Ghanerao Jungle Lodge,

Ghanerao Jungle Lodge
Near Muchala Mahavir Temple
PO Ghanerao,
Dist-Pali,
Ghanerao 306704,

“Excellent Property, but our trip was at an unfortunate time.”

We had booked the Ghanerao Jungle Lodge for the long weekend Aug 15-18 and were quite excited to be staying there. Unfortunately, a week before our departure, there was a demise in the family and so things for the hosts were thrown out of gear.

It is commendable for them, that they did not cancel our booking. They ran the lodge with skeleton staff who ensured that we lacked for nothing.

Having read all the glowing reviews on trip advisor, we would have loved to have had the chance to spend more time with our hosts, but sadly that was not to be.

With the incessant rains of the last few months, the road from Mt Abu to Ghanerao was in bad shape in huge patches. You definitely need an SUV, if you plan to drive here during the monsoons. We reached only at around 10pm, but the staff from the lodge kept calling us to ensure that we were on the right track and all was ok. they had a nice hot meal waiting for us when we arrived, which was perfect for our exhaustion levels and we just tumbled into bed.

The next morning, we had a wonderful time wandering around the property. The Muchachala Mahavir temple is right next door. We could not visit the crocodile dam as the rains had caused some streams to appear in the path and we weren't feeling adventurous enough to hop across the streams. However, they did take us for a nice walk around the property and pointed out some indigenous herbs in the area.

We did day trips to Ranakpur and Kumbhalgarh from here and the location was quite convenient for both. But the roads are currently, really bad in patches, which makes driving really difficult and the ghat section to Kumbalgarh is not for the weak stomached.

The property too is bearing the brunt of the monsoons, expanding doors (due to moisture) that won't close properly, rain water seepage etc. As long as you aren't allergic, its still a good experience.

However, I do think that summer would be a much better time to visit, so you can explore the national reserve and observe animals that come down to the stream near the lodge for water.

The peace and quiet at night with just the insects chirping is something I haven't experienced for an extremely long time. The Ghanerao Jungle Lodge is a lovely place to just sit and relax and enjoy nature. Maybe next time, we will visit in summer and just stay put and not go rushing around to catch the nearby sights.

Rating : 4 / 5

Value : 5 / 5
Location : 4 / 5
Sleep Quality : 4 / 5
Rooms : 4 / 5
Cleanliness : 4 / 5
Service : 4 / 5