Four kilometres along a jungle dirt track, at 4,300 feet above sea level in the buffer forests of Corbett Tiger Reserve, an ex-banker and his textile designer wife built a home in the wilderness — and then, in 2015, quietly opened it to the world. Tanhau is not for everyone. For those it is for, it is unforgettable.
There is a moment, about three kilometres into the jungle dirt track that leads to Tanhau, when the last traces of the ordinary world disappear. The track narrows. The sal forest closes in on both sides. The noise of the highway, audible in Ramnagar, is long gone. What replaces it — gradually, unmistakably — is something else entirely: birdsong layered on birdsong, the rustle of unseen animals in the undergrowth, the occasional distant belling of a sambar that knows this hill better than you do. By the time the property appears on its hilltop, you have already understood that this is not a resort. This is a home in the wilderness, and you have been invited in.
Sunando Sen describes himself as a banker, entrepreneur, and startup enthusiast. What he is, more essentially, is someone who was always drawn to forests. For years, while building a career in the city, the landscapes of Jim Corbett National Park and the Himalayas remained a persistent pull — the kind of pull that does not quieten with time but grows more insistent. In 2013, he found the land. By 2015, Tanhau was open.
He acquired a barren hillside. He has since planted over 2,500 trees, in a sustained process of reforestation that has, year by year, drawn animals and birds back onto the property. The tigers, leopards, elephants, barking deer, and porcupines whose camera trap footage guests watch over dinner are not visiting from the park. They live here. Tanhau is not beside the wilderness. It is inside it.
The Place
Tanhau sits at approximately 4,300 feet on a hilltop in the Mohan range, perched in the buffer zone of the Corbett Tiger Reserve with the reserve forests dropping away below and the winding Kosi River glinting in the valley. The views are, by the consensus of everyone who has stood on that verandah, arguably the finest in the entire Corbett landscape. Five acres of private property, surrounded on all sides by forest, with no other buildings visible and no other sounds except the ones the jungle makes.
The five-acre property is entirely off the resort belt. There are no manicured lawns, no swimming pool, no spa, no DJ. There are three cottages, solar lanterns, home-cooked food served al fresco under the stars, and the steady, extraordinary background presence of wild India going about its ancient business just beyond the trees. Over 80 percent of Tanhau’s energy needs are met through solar power.
Sunando is direct about who Tanhau is not for: those looking for a regular family holiday with loud music in the evenings would be disappointed. For those who want to experience nature and wildlife in a way few places make possible — on foot, in the forest, at the pace the forest sets — it is, as guests consistently say, unlike anywhere else.
The Cottages
There are three cottages, each positioned at a different level on the hillside to maximise views and privacy. Each has a verandah looking out over the forested valley, a large stone-floored bedroom, a well-appointed bathroom with solar-heated hot water, and the particular atmosphere of rooms that were designed by people who actually live in this landscape.
The Bagh Cottage — named for the tiger, appropriately — sits closest to the edge of the Corbett forests and is widely considered to have the best views. Guests regularly report waking to the sound of barking deer alarm calls from directly below the verandah and retiring to camera trap footage of leopards walking past the property at night. The rooms are decorated with Sunando’s own wildlife photography: prints of the animals whose home you are sharing, taken with the intimacy of someone who has spent years earning the forest’s trust.
The cottages together can accommodate up to six to eight guests, making Tanhau best experienced as an exclusive-use property — though individual bookings are welcomed.
Eating Here
Chaitali — textile designer, consummate host, and the person most guests describe as the warmest presence at Tanhau — runs the kitchen with the same care she brings to everything else. Meals are home-cooked, generous, and prepared with the knowledge of someone who has spent years feeding people who have come in from long walks through tiger country and need something that does genuine justice to the occasion.
The food spans Indian, Asian, and continental styles with an ease that reflects both Chaitali’s creativity and the household’s genuine hospitality instincts. Nothing is impossible for her, according to guests who have tested this claim. Breakfast can be a wilderness affair — arranged on a plateau in the forest, with the valley below and the Himalayas occasionally visible through the morning mist on clear days. Sundowners in the jungle, with the light going golden on the Kosi River far below, are among the experiences that guests return for year after year.
