Our story
The hosts behind the hut
We grew up on the edge of Chilapata forest. Building a homestay here was not a business plan first — it was a way to stay, and to let the forest pay for itself.
Chilapata is our address and our address book. The forest we now host guests beside is the one we walked to school through — the same sal trees, the same elephant crossings, the same kingfishers on the Bania. When work pulled the younger generation to towns, we chose to build something that made staying here viable.
Chilapata Eco Hut opened with a couple of cottages and a promise: no shortcuts that hurt the forest, and no prices that cheat the guest. Today there are three concrete cottages, a kitchen that cooks to order, and a phone that answers — usually within the hour, always before dinner.
We are not a resort and we are not pretending to be one. It is a homestay: you eat what we eat, you walk where we walk, and if an elephant crosses at dusk, everyone — including us — waits respectfully for the road.
Eco practices
What ‘eco’ actually means here
It is a word every property borrows. Here is ours, in specifics you can check on arrival.
Power that stays on
An inverter keeps the lights and fans running through cuts. The forest department does not permit generators this close to the core area, and we respect that completely.
Water with care
Refill stations instead of single-use bottles, low-flow taps, and greywater that waters the banana patch.
Local materials, local people
Concrete cottages built by local masons; cooks, guides and housekeepers from our village. Your bill becomes village income.
Forest first
No loud music after 10, no plastic decorations, waste segregated and composted, and every guest briefed on corridor etiquette.
Our promise
Honest stays, honest prices, honest food
- ✓The rate on the tariff page is the rate you pay — no ‘festival charges’ invented at the gate.
- ✓Safari permits at forest-department prices, breakup always shown.
- ✓Guides and drivers paid fairly, tipped directly by you if you wish.
- ✓If we cannot do something — Wi-Fi like the city, a tiger on cue — we say so before you book.
Book direct & save
Come stay with us
Ask us anything before booking — about food, safaris, accessibility or the forest. We would rather answer questions than manage disappointments.
Or write to us at chilapataecohut@gmail.com — we answer every message.