The Oberoi Vanyavilas Wildlife Resort

Vanyavilas sits on twenty acres of restored woodland and garden right at the edge of Ranthambore National Park, the reserve that did more than any other to make tiger tracking in India a mainstream pursuit. The accommodation is tented in the colonial sense only: each of the twenty-five tents has a teak floor, a proper bathroom, air conditioning and a private walled garden, under canvas roofs held up by wooden frames.

Game drives run twice daily into the park in open jeeps and canters, with the resort's naturalists briefing guests beforehand. Between drives there is a large pool, an Oberoi spa, an observation tower for birdwatching and an on-site astronomer with a telescope for the desert night sky.

Ranthambore Fort, a tenth-century hill fortress inside the park boundary and a UNESCO site, is a memorable half-day in its own right. Sawai Madhopur is reachable by train from Delhi, Jaipur and Agra, which makes the park an easy add-on to the golden triangle.