As you wander the forest trails near the wild heart of Corbett, something timeless catches your eye, a vivid green doorframe, a carved pillar in peacock blue, the gentle wash of ochre red arching above a verandah. These colors don’t just decorate- they speak.
To the untrained eye, it may look like artistic flair. But here, every hue, every carving, every corner echoes Kumaon’s cultural heritage, preserved not in museums, but in homes, in temples, and now, in a forest retreat designed to honour them.
Across the hills of Kumaon, traditional homes feature distinctive structures known as “Tibari” open pillared verandahs carved from locally sourced wood and painted in a signature palette: sky blue, forest green, deep red, golden yellow. These weren’t aesthetic choices alone. They were functional, symbolic, and deeply spiritual.
The Tibari with multicolored arches and ornate carvings is not just a design feature, it’s a legacy. At the lodge, these very same forms appear throughout the property: from entrance pillars and archways to balcony railings and room doors, painted in exactly the hues once used in village homes.
Each cottage at the resort carries the spirit of Kumaoni architecture, not as pastiche, but as a living interpretation. The thick, earthen walls, the wooden window frames, the intricately painted doors, these aren’t trends- they are traditions.
Even the small details, like the Swastik motifs on mud-finished planters, or Aipan-inspired wall art, connect modern hospitality to centuries of mountain storytelling.
What results is a space that feels curated by culture, not catalogues, where design flows from the soil itself.
Colour here isn’t chosen by palette books, it’s inherited. Each shade tells a story, woven into daily life:
Together, they create not just harmony, but identity, making each stay feel rooted, timeless, and quietly profound.
Staying here offers more than luxury, it offers a connection.
To the land. To its people. To the quiet dignity of Himalayan architecture.
The carved wooden Tibari that greets you at your door carries the same grain, color, and character as one might find in a family home in Dwarahat or Bageshwar. The painted patterns on your villa’s doors don’t just add charm, they carry forward the hand memory of generations who once traced those same shapes in their village courtyards.
At Paatlidun Safari Lodge, design isn’t imported, it’s inherited.
In every brushstroke of blue, in every carved curve of wood, in every terracotta-painted planter tucked beside your room, the soul of Kumaon lives on, quietly, beautifully, and forever.
Escape to the wilderness and book your next
adventure at our luxurious rooms,
nestled within the heart of the forest.