Mela Kothi, a soulful retreat

Well, I am saying it at the very beginning and shall repeat it in the end and in between. If you want to be in the lap of nature, you must find your way here!

My friend, her daughter and I love our little getaways amidst nature. I had noted this place in my bucket list a long time back but somehow it never got ticked. Finally the day came and we headed towards this place called Mela Kothi with Chambal river safari on our itinerary.

Let me also take the opportunity to congratulate Mela Kothi & the team on it’s silver jubilee year. It was founded in ’99 and this year ’24 it achieves it’s silver milestone.

I will not delve into the history of the place as such things are easily available on the net. Here I am penning my / our experience of the place and the things we did.

The place is easily reachable through expressways and is pretty close to #Agra. Those looking for an offbeat, quiet, nature blessed place to stay, this is an amazing option.

Mela Kothi - Chambal Safari Lodge

The Lodge: Mela Kothi

The first look of the place sets the tone. Surrounded by farm fields, trees and cheerful blooms of Bougainvillea; the air is filled with joyful tweets of birds. Oh yes, this place is a birding haven in itself.

A huge property with plenty of open space filled with trees, crops and plants. No wonder they have beautiful winged visitors and many call them their home. It is maintained fabulously by Anu Dhillon Singh and her husband Kunwar Ram Pratap Singh. It is Kunwar’s ancestral property which they have lovingly restored and continuing to nurture it with love. You can feel the warmth, the sense of pride and the joy of sharing it with us in their immaculate hospitality.

The staff, the chef and his team, the naturalists, the food, the ambience, the rooms are all simply amazing!!

“Our lodge is carbon negative, water positive by 15 million litres, zero plastic, zero chemicals. We are completely glued to sustainable and responsible tourism.“ --Kunwar Ram Pratap Singh (Excerpt from an article on Mela Kothi – Chambal Safari Lodge in ETHospitality World)

The Room: Hornbill – Neem Serai

We stayed in the luxury cottage called Hornbill. It was one of the four cottages in Neem Serai. It was lovely with a private sit-out and a common open courtyard too. Perfect for a family with two small kids or three people. When we returned from dinner we were pleasantly surprised to see our beds readied for a good night sleep. All we had to do was snuggle in to the warmth of the quilts/blankets.

The rooms are yet again surrounded by trees and plants. Birds and butterflies can be seen flitting & singing around throughout the day. My friend’s daughter had befriended a neel gai and they enjoyed their catch-me-if-you-can and hide & seek games. She would love taking walks around the room amidst the trees. As for me, I was always walking around with my camera, looking out for birds!

The Food

Wait …. let me just savour the burst of flavours and its freshness! Finger licking good! Kudos to the chef and his team, every dish was made with love and that translated into how delectable and homely every meal was. We had opted à la carte instead of buffet meals. So we had three different dishes and got a taste of each. At night we sat around a bonfire with our drinks while our meal was being prepared. The buffet is laid outside during the day and in the dining area at night. One has a choice of sitting inside or outside. The warmth of the bonfire and winter sun can be luring.

Birdwatching: Within the property

On the first day after lunch, one of the naturalist Bachchu took us around the property for #birdwatching. We took a leisurely stroll along the farms and the village settlement next to Mela Kothi. We came across amazing birds. In fact we had a rarest of the rare sighting; a Red-throated Thrush seen in this region for the first time ever. Gosh, we were the first to see it! What a moment! The eBird too took sometime to accept the entry as it was unbelievable. Alas, with erratic shifts in climate the movement of birds are changing. While we may feel lucky seeing them, they aren’t so. It speaks volumes about how the climatic change is affecting their natural surroundings and in turn life.

Here’s a video of the birds I could film and click at the lodge.

Nature walk: Around the lodge

The evening and early morning walks around the property does wonders to the senses. The slowness of the #countryside, the peaceful time, happy nature, smiling curious faces, chirping birds and the beautiful sunset & sunrise.

While we all went for the evening walk and witnessed a wonderful sunset, I went on my own for an early morning stroll. It was calming and energizing at the same time. When there do not forget to stroll in and around the place.

"Your deepest roots are in nature. No matter who you are, where you live, or what kind of life you lead, you remain irrevocably linked with the rest of creation." — Charles Cook

Wildlife: Chambal River Safari

Your stay at Mela Kothi comes with many excursions and nature activities. You can opt for as many and make your itinerary. We had opted for an early morning #Chambal river safari. It is an unforgettable experience. You can read all about it on my post Wildlife safari on the cursed river . We saw some critically endangered fauna. We had gone in April and by that time most of the migratory birds have left. Ideally the best time is from October to early March when the weather is cooler and fauna a galore.

They have other #safaris and excursions to less explored places, which you can book at the time of making reservation. If you are traveling to Agra or you are looking for a long weekend break from your city close to Agra, book your stay here before the weather turns warm and hot.

It is winter, just the perfect season, so what are you waiting for!! Give your mind, body and soul a deserving break.

Here’s a quick look and feel of the cottage we stayed in and the vast open space around it (Hornbill in Neem Sarai)