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Shergarh, Kanha National Park
Published on Tue, Jan 22, 2008 at 10:34, Updated on Wed, Jan 23, 2008 at 14:56 in 
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Katie Bhujwala
Shergarh is a friendly, family-run camp.
The owners Jehan and Katie Bhujwala reside in camp with their two young children, hosting guests in an informal manner along with their team of managers, naturalists and local junior team.
As a small camp of just six cosy tents, Shergarh can accommodate up to 12 guests, each of whom receive personalised attention.
The camp is centred around an attractive waterhole, fed by two natural springs that flow through the property. The water attracts kingfishers, cormorants and the seasonal breeding of hundreds of egrets.
While Shergarh is primarily a tented camp, providing high quality wildlife experiences to travellers visiting the area, it is also an ongoing project for the owners. The aim of this project is to demonstrate how tourism can aid conservation, and can primarily be used as an effective tool to help local communities with employment and other much needed benefits.
Twenty acres of degraded and misused land were selected to build Shergarh, with the intention of nurturing the land back to a thriving forest with indigenous species, as supposed to selecting excellent forest and marking an imprint.
The village in which Shergarh is situated was the primary source of labour at the time of construction, and the first port of call for recruitment. Shergarh is proud to employ a team of 100 per cent local junior staff, all of whom had no previous experience of the tourist trade. One local manager is also employed.
Masonry, carpentry, plumbing and electricals have been sourced within a 20km radius in almost all circumstances – which ensure a few quirks here and there, giving Shergarh character but more importantly, acceptance and respect by the community.
Waste is segregated and managed as well as possible given the rural location, and various composting techniques are followed using leaf mould, kitchen, cattle and poultry waste, grass cuttings, newspaper and fire ash.
The main focus at Shergarh is to provide high quality wildlife experiences.
While the knowledgeable team work hard to show guests India’s most charismatic symbol, all visitors are briefed that even a fleeting glimpse of a tiger is a privilege in his ever-fragile environment, and game drives are designed to take guests on quieter trails, exploring the jungle’s full diversity and secrets. Naturalists enjoy taking guests on forest walks, where one is exposed to enthralling species that cannot be identified from jeep: seasonal flowers, elegant butterflies and even snakes.
The hill ramble behind the camp is highly recommended as the view goes over the forest and villagers within, returning to camp through the village, stopping in at the neighbours and local school.
Mountain bikes are available for use at Shergarh, and they have identified cycling routes, following local pathways that traverse forest tracts connecting villages.
A trip to the weekly tribal market is a fascinating experience. One witnesses trading that has barely changed in centuries, while indulging in a glass of sweet chai, or daring your smoothest ever shave in a very unique location.
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