July 19 2026
Durgesh (DK) Singh: The naturalist creating responsible wildlife tourism at Kanha’s Outpost 12
(Jul 19, 2026) A software engineer who could barely tell a house crow from a jungle crow now spends his life interpreting forests for travellers from around the world. Nearly two decades after an unexpected leap into wildlife, Durgesh Kumar Singh (DK) has created Outpost 12, a luxury bio-lodge at the edge of Kanha National Park that blends conservation, community and hospitality into one immersive experience.
At first glance, Outpost 12 blends so seamlessly into the wild grasslands of Kanha National Park that it almost feels like an extension of the forest itself. Inspired by the animist traditions of the region’s indigenous communities and paying homage to unsung conservation heroes, the intimate naturalist-led bio-lodge has been designed with one philosophy in mind: let nature lead.
Outpost 12, developed by Sinali Experiences, the company co-founded by DK, earned a place on Condé Nast Traveller India‘s Hot List 2026, an annual selection of India’s best new hotels. Spread across 10 acres along the Banjar River in Madhya Pradesh, the property avoids energy-intensive luxury tents in favour of sensitively designed ranger cottages. Powered by solar energy, it follows a circular approach through rainwater harvesting, water recycling, reclaimed mine-cast stone, locally sourced materials and hyperlocal cuisine that celebrates the flavours of Kanha.
For DK, however, Outpost 12 is much more than a hospitality venture. It is the result of every safari driven, every guest conversation, every wildlife destination visited, and every lesson learnt over nearly twenty years as a naturalist and tour leader.
“When we decided on Outpost 12, it was a dream project to work on. Because it was my own thing which I did with my school friend, Sunny Saxena, and I wanted to get the best of all those learnings into it,” DK shares with The Global Indian
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An unexpected turn into the wild
Ironically, wildlife was never part of the original plan. Born and brought up in Bhubaneswar, DK completed his schooling and engineering before beginning his career as a software engineer at Satyam Computers. After working there for a couple of years, he came across a training programme by Taj Safaris, a joint venture between IHCL and &Beyond South Africa. Curious enough to apply, he was selected.
“This was in 2007 when I completed the training and started working as a naturalist in parks like Pench, Bandhavgarh and Kanha,” he says. The journey that followed took him across India’s finest wildlife landscapes, including Panna, Satpura, Jawai, Chambal, Tadoba, Bharatpur, Ranthambore, Kaziranga, Ladakh, Kabini, Eravikulam and Periyar, besides Bhutan, South Africa and Chitwan National Park in Nepal.
Lessons beyond the jungle
The forests taught him about wildlife. Travellers taught him about the world.
Working as a lodge naturalist we get to meet a lot of international travellers. And that’s what helps build up the experience because you get to hear about other parts of the world. interact and know their stories and the habitats and jungles or wildlife places they have been to.
Durgesh (DK) Singh
Working across different lodges also became an education in hospitality. “Added to this, visiting different lodges helped me develop respect towards hospitality and the best practices being offered. These ideas were something that were getting subconsciously recorded in the mind.” Years later, those subconscious lessons would shape Outpost 12, from the architecture and guest experience to its conservation philosophy.
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Looking through the guests’ eyes
After rising to become Head Naturalist at Taj Safaris, where he led a team of nine naturalists, DK decided to move into wildlife tour leading.
“This is a different role where you are travelling with the guests, and you are on the other side of the table. As I was not working as a lodge employee, I got to know what the guests require especially the international travellers, and what their requirements were.”
The transition into wildlife had not been easy. “I didn’t know the difference between a house crow and a jungle crow at that point of time as I was never into learning about nature. But the training at Taj Safaris was a game changer.”
The decision also puzzled his family. “Even at home, being a naturalist is something that is not understood. My parents also didn’t understand what kind of role I was in. After three years, when they visited, they realised that it is a career option and accepted that I was working on something serious.”
In 2011, another opportunity widened his perspective when he travelled to South Africa to study lodge operations, guide training and safari tourism. “Wildlife tourism there is decades ahead in terms of wildlife experiences.”
Hospitality with heart
Many of those experiences found expression in Outpost 12, but DK was clear that sustainability and community had to remain at its core. Only around ten percent of the land has been built upon, allowing the rest to remain a natural extension of the surrounding landscape. The property has a water body that recharges groundwater, sewage treatment systems and energy-efficient infrastructure. The philosophy goes beyond environmental sustainability.
Tiger at Kanha National Park | Photo Credit: Sinali Experiences
About 90 percent of the staff is local. We also have initiatives like educating the local school children about the wildlife. We take them on safaris as many of the locals don’t get a chance to go on safaris because the safari prices and tickets are a barrier for their entry.
Durgesh (DK) Singh
Local artists and craftspeople are equally woven into the experience. “We also have souvenirs from them which is given as a turn down gift to the guests. Even the local food is celebrated as ingredients from the region are showcased in our meals here.” For guests, the result is not simply a stay in the jungle but an immersion into the people, culture and ecology that make Kanha unique.
Giving back to the forest
DK believes conservation is incomplete without creating opportunities for learning. One of his future plans is to establish a Naturalist Resource Centre at Outpost 12, encouraging students, researchers and aspiring naturalists to spend time in the landscape and contribute to conservation knowledge.
Indian Gaur at Kanha National Park | Photo Credit Sinali Experiences
“One of the things that we are planning is to build a naturalist resource centre which encourages people to pursue some research in the landscape and giving back to the forest or the nature by enhancing the knowledge base. We encourage a lot of people to come and spend time with us and to work on some interesting projects which help in nature awareness in a way.”
A passion that became a profession
His advice to anyone considering a career in wildlife comes from personal experience. “For anybody who wants to get into it I would say you must be passionate about it. And if you are, do follow your passion in terms of learning as much as possible before making any serious move to start something. If you have the patience, then you will get your chance to do something interesting in that field.”
Travelling with people from across the world has also shaped his understanding. You realise that the world is a small place. Everybody goes through the same issues. It does not matter if there is a first world country or a third world country. It opens your horizon in terms of knowing more about what is happening around. In terms of wildlife, you know exactly what wildlife challenges they have and how they are overcoming it.
Durgesh (DK) Singh
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Outside work, he continues to travel and explore local cuisines, interests that first nudged him away from a desk job years ago. Looking ahead, he hopes to take the Outpost 12 philosophy to other destinations, creating spaces where responsible hospitality, conservation and local communities flourish together, proving that sometimes the most meaningful journeys begin with an unexpected detour.
- Follow Durgesh Singh and Sinali Experiences on Instagram
- To know more about Outpost 12 visit its website
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