Tiger Tops Tharu Lodge

My wife and I had an incredible trip! The food and hospitality were top notch. We both have food allergies and they were accommodated very well. We also celebrated our wedding anniversary and were surprised by the staff providing for us festivities to celebrate. Our guide (and wonderful friend) was amazing! He had so much knowledge of the area from plants, to animals, to birds, as well as the local culture. He was also very focused on ethical and sustainable tourism. We saw many more animals than we ever planned. I also appreciated the ethical and sustainable approaches to tourism that the Lodge follows. This trip will be cherished for years to come. I highly recommend Tiger Tops Tharu Lodge as a destination for seeing wildlife, local culture, and experiencing a retreat from urban life. The staff are also super friendly, accessible, knowledgeable, and fun.

I've done a great deal of traveling, including internationally, and this lodge was the BEST i've ever stayed in. Not quite perfect, but very few flaws, and so very, very warm and welcoming, with the kindest, most helpful staff (each and every one of them). As examples, they had not received advanced word about eating restrictions, yet we were accommodated. The manager, who is called BC (as an abbreviation of his Nepali name), should truly be called A+, and he even went out of his way to find me artificial sweetener (which is apparently not common in Nepal). They were also very accommodating about our safari requests in terms of time allotments, which was also greatly appreciated. And I am making these very positive comments about the lodge despite the disappointment of not having seen a tiger! (although we did see 2 leopards, which was very cool!) Definitely the place to stay.

We were so looking forward to our time at Tiger Tops Tharu Lodge! From start to finish, they provided a magical experience, from when Sam picked us up from the Bharatpur airport, to when we sadly departed after our 3 days/2 nights. The lodge itself is stunning and remote, and you really feel like you are in a secluded and peaceful place. The staff were all lovely and attentive, and the food was absolutely outstanding. We loved feeling like were in a proper jungle safari lodge with set meal times, jungle safaris, and sundowners. Of course, the highlight was the "walking with elephants and sundowner" which we did two evenings. It is no secret that in Asia, there is the practice of riding elephants, capturing them, etc. which we would never condone. Tiger Tops, however, has improved their beliefs and offers amazing lives for the elephants they currently have. The herd they have is made up of around 10 middle-aged females ages 40-65, who had already previously been domesticated (in India). They still have the herd that they now will care for so they can live out their lives comfortably. They each have reasonably large enclosures for sleeping/overnight (not chained up like other places) and during the day they go to the jungle with their handlers to feed. At the end of the day, a pair of elephants will walk with the tourists (namely to protect from the rhinos) which can bring in some money to help pay for their care. The handlers really understand and love their elephants, and even let two of them stay in the same enclosure because they are best friends and prefer to be together (so sweet!). During one sundowner, the handler convinced the elephant to go fully submerged into the river, so he could give her a proper scrub down and he really got into washing and scrubbing her head. The morning visit to elephant camp to make sandwiches is also such a treat. The elephants were so friendly and gentle and always loved a cuddle and an elephant sandwich! Our guide, Sam, was excellent, kind, and ever so smiley! One day, we saw a season record for him of 10 rhinos during one walk! The staff all seemed to work there for a long long time, which goes to show what a great place it is. The food was outstanding, with lovely vegetarian options as well, and the food and beverage staff were excellent. I highly recommend Tiger Tops Tharu Lodge.