Aman i Khas- Glamping Like A Maharaja

If you’re anything like me, you’ve constantly fantasized about going on a safari to be able to see nature’s wildest animals at their best but you cringed at the prospect of having to go camping, (mosquitoes, snakes, lack of plumbing). I had waited all my life to be able to experience Mother Nature in all her splendor but I just couldn’t bring myself to brave the elements. Until Aman i Khas…the answer to my fantasy.

Aman i Khas, set on a secluded slope at the edge of the Rajasthan desert, is “camping” the way it should be done- royal Muglai style. Resplendent cream-colored tents with soaring ten feet tall canopies are furnished with every luxury imaginable- leather seating, rich hand-woven Indian fabrics, oversized pillows and plush beds.

Meals are magnificently restorative, with produce home-grown by Aman i Khas, fusing Indian and western flavors. Evenings after dinner are spent lolling on beige colored built-in-sofas by the large outdoor fireplace, to rejoice in the wilderness air and native sounds. The irresistable magnetism of Aman i Khas? Guided tours in open air safari cars in the surrounding Ranthambhore National Park are the experience of a lifetime with the Park having once been the hunting grounds of the Maharajah of Jaipur.

Up close and personal are sightings of tigers, leopards, jungle cats, hyenas, sloth bears, chital deer, antelopes, gazelles and Indian crocodiles as well as over 350 species of birds. While the grounds of Aman i Khas are completely protected (no unexpected attacks here, fear not), it is not uncommon to wake up to the fresh, untouched morning air and pastel yellows of the day to hear the not-so-distant cries of exotic animals.

If you’re spent from an exciting day of exploration, take pleasure in the Aman Spa, (yes, even in the middle of nowhere Aman manages to spoil its guests). In keeping with Aman tradition, offerings of aromatherapy massages, facials and body scrubs are world-class here with an unusual offering of Henna tattooing. Yoga and meditation classes are also available to balance your overexerted chi. If the Spa is not your calling, perhaps the crystal clear blues of the Aman pool will beckon. Swimming in the Indian desert… what more decadence could there be? With its personalized and gracious service, guests quarters that would please any Rajah and unprecedented access to nature’s beautiful creatures, Aman i Khas should be on everybody’s list of places to visit in a lifetime.

http://www.amanresorts.com/amanikhas/home.aspx