The Machan: Romancing The Wilderness

When you stay in a machan, the sun streams in unobstructed as you wake up every morning immersed in the harmony of nature.

At times city dwellers, like ourselves, tend to fantasise, as we sit cursing, either out loud or under our breaths, life in the city, we wish to escape to the wilderness and never return. When we actually get down to it, say, for example, checking into a jungle resort, we invariably end up rolling our eyes at the lack of facilities and amenities. That, however, was not the case when we checked ourselves into The Machan.

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Before we could start fidgeting in our seats, as we drove out of Mumbai, we reached Jambulne, where the resort is located. It’s only a two and a half hour trip by road from the city. But, the most enchanting spell was cast when we set eyes on our lodgings for the next two days, all memory of the city was lost. The canopy machan stood perched on a floating platform raised above the roof of the forest, like hunting machans from days of old. A spiral staircase led us to the room, a haven with walls of glass.

The fact that there was no air conditioning in the room stopped bothering us after the initial bout of shock. As we looked out, the breathtaking sight of unending greenery in every direction was enough to make our hearts skip a beat.

The member of staff, who had accompanied us, told us of how the area was, almost entirely, a man-made forest. This is how the story goes. A little under two decades ago these 25 acres of land were part of a tropical cloud forest with next to no trees. A massive drive to fence, reforest and de-weed the area began. It took them nine years to get the place up and running. We were educated on how the resort is completely self-sufficient with its own water harvesting plants set up and solarwind hybrid systems to generate electricity. In fact, they provide free electricity for up to half a kilometre’s radius beyond the resort’s property. Almost 50 per cent of staff meals and 20 per cent of guest meals are cooked on parabolic solar cookers. At least half the staff members are locals, the resort has, therefore, generated employment while making sustainability a way of life. It is awe-inspiring to see people make such an effort to give back to nature.

Surrounded by 20,000 indigenous trees, we set out to discover our machan. Antiques, artwork and brass light fixtures salvaged from old ships gave the bedroom a period feel. Sitting by the glass walls we felt as if we were being cradled lovingly in the lap of nature. As we stepped out onto a wooden deck extending from the bedroom we took it all in, the silence was serene. A balm to our habitually tortured senses. The quiet was occasionally broken by mating calls of animals and the chirping of birds. A lot of which we had never heard before. A veritable paradise for birdwatchers.

Heading down the staircase for lunch, we were greeted by a rather peculiar kind of frog. We were later informed that it was the tree-climbing frog, an endemic species which calls this forest its home along with a few others which include the barking deer, rabbits, mongooses, porcupines and grey langurs. There are other machans scattered across the property at a fair distance from one another. Strolling through the underbrush, without a person in sight, was exactly what our souls needed. Surrounded by the charms and beauty of nature, it is no wonder that The Machan is one of the best eco-friendly resorts in the country. An ideal getaway if you’re by yourself, perfect even if you brought your partner along.

From the July 2017 issue of L’Officiel India.