In a wellness travel landscape saturated with detox bootcamps and silent retreats, a spa safari break remains a relatively niche concept.
Remote yoga breaks in the Nepalese Himalayas? A dream. Sleeping side by side with wild animals in the Serengeti? Travel goals. But the two combined? Far rarer yet infinitely more special.
The combination of bucket list-worthy thrills followed by full-body and soul rejuvenation taps into one of 2025’s biggest travel trends. Jetsetters are looking for unique, once-in-a-lifetime moments, and the luxury spa and safari break does exactly that.
Six Senses Fort Barwara is leading the way, delivering adventure with a side of Ayurvedic wisdom.
The Six Senses portfolio is perhaps best known for its ultra-opulent properties and healing programmes, but its Indian bolthole, a mere 30-minute drive away from Rajasthan’s Ranthambhore National Park, brings a wider offering to the mix.
The destination property promises spa tranquillity alongside safari thrills and visiting for two nights, as part of a multi-week Indian adventure exploring the country’s diverse landscapes, was just what the (Ayurvedic) doctor ordered.
Getting there
My journey to the 14th-century fort began in Rajasthan’s technicolour capital of Jaipur, which is also where you’ll find the closest airport — a three-hour trip. After a whirlwind group tour, my friend Charley and I were scooped up by our driver Babu, and in his calming presence and the most comfortable car, we began our road trip.
Charley cried with joy, but I was too busy reclining my chair 180 degrees and gulping down refreshing watermelon juice to comfort her. Before long, the city’s buzz fell away, and the Rajasthani countryside whipped past the blacked-out window.
The hotel
After winding through the chaotic Indian roads, we pulled up to the historic 700-year-old destination with our jaws on the floor. Sprawling across 5.5 acres, Fort Barwara was renovated over 10 years to blend modern luxury with ancient architecture, incorporating original elements like the Dhanvantari and Radha Krishna temples, restored to become the pillars of healing, rejuvenation and serenity that they are today. The marble used is the same as you’ll find at the Taj Mahal.
There are eight room types, each of which pays homage to the local community with Rajasthani interiors, including hand-carved mirror arches and hammered silver basins. The Rani Rajkumari Suite, where we stayed, had thoughtful details throughout, from the Aum gesture door handles to modern amenities like the heated toilet.
The retreat
The wellness retreat commences not with a treatment, but a ceremony, the first of three during our stay at the property. The hotel has maintained its spiritual feel, and each evening at 6pm, a local priest leads a Puja ceremony with Sanskrit chants, red thread bracelets as blessings, bindis and fresh apples.
Daily schedules — delivered via WhatsApp from your designated GEM (that’s Guest Experience Maker) — include yoga sessions, horticulture and heritage walks, cooking classes and the very important timings to ‘Beer O’Clock’ happy hours. It’s a holiday, after all.
A wellness consultation with Dr. Sree, the property’s resident Ayurvedic doctor, is a must. He has over 17 years of experience and is a firm believer in practical solutions, while sharing time-honoured traditions that are ingrained in Indian culture, like the anti-inflammatory benefits of turmeric-based golden milk.
Dr Sree stresses the importance of caring for your body and giving it what it needs, likening it to “charging your phone”. This is a 360-degree approach that is not just about yoga and breathwork, but also fitness, food and sleep. As such, the finest attention to detail is paid to the mattress and pillow combinations, the workout amenities and the healthy dishes created with home-grown, organic ingredients.
He takes my pulse, examines my tongue, and seemingly reads my soul. For me — type A, anxious, relentlessly curious — he prescribed a series of rituals to pacify my dominant elements: fire and air.
His advice? Chew each bite 20 times, breathe deeply ten times each morning and night, and apply sesame oil to my belly button before bed. It’s about balance, not just to treat woes but to elevate everyday life.
Treatments at Fort Barwara are deeply personalised. During the Six Senses Signature Massage, I began by selecting a stone that resonates with my energy, and this process sets the intention for the stress relief to follow. A sound bowl hummed gently, my selected oil — calming or uplifting — dictated the mood, and the therapist tailored the pressure to my needs. The result? Ninety minutes of transcendence.
The safari
No trip to Fort Barwara is complete without a visit to Ranthambhore. The national park is a 1,734-square-kilometre reserve famed for Bengal tigers — and it is a mere 30-minute drive from the Six Senses. Safari drives run twice daily (at 5am or late in the afternoon) as its famed inhabitants are nocturnal. We selected the former and watched a golden sunrise in the heart of the beautiful nature reserve.
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The park, divided into 10 sections, houses around 80 tigers as well as leopards, jackals, bears, antelopes, hyenas, deer, pythons and vipers. Our guide yelled “chalo” (let’s go) and we were off in open-top jeeps, stopping only for a pre-packed breakfast boxes from the hotel or in the hopes of spotting feline movement.
And then it happened. Footprints in the track and warning calls from the monkeys dictated our path and sent our excitement into overdrive. Before we knew it, we spotted Shakti — a tigress named after the Hindi word for power — slowly stalking a lake’s edge. But the morning had more in store.
We heard a distinctive call — a deer this time — and suddenly we were on high alert. A predator was nearby. We cut the engine, whipped out the binoculars and channelled our inner David Attenborough, patiently waiting for it to reveal itself. And there he was. Emerging from the hills, we saw Ganesh, known by the guides as the killing machine. What a thrill.
Rates at Six Senses Fort Barwara, part of IHG’s luxury and lifestyle portfolio, start from $846 (approx. £621) per night based on two people sharing including breakfast. Book it here
