins by 2:30 PM . We’d come back from the evening safari by 6:15 PM, enjoy the sunset and with snacks and chai. Relax at their reception, play a few rounds of cards, stargaze under their clear night skies and hit the bed to be up for another exciting day.
Before we sign out, we wanted to tell you about this very interesting concept told to us by the owner of Maya Grasswalk. It is an eye opener and changed the way we looked at glamping. Mr.Syed is an wildlife lover himself and has done a lot for ensuring preservation of nature. He opines that there are increased tiger sightings in the buffer zone, which is basically where human settlements and forest cover is not distinctly identifiable. In fact, our glamping site was a part of the buffer zone as well. The more number of tigers in the buffer zones have been a positive indication of the tiger population increasing, which is a welcome sign. Mr.Syed believes that if the authorities intend to expand the forest cover, having concrete structures/ modern resorts near the park entrance just doesn’t help the cause. Precisely why the Maya Grasswalk tents can be easily be dismantled and installed in another location with ease. So by glamping, we can be rest assured that human intervention in the wild remains in check and helps expand forest cover.
How to reach?
Grasswalk Maya is approximately 120 kms from the Nagpur Airport. Hiring a taxi with a pre-agreed pickup/drop dates works best. We hired an innova which was comfortable and reasonable at the same time.
We urge you to make Maya Grasswalk your Next Check-In. It’s a beautiful place and seeing a tiger in the wild is another kind rush. Plan a trip to Tadoba here!
Check out our video from Maya Grass