Cottage - Classic
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The Sarai at Toria, Near Khajuraho
8Madhya Pradesh, India
A grassland retreat in historic Madhya Pradesh
Set on the banks of the Ken River beside Panna National Park, Sarai at Toria is an intimate retreat that brings together wildlife, conservation, and the cultural heritage of central India. Created by renowned conservationists Dr Raghu Chundawat and Joanna Van Gruisen, the property was designed to sit lightly within its surroundings, with adobe earth cottages, thatched roofs, and open communal spaces that blend seamlessly into the grasslands and riverine landscape. Limited to just eight cottages, Sarai at Toria offers a deeply personal experience shaped by its owners’ lifelong commitment to wildlife research and environmental stewardship. Positioned between the forests of Panna and the celebrated temples of Khajuraho, it provides a thoughtful gateway to a region where nature, history, and rural life remain closely intertwined.
Operational Period
Open 1st October to 31st March
Contact RARE Team for Rates
Contact RARE Team for Rates
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What you would love
The Sarai at Toria is a retreat ideal for both nature lovers and history buffs. Khajuraho, Ajaygarh and Kalinjar make for rewarding day-long excursions, and the nearby Panna National Park offers regulated safaris in the morning and afternoon. The retreat is also family-friendly, offering ample space and nature experiences that let children engage with the outdoors, from watching birds to helping in the organic garden.
Your Stay at The Sarai at Toria, Near Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh
The Sarai at Toria's beautiful mud cottages are inspired by traditional adobe earth architecture, featuring thick walls and insulated roofs with a grassy thatch that is renewed once every 3–4 years. The design of each cottage welcomes light and views of the outdoors, is spacious, and stays comfortably warm or cool with the changing seasons. Large attached bathrooms are brightly coloured, with rounded features curiously reminiscent of village homes. Interiors feature solid handmade furniture, comfortable beds, and cosy duvets with furnishings made from colourful handwoven Indian fabrics. Rooms are minimalistic, yet equipped with all essential amenities for a comfortable stay, including a coffee-tea station. Each cottage offers a private sit-out, the perfect spot to enjoy the winter sun, watch birds, or curl up with a book.
Cottage - Mezzanine
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Perfectly RARE
Make time for a slow morning or sunset boat ride on the Ken River. The boats glide quietly along the water while birds gather along the banks—one of the most peaceful ways to experience this landscape.
Destination
Central India is known for its heritage, ancient temples — some of them still revered and visited — forts and palaces that are possibly larger, older, and more numerous than those in Rajasthan. In addition, Madhya Pradesh has an (almost) contiguous forest cover that is home to many birds and wild animals, ruled by the Royal Bengal Tiger. Panna National Park is known to be the most picturesque among them, with the Ken River flowing through, creating a smaller riverine habitat alongside. The Sarai at Toria is situated on the western bank of the Ken River, a stone's throw from Panna National Park and a short drive away from the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Khajuraho.
Khajuraho is renowned for its Hindu and Jain temples from the Chandela dynasty, world-famous for its detailed, lifelike sculptures of Hindu gods and goddesses, around themes depicting life and living. A winter festival called the Khajuraho Dance Festival is still celebrated here and is an important cultural event of this historic city. Within a ten-minute drive is Panna National Park, a designated forest of 540 square kilometres, rich with wildlife and flora, a growing population of tigers, leopards, sloth bears, etc.
The Sarai at Toria is also a getaway to the natural and historical wonders of Ajaygarh and Kalinjar forts, as well as the beautiful rural hamlets of Madhya Pradesh.
Design and Concept
The Sarai at Toria is a small experiential hotel, built with a fine eye for detail, nature, locally inspired design, and an environment-friendly perspective, where the cottages blend seamlessly with the forest cover behind, and the generous carpet of tall grass spread out in the front; trees, shrubs, and creepers all around. The beautifully designed mud cottages are modelled after local village houses, to inspire villages nearby and reinforce the benefits of local architecture suited to the region's climate.
Joanna and Raghu's home, Sarai, is set within 11 acres of stunning land features, including a bridge that takes you over a seasonal stream that often floods in the monsoon. It is a welcome sight and adds a certain mystery to your first view of The Sarai at Toria at the end of the arch. The tall Saccharum billowing around the main building of the Sarai, almost hiding the guest cottages as you walk up to the open pavilion, is home as well as haven — one of the reasons why guests love their stay here. The open areas close to the grasslands, or under the trees with views of the river, offer spaces to lounge, sit by the campfire, or dine. Special moments include breakfast by the river, lunch under the generous canopy of the ficus tree, and dinner by candlelight under a starlit sky. The open stone-and-wood pavilion, with the stunning red baked tile roof, overlooks the river and serves both as a lounge and dining space. Sarai celebrates the outdoors, which is best spent under the winter sunshine — reading or snoozing on swing beds, a planter's chair and comfortable bench seats. The Sarai at Toria is for nature lovers and sun worshippers alike.