What to See and Experience
Walking safaris are Tanhau’s signature experience and the one that most distinguishes it from any other base for visiting Corbett. Harry, the in-house naturalist, leads guests on foot through prime tiger habitat — sometimes for a few hours, sometimes a full day — reading tracks, interpreting alarm calls, following the language of the jungle that no jeep safari can teach. The 9-kilometre Maneater of Mohan trail follows the path of Jim Corbett’s famous account, walking the landscape where one of India’s most celebrated wildlife stories actually unfolded. To walk this trail with someone who knows it is to understand why Corbett wrote what he wrote.
Camera trap footage from the property regularly shows tigers, leopards, elephants, sloth bears, and other wildlife moving through the five acres at night. The opportunity — rare, real, documented — to track a leopard on foot with the naturalist is among the most extraordinary wildlife encounters available anywhere in Corbett.
Beyond the walking safaris, Tanhau arranges jeep game drives into Jim Corbett National Park’s core zones, village walks through the surrounding communities, angling on the Kosi (catch and release), 4×4 drives through the forest, and camping under the stars on identified wilderness spots where the sky opens up and the Milky Way does the rest.
Birding is exceptional — the property and its surrounding buffer forests host an extraordinary variety of species, and Sunando’s knowledge of the local avifauna is deep and generously shared.
Why It Stays With You
Guests at Tanhau do not return because the cottages are luxurious, though they are comfortable. They return because Sunando’s camera trap videos are running when they arrive, because Chaitali has somehow found out it is someone’s birthday and made a cake anyway, because Harry took them into the forest at 6am and they saw things they will spend the rest of their lives describing to people who were not there.
They return because at Tanhau, the wilderness is not a backdrop. It is the host. And Sunando, Chaitali, and their team are simply very good at helping you receive it.
Plan Your Visit
Address: Village Bhatoli, near Corbett National Park, Marchula area, Nainital District, Uttarakhand Phone/WhatsApp: +91 98717 81767 Email: sunando@tanhau.in · chaitali@tanhau.in Website: tanhau.in Instagram: @tanhau_tales Facebook: /tanhau
Note: Phone connectivity at Tanhau is patchy. WhatsApp and email are the most reliable ways to reach Sunando and the team.
Owners: Sunando Sen (ex-banker, wildlife enthusiast, founder of un[travel]) & Chaitali (textile designer) Naturalist: Harry (in-house guide) Opened to guests: 2015
Cottages: 3 — including Bagh Cottage (closest to the forest edge, best views). All with verandahs, stone-floored bedrooms, solar-heated hot water, and wildlife photography by Sunando. Capacity: Up to 6–8 guests across three cottages. Exclusive-use bookings recommended. Sustainability: 80%+ solar-powered · 2,500+ trees planted · no plastic policy
Experiences: Walking safaris · The Maneater of Mohan 9km trail · Jeep game drives into Corbett · Birding · Village walks · Angling (catch and release) · Wilderness sundowners · Bush breakfast · Camping under the stars · 4×4 forest drives
Getting There — The nearest town is Ramnagar, approximately 35–40 km from Tanhau — around 1 hour by road. — From Ramnagar, a 4×4 vehicle picks guests up and takes them the final stretch to Tanhau, including the last 4 km of jungle dirt track. Leave your own vehicle at the designated safe parking in the village. — Ramnagar Railway Station is the most convenient rail connection — regular trains from Delhi (Anand Vihar) with journey times of approximately 5–6 hours. — From Delhi: approximately 280 km via NH 9 — around 6–7 hours by road. — From Dehradun: approximately 180 km — around 4 hours by road. — Coordinate your arrival time carefully with Sunando in advance so a 4×4 and/or Harry can meet you at the road’s end.
Nearby — Jim Corbett National Park (Dhikala and other zones): 15–30 km · Ramnagar: 35–40 km · Kosi River: visible from property · Corbett Museum, Kaladhungi: 45 km
Best Time to Visit: November to June for Corbett safaris (park open) · February to May for peak wildlife activity and hot, clear days · October to February for cool weather and dramatic Himalayan visibility · Park closed during monsoon (July–September) but Tanhau itself is open for the rains and dramatic forest atmosphere.
