Wild Grass Lodge

Situated just outside Kaziranga National Park, this eco-lodge is a low-key, peaceful place to stay. Nature lovers will feel at home wandering around the gardens, which are alive with shrubs, flowers, trees and wildlife. (The eccentric owner, Manju Baruah, a passionate horticulturalist, has even labelled all the trees.) The 18 guest rooms, divided into two large blocks, are simple but snug and spacious. There’s no minibar or air-conditioning – this isn’t that kind of abode – but you can expect aromas of citronella, squishy beds, homely furniture and fern-patterned curtains, reflecting the hotel’s eco ethos. Reminiscent of an old hunting lodge, the cavernous dining room is decorated with stags’ heads, paintings of birds and sculptures of animals. And outside, there’s a cool terrace under a bamboo roof, where you can relax overlooking the vast lawn. The menu is basic but the local options are superb: order the fish curry (fresh from the Brahmaputra), the smoky brinjal (aubergine), moong dal (yellow dal) and roti. Wild Grass can, of course, arrange jeep safaris into the park to spot endangered Indian one-horned rhinos, as well as unforgettable jaunts on the Brahmaputra River, where you might catch a glimpse of a dolphin somersaulting at sunset.