Camp TigerLily, Dudhwa TR

A narrow belt of wilderness that once ran unbroken along the base of the Himalayas, the Terai survived largely because it was uninhabitable. The forests were malarial. The only people who lived within them were the indigenous Tharu community, whose genetic resistance to malaria allowed them to inhabit it. When malaria was controlled in the 1950s, settlers arrived and the Terai began to disappear. Dudhwa Tiger Reserve, sitting against the Nepal border in Lakhimpur-Kheri, is one of its last significant stretches. Its survival is closely tied to Billy Arjan Singh, a former hunter turned conservationist whose decades of work helped put Dudhwa on India’s wildlife map. 

The reserve is described as the only place in the world inhabited by 5 species of deer - swamp deer, sambar, chital, hog deer, and barking deer. Bengal tigers, greater one-horned rhinoceroses, elephants, leopards, fishing cats, and over 450 bird species move through its Sal forests, open grasslands, and seasonal marshes. The critically endangered Bengal florican and the hispid hare have also been rediscovered here. 

About four hours from Lucknow, three from Bareilly, and around two hours from Pilibhit, Camp TigerLily is reached through sugarcane fields and small towns, with the landscape growing quieter as you come closer to the forest. By the time you reach Bhira Village, on the edge of Kishanpur Wildlife Sanctuary, the pace has already changed.

Akash Mohan is the passionate, young founder based in Singapore but visibly invested in every detail of what Camp TigerLily is becoming. He is joined by co-founder Jayant Chauhan, working at the intersection of technology, conservation, and slow travel. The camp's day-to-day soul, however, is Dr. Jai Pratap Singh - wildlife scientist, naturalist, and a fan who has spent decades understanding this specific forest. His wife Meenal brings equal warmth and knowledge and runs Safari Sisters, a collection guests speak fondly of. And Jaypee is the manager, who has worked in the wildlife sector for years and keeps the fire going, literally and otherwise, with jungle stories in the evening. The camp also has three dogs, Rustam, Tara, and Yeti, who apparently factor significantly in guest satisfaction.

Kishanpur Wildlife Sanctuary is just ten minutes from the camp gate. Spread across a compact 203 square kilometres, its smaller size allows for more focused and sustained wildlife sightings than larger parks often do. Tigers, leopards, barasingha, otters, fishing cats are some of the major spottings. Dudhwa National Park is 30 to 45 minutes by road and opens up the broader reserve, including the Sathiana range, known for its beautiful rolling grasslands and watchtowers with some of the finest views in the Terai. A memorable landmark here is a lone mango tree, unusually tall and standing almost level with the neighbouring sal trees.   

Nature walks here demand patience but pay off beautifully, offering front-row seats to the rich birdlife hiding in the surrounding forests and grasslands. For an even slower, more deliberate pace, head to the Sharda River; its quiet sandbars are a magnet for birdwatchers, frequently hosting river terns, little terns, and the elusive black-bellied tern. For a change of pace, walk to a nearby Tharu village for a glimpse of local life around the reserve.