Know Your Host
Dr. Raghu Chundawat, a leading tiger biologist, and his wife, Joanna Van Gruisen, a renowned wildlife photographer, writer, and conservationist, are your owner-hosts at The Sarai at Toria. They not only welcome you warmly to their home but share their immense knowledge of the forest, wildlife, and conservation with you.
Dr. Chundawat specialises in large carnivores, having completed his PhD in snow leopard ecology in Ladakh. He's known for his decade-long tiger ecology study in Madhya Pradesh’s Panna Tiger Reserve. A former Wildlife Institute of India faculty member, he later became Conservation Director at the Snow Leopard Trust and authored the notable book The Rise and Fall of the Emerald Tigers, based on his decade-long research in Panna Tiger Reserve. His work is also featured in the BBC documentary Tigers of the Emerald Forest.
Joanna Van Gruisen, originally from the United Kingdom, has spent over four decades in the subcontinent, focusing on wildlife photography, writing, and conservation. Her work spans various regions from Sri Lanka to Rajasthan, earning international acclaim for her films, photographs, and contributions to wildlife conservation publications.
Facilities
The facilities showcase Sarai's best attribute, nature itself. The open-sided baithak serves as both a lounge and dining area, and the grounds bordered by the river offer seating and swings under large tree canopies. The viewpoints several and perfect to spend quiet hours or admiring the wonderful sunrises and sunsets that Madhya Pradesh offers in abundance. Safari jeeps are well-equipped to take you adventuring into Panna National Park, with a considerate and trained driver along with a naturalist from the lodge. An all time favourite is The Sarai's breakfast hamper packed for your picnic in the park. Closer to home, the onsite organic garden supplies fresh vegetables and herbs to the kitchen.
Dining
Dining is special at the Sarai. Home recipes, some of Raghu’s favourites and others shared by friends and guests from around the world, form a selection that appeals to all palates. Breads, croissants, and pastries are freshly baked in the well-equipped kitchen. The cuisine combines regional, local, and continental flavours, with plenty of salads made from homegrown produce. Breakfast and lunch are usually served outdoors, while dinner is hosted in the pavilion. Weather permitting, outdoor dining under the stars is a magical experience.
Experience
Beyond Panna National Park safaris and Khajuraho temple tours, Sarai at Toria offers well-researched excursions to Ajaygarh and Kalinjar. Guests can enjoy a scenic walk from Rajgarh castle to Taparian village, passing through Ber (Ziziphus sp.) plantations, known as the 'poor man's apple,' for its generous content of Vitamin C. The diverse habitats around Sarai are a haven for bird watchers, with walks along the river, through agricultural fields, and to Toria village, watching birds along the way and ending up in a village in central rural India. When guests have 2–3 nights at Sarai, local guides trained by Raghu and Joanna help explore the region.
Explore Around
Wildlife Safari in Panna National Park.
Morning or afternoon game drives are a must in Panna, a deciduous forest with open grasslands traversed by the Ken River and punctuated by rocky hills and ravines. Over 40 tigers roam alongside sloth bears, leopards, and wild dogs, but it's the birdlife that the park truly excels in. Vultures fly on the morning thermals, grey herons stalk fish in the river, and reddish-brown francolins hide in tall grasses.
Excursion to the UNESCO Temples at Khajuraho
Khajuraho’s temples are renowned for having some of the most exquisite temple art in the world. Accidentally ‘rediscovered’ in 1838, they are now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Carved between the 10th and 12th centuries AD, the artwork is beautiful and executed with a lack of inhibition rarely found in modern India. Although these erotic sculptures have, in modern times, given these temples their fame, they are so much more.
Immerse yourself in the villages and local crafts
Visit a local potter and even try your hand at the wheel. Screen-print your own bag or join another workshop with the Pashoo Pakshee local team. Witness block printing by tribal women and come home with a beautiful hand-printed scarf from Wild Pines. Even the local village of Toria has a craftsman who makes rope and fashions beautiful plant pot holders.
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