Pugdundee Safaris - Pench Tree Lodge

An amazing safari experience at Pench and topping the experience was the amazing hospitality we got at the Pench Tree Lodge of Pungdundee Safari. The unique lodge has 10 cottages and around 6 Tree houses. The unique aspect of the Cottage is the attic which allows a family to let the kids enjoy an exclusive space and have fun! The 40 odd acres of property is well maintained and the service of the staff, most of who are locals is amazing. Their Chef Gaurav Rana is amazing and surprised us with his menu choices and food spread each day. The naturalists are all enthusiastic and well knowledges. Our naturalist Radheshyam have some of the most amazing experience I have had in both Birding and also in sighting some of the big cats! We had the good fortune to sight a progress on our very first day but that was topped the next day morning with this amazing hunt of the progress! Seeing an hunt live is not only rare but also a thrilling experience. Overall I would recommend this place for a family to have an amazing experience!

Incredible service and hospitality by Pugdundee. The room and food were absolutely outstanding - some of the best we have ever experienced. The surrounding property is expansive and really gives you a taste for the National Park. In fact, some of our favourite birds were seen in and around the property. Deepa, our naturalist, was amazing and definitely a highlight of our experience in Pench. Her sharp eyes got us some great sightings. Her knowledge and enthusiasm for wildlife only increased our interest throughout the safaris. All in all a trip of a lifetime! Thank you Pugdundee!

My association with Pugdundee started in 2015 and it continues. The facility and staff maintains the standards and there to help you and ensure that you have a comfortable stay despite the remote location constraint. No request, if possible, will go unattended. They observe and action. The cottages are comfortable, the food tasty and amenities as needed. One ends up making friend e.g. Vishal Sir and Deepa Madam, my naturalist. Special words of thanks to her as once she senses my interest she ensured that our safari(s) are engaging and best was the experience of driving in rain and hailstorm and despite that ending up siting Swastik and Lakshmi. Deepa Madam is a product of in-house Pro-Nat course and really engages with you on anything to do with wild life and nature. Best part, apart from siting Tigers in rain is the Leopards who always eluded me and the wild dogs pack.

Difficult to call but this was probably our favourite of the three Pugdundee lodges we stayed at. We slept in one of the wonderful Tree Houses. As before the service and food were top notch. Loved how spread out this property was. We felt so secluded. I hope we get the chance to go back.

Our second Pugdundee lodge - and we were in a treehouse. Not 100% sure we’d stay in one again - apparently the tree shrews like your meds! Was a little disconcerting when things move slightly and you’re not expecting it. Never the less more fabulous food and some wildlife-full drives, and in a different environment to Tadoba. We had HK as our naturalist, and he was excellent. Pench is beautiful and we were lucky to experience a t******storm and got some cracking lightning shots! Again, more tigers and also a fleeting glimpse of a leopard. Can’t fault the staff, welcome or experience overall. Thank you Pugdundee!

Excellent service and hospitality by Pugdundee. Room and food was too notch. They help you with all logistics and safari bookings so our trip went smoothly. Chef Gaurav went out of his way to accomodate our dietary choices. Deepa, our naturalist, was very helpful. Her sharp instincts got us some great tiger and leopard sightings. Her knowledge and passion for wildlife only increased our interest throughout the safaris.

We had the best experience at Pench Tree Lodge. Travelled in Feb 2024 for 3 days. The cottages are amazing and the food is so good we used to really look forward to all our meals! The staff is extremely courteous. The safaris were excellent and our naturalist Shiv was so well informed and made the safari very interesting. We sighted ***y animals and birds - the highlight was seeing a tiger and two leopards! Love this place and have recommended to all our friends.

I stayed at 8 different types of lodging during my 24 days in India & this was by far the best and my favorite. According to another reviewer it has ten cabins and six treehouses which sounds correct. We stayed in one of the cabins which was beautiful and large. I loved the deck & windows all ***** the back wall. Besides the beauty of the cabins the service is amazing! Everything feels very personalized from our personal naturalist guide (Vishal) to the chef who helped make sure I had food I would enjoy to eat. Upon arrival Vishal took me on a walk of the grounds & we did a little birding. On our safaris we focused on the animals I hadn't seen yet (I had already done over 20 safaris) and he was flexible if we wanted to leave a little later that the usual time. The lodge is about 20 minutes drive to the entrance of the park but it didn't feel far. Pench is a wonderful wildlife park & I enjoyed our safaris having 2 tiger sightings (4 tigers) & 2 leopard sightings in our first couple of safari adventures. My only regret is we weren't able to stay longer & explore other things to do. This is a MUST RETURN place.

Very nice property in a forest environment. There are ten cabins and six treehouses. The lodge is about 20 minutes drive to the entrance of the park & safaris leave from the lodge at 5:30 am and 2:30pm. They need to be prebooked. I had a treehouse which was very rustic high up between the trees. Could do with a little bit of maintenance here & there. There is a big bedroom with a good sized deck off it. The bathroom is large with a walk in shower. There is airconditioning & ceiling fans. Although it is a novel place to stay a disadvantage is that things constantly drop from the trees and at night making quite a noise on the tin roof which can interrupt sleep. There is a seperate dining building with an upper deck and a nice swimming pool. My stay included all meals and they were superb, inventive Indian dishes, very tasty & not too spicy for foreign palates. The staff were outstanding. I was allocated lovely Veepra who was a naturalist guide & came on all the safaris with me & made sure my stay went smoothly. She was so knowledgeable, generous & patient. It’s a lovely lodge with personal service, amazing staff & great food.