The Forsyth story
The Forsyth story
Exploring the wild since
1862…
Capt. James Forsyth arrived in Central India as a Deputy Commissioner of Central Provinces for the British Indian Government in the year 1857. Before he met Sir Richard Temple to whom he was going to report for duty, Forsyth was bewitched by the raw ruggedness of the Satpura Mountains as he rode down on his horse from Jabalpur. He was one of the earliest Europeans to have set foot into the valleys of River Denwa and from there on to the Pachmari plateau.
Forsyth was a keen naturalist and he had special interest for indigenous communities of the Country, as his orders came to serve for Central Provinces, his interests grew towards the Gond and the Korku communities that inhabit the Satpura Mountains. He was one of the earliest spokesmen of the Forests and raised many alarms to call for a Forest Protection Act and protect the last remaining ancient Teak forests of India. His passionate notes that were published as Natural History of the Highlands of Central India, turned into keys to doors of preservation of the Satpura Biodiversity landscape. Here is our tribute, a toast with a glass of Mahua and to his passion and philosophy we share; The Forsyth Lodge.
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Forsyth was a keen naturalist and he had special interest for indigenous communities of the Country, as his orders came to serve for Central Provinces, his interests grew towards the Gond and the Korku communities that inhabit the Satpura Mountains. He was one of the earliest spokesmen of the Forests and raised many alarms to call for a Forest Protection Act and protect the last remaining ancient Teak forests of India. His passionate notes that were published as Natural History of the Highlands of Central India, turned into keys to doors of preservation of the Satpura Biodiversity landscape. Here is our tribute, a toast with a glass of Mahua and to his passion and philosophy we share; The Forsyth Lodge.
Lodge pathways with Machaan Cottage
Built with a philosophy of preservation of local forests
Out of the 44 acres of forests, we have barely used 10% of the land to host you with 8 Gondia cottages and 4 Machaan Cottages including a central swimming pool and the dining area. The cottages are built with mud and hay, a natural manure is used as a disinfectant and insulator, thus it is designed to keep you warm during the winter and insulated during the summer heat. These cottages are aesthetic to the surrounding villages handmade by the Gond people themselves.
The surrounding forests have many native species of flowering plants, this in turn attracts several wildlife to the Lodge. Chital and Wild Pigs reside on the property, who are often visited by Leopards and Dholes. And to approve the native fruit bearing plants, Sloth Bears and Palm Civets stay in the vicinity of the Lodge. Our naturalists have been documenting a great number of species of birds, butterflies, dragonflies, spiders, scorpions and many new genera of life within the Lodge.
Lodge pathways with Machaan Cottage

Built with a philosophy of preservation of local forests

Out of the 44 acres of forests, we have barely used 10% of the land to host you with 8 Gondia cottages and 4 Machaan Cottages including a central swimming pool and the dining area. The cottages are built with mud and hay, a natural manure is used as a disinfectant and insulator, thus it is designed to keep you warm during the winter and insulated during the summer heat. These cottages are aesthetic to the surrounding villages handmade by the Gond people themselves.
READ MORE
The surrounding forests have many native species of flowering plants, this in turn attracts several wildlife to the Lodge. Chital and Wild Pigs reside on the property, who are often visited by Leopards and Dholes. And to approve the native fruit bearing plants, Sloth Bears and Palm Civets stay in the vicinity of the Lodge. Our naturalists have been documenting a great number of species of birds, butterflies, dragonflies, spiders, scorpions and many new genera of life within the Lodge.
Sustaining with minimal impact to the land
Know About Forsyth Lodge
To sustain such an abundance of wildlife, we at Forsyth Lodge believe in creating minimal impact to the land. Forsyth Lodge has been adjudged an Inspirational Lodge for many practices that have created precedence for the true owners of the landscape.
Some practices are quite simple like having the path lights just enough to get you around and limiting any man-made sounds around living areas so as to not disturb sleeping Langurs or the flower visiting Civets at night. Also, to avoid rodents entering the cottages and eventually their reptilian predators following them in there, we do not serve any food in the cottages.
The undisturbed silence of the property is the truest luxury we provide! Knowing how important it is for our guests to have rest during a busy wildlife holiday, we do not provide TVs and Wifi as we barely leave them with any time for it. All meals are set taking into account guests’ allergies and desired spice levels, the timing is something we agree upon and keep it based on safari timings so that guests can get enough rest in spite of the early morning wake up calls.
Sustaining with minimal impact to the land
Know About Forsyth Lodge
To sustain such an abundance of wildlife, we at Forsyth Lodge believe in creating minimal impact to the land. Forsyth Lodge has been adjudged an Inspirational Lodge for many practices that have created precedence for the true owners of the landscape.
Some practices are quite simple like having the path lights just enough to get you around and limiting any man-made sounds around living areas so as to not disturb sleeping Langurs or the flower visiting Civets at night. Also, to avoid rodents entering the cottages and eventually their reptilian predators following them in there, we do not serve any food in the cottages.
READ MORE
The undisturbed silence of the property is the truest luxury we provide! Knowing how important it is for our guests to have rest during a busy wildlife holiday, we do not provide TVs and Wifi as we barely leave them with any time for it. All meals are set taking into account guests’ allergies and desired spice levels, the timing is something we agree upon and keep it based on safari timings so that guests can get enough rest in spite of the early morning wake up calls.
Run by passionate naturalists and the community
Forsyth Lodge is special because of it’s people! All our staff come from nearby villages and are mostly from the Gond community, whose name has been given to the country we live in, Gondwana.
These people in their villages live a modest life and live quite a self-sustained one at that. They have been raised under the blessings of Bada Dev (Saaj tree) learning about the forests, identifying plants for its sustainable usage, recognising what rock lies at which turn, understanding behaviour of birds and animals that they live with and thus providing Forsyth naturalists with invaluable local knowledge to help create your memorable experience.
A naturalist-run lodge
Forsyth Lodge is managed by passionate individuals who are here for their love of people and wildlife. Each year the naturalists and staff undergo an intense Learning Program during the off season and train themselves to guide better and create newer experiences. The naturalists plan your holidays days or months in advance to prepare for your arrival. They are trained to focus on interpersonal relationships and strive to make your experience a beautiful story. With a complete understanding of your needs, they deliver a personalized guiding experience with an attention-to-detail of the highest order. When guests come to Forsyth, all they need to do is relax and leave everything to their naturalists.
Slide

Krishna Chaudhary

Head Chef

“A magician!” – Is the best compliment in our guestbook. Krishna is one of the reasons that can make you gain weight despite all the efforts naturalists put into your Safari holiday! Krishna hails from Bardiya, Nepal and he has travelled most of India to learn new recipes. He has been creating magic at Forsyth Lodge since 2012.

Slide

Faizan Ansari

Naturalist

A boy from the ‘City of dreams’ where people wish to stay in beautiful houses, Faiz was always fascinated by the wooded areas to explore. From looking for snakes, butterflies and leopards in the forest to finding it fascinating to know about their life, behaviour and habitat, Faiz wandered into the amazing profession called ‘Naturalist’. He always says that reptiles are his first love and that got him working in the field of herpetology for a few years. His love for big mammals developed while working at a wildlife resort in Ranthambore. But as they say, there’s no limit to learning about nature and wildlife. To quench his thirst and learn more about different landscapes and animal behaviour, Faiz landed in Satpura

Slide

Mohamed Ghouse

Naturalist

As a kid, Ghouse started watching Nat-Geo shows on TV and fantasizing about being in the jungle. As he grew older, he found himself doing engineering, but his engineering career never satisfied him. His calling was always to be found in the jungle. One day he came across a phrase: "Do not go where the path may lead; go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." which made him chase his childhood dream of living in the jungle! And that’s how his journey began as a naturalist in the semi-arid landscape of Jawai, Rajasthan. Where he was enthralled by the beauty of wilderness and developed an indelible passion towards them. After a good three years of his journey, it led him here, to the central Indian forest of Satpura!

Slide

Sanal Santosh

Naturalist

From God’s Own Country and then having moved to the busy streets of Mumbai, Sanal was captivated by birds and as a child he would rescue birds which later became a craze. This aspect made him passionate about birds, especially raptors (birds of prey) He is interested in Reptiles too but mainly snakes as he has rescued many. In order to concentrate on the Marco World, he spent a year working as a naturalist in Wayanad (Kerala), after exploring the forests of Western Ghats. He travelled to the Land of Satpura out of a desire to learn more about the Big Cats and Mammals, about which he had mostly heard tales about.

Slide

Aamina Ismail

Naturalist

Aamina began her journey enamoured by the tiny helicopters that fly around us and are generally known to us as the dragonflies. She was constantly enthralled and intrigued by their stunning colours and mannerisms. She worked at Waynad, where she explored the evergreen forests to learn about frogs and snakes in addition to many other things, because learning more about them led her to connect with individuals who were interested in many other animal fields. She lives in the south of India, but she has always wanted to travel to central India and study the wildlife, especially big cats. Madhya Pradesh is known as the home of the tiger. She was eventually able to get to Satpura thanks to this!

Speak to our Naturalists
and plan your holiday

Whether you are interested in birds, plants, mammals, photography, trekking, camping or just want
to be in the middle of nature watching wildlife, our naturalists can help you develop an itinerary that
will make you just do what you like, in Satpura. Speak to them and leave the rest to them.
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All Rights Reserved © 2021 Forsyth Lodge
Made with ❤️ by Savage & Palmer

Quick Links

Home

Experiences

The Lodge

Enquiry

Offers

Packages And Offers

Blog

Gallery

Contact

FAQ

Learn

The Forsyth Story

About Satpura

Our Initiatives

Follow Us

For Updates From Satpura And Our Jungle Lodge

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+91 9152454581

+91 9152454582

bookings@forsythlodge.com

All Rights Reserved © 2021 Forsyth Lodge
Made with ❤️ by Savage & Palmer

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