The inception of Forsyth Lodge has the community at its heart. This conscience is a guide in the way the lodge is built, its experiences curated and its every action as an eco-sensitive operation. The naturalist-run lodge thus has created an ecosystem such that every time guests come and spend a holiday here, they actually impact the lives of many and enable them to become the true guardians of Satpura and its natural treasures.

From our 90% directly employed local staff, our mud construction, thicket fence around the property, organic garden to our woodwork, thatched roof and to our pathways maintained by the locals from nearby villages after every monsoon. The entire lodge is created to support the locals in directly benefiting from the money spent in the local economy through tourism. This approach has resulted in the locals embracing the lodge as their own and creating a genuine hospitable environment and experience that’s soaked in the warmth of their hearts when you come visiting.

Just like Capt. James Forsyth’s account, your wilderness story would be incomplete without us involving the locals and allowing you to experience Satpura as Satpura is, through the lives of its people. Whether it is the youth from the community who were trained to become guides and gave up their traditional hunting practices or the women who have come out of their shyness and invite you into their cow dung painted courtyards with pride or the children who wave ‘bye’ to you every time you pass them by are all that make your Satpura experience as raw, authentic and immersive.

The simplicity of the communities around Satpura is almost ‘childlike’ and most of the environmental aspects can only be taught through emulation. A lot of these villages are relocated and this is their very first generation out of the forests. As they get exposed to the outside world, they are losing touch with their good sustainable traditional practices and unknowingly picking up the evils of the outside world. Through our efforts at the lodge and our approach in working with them we try to remind them of the goodness of some of their traditional practices and create awareness of how they can make some informed choices.