There’s a special kind of magic in the forests of India when winter arrives, a hush that settles over the canopy, a sharper gold in the sunlight, and wildlife that seems far more willing to reveal itself. Christmas week is, in fact, one of the finest times to trade snow globes and shopping malls for something wilder: crackling bonfires, tiger tracks sketched into dust, silhouettes of deer grazing at dawn, and lodges that turn the heart of India’s forests into luxurious festive hideaways. Think private plunge pools overlooking grasslands, hot chocolate by a fireplace after an evening safari, candlelit dinners under a million impatient stars—if Santa had any sense, this is where he’d spend December.
If you’re dreaming of a holiday that swaps carols for birdsong and cold mornings for warm jungle light, here are some of the finest wildlife lodges across the country that stay open, and truly shine, during Christmas week.