Jim Corbett - Nature's Delight
It’s an added advantage if you have read the ‘Man Eaters of Kumaon’ before visiting this famous Indian National Park. The book brings to life for today’s generation the famous Bengal Tiger, her beauty, ferociousness and grace! This national park named after the great hunter lives up to its name as it brings out the adventurer in you from first day on! Jim Corbett is the oldest national park of India and spread across 520 Sq Km’s, there’s multiple varieties of Flora and It’s an added advantage if you have read the ‘Man Eaters of Kumaon’ before visiting this famous Indian National Park. The book brings to life for today’s generation the famous Bengal Tiger, her beauty, ferociousness and grace! This national park named after the great hunter lives up to its name as it brings out the adventurer in you from first day on! Jim Corbett is the oldest national park of India and spread across 520 Sq Km’s, there’s multiple varieties of Flora and Fauna in abundance to be found here. Established in 1936, it belongs to the Nainital District in Uttarakhand state of India.
For international travelers Delhi is the nearest airport, and for domestic travelers Phoolbagh in Pantnagar airport is a a distance of 50 km from the location.
One can reach Ramnagar station via Ranikhet Express(Starts about 10 PM from Old Delhi Railway Station), which has a broad gauge track and from there one has to avail road transportation to reach the camp
Corbett is approximately 300 km from Delhi, While going by road from Delhi, one has to take the Hapur Moradabad, Rampur stretch.
The Terrainspotter team recommends the Road Trip to travellers but with some caveats. It is best advised to start early for this drive(about 6 AM) otherwise the roads from Garmukteshwar Ghat to Moradabad are packed with traffic. After beating the traffic by starting early, cross Garmukteshwar and Gajroula to Moradabad. After that in case you are a driving enthusiast and prefer an uninterrupted scenic drive, then Devipura –Ramnagar stretch is just for you! This stretch; that extends to 60 km is lined with lush green Mango, Neem and Eucalyptus trees. Driving on this one lane ‘road to perfection’ can actually be so refreshing that one can easily forget about the hazardous traffic jam that one had to go through in the Moradabad, Gajroula stretch.
The safari jeep disappears inside the dense Jