Our Story
Pugdundee Safaris is recognized as one of India's leading responsible safari companies. With seven intimate jungle lodges in Central India and many bespoke wilderness experiences, it presents the very best of the Indian subcontinent wildlife & hospitality. Between 2009 and 2024, we have been awarded for our excellence in wildlife safaris, our commitment to sustainability, our experienced naturalists, and our pioneering mobile safari initiative.
Pugdundee is a Hindi word meaning a foot trail commonly used by humans and animals. This word is popularly used for such beaten paths in the Indian jungles.
We continuously strive to deliver the best possible guest experience, while still integrating the conservation of jungles and benefiting people living around. Driven by the love of Indian jungles we made an unplanned humble beginning in 1986, with a small-tented camp at Panna. Between 2007 -2010, two more lodges were set up and it was not until the year 2011 that they were all put together under a common umbrella.
Today, Pugdundee Safaris is run by a passionate team of wildlifers and hospitality professionals with a team of over 300 people committed to providing an incredible wildlife experience. The team includes naturalists, nature Guides, boatmen, trackers, and a marketing team based in Delhi. Besides its mainstay of running wildlife lodges, Pugdundee Safaris has been keenly engaged in conservation and community development activities. At Pugdundee we believe local people hold the future of the forests in their hands and can either help protect or destroy them. If we wish to conserve our forests, we must look after the needs of local people by helping to improve their ability to earn livelihoods.
Our lodges set mostly in remote locations away from regular tourism hubs help ensure that the benefit of eco-tourism is distributed far and beyond. We continuously strive to deliver the best possible guest experience, while still integrating the conservation of jungles and the people living around them. We are motivated by the hope of reaching out to people in the remotest areas of our country, as we believe that they are the front-runners in wildlife conservation. However, maybe just a drop in the ocean we consider that we are making a significant contribution to wildlife conservation and the rural economy wherever our lodges are.