A Sense of serenity washed over us as we adjusted our eyes to a vast, verdant forest stretching in front of us, from the deck of Meghauli Serai, the first international jungle lodge by Taj Safaris at Chitwan National Park in Nepal. To spot the abundant wildlife, the safari options are boat rides, jeep drives, jungle walks and elephant safaris, from atop its two domesticated elephants (we petted and fed the friendly tuskers too).

"We've spotted rhinos right there," Arpita Dutta, a naturalist at the lodge, informed us pointing less than 10-feet away at the banks of Rapti river, where the Greater One-horned Rhinoceros, one of the forest’s famed and painstakingly conserved inhabitants (605 of the 3,000 remaining in the wild are here), often stroll down for a bath. Due to the increase in the river levels during the monsoon, enjoying their company while relishing a lavish Nepalese breakfast by the lodge's cobalt blue swimming pool may sound like a stretch. However, their sightings in the dense forests are possible year-round and monsoon safaris have their own thrill, as we discovered during a luxurious two-night, three-day stay at the four-month-old property — accessible from Kathmandu via a connecting flight to Bharatpur and then, an hour’s drive to Meghauli — with 12 rooms, a presidential suite and 16 villas featuring private plunge pools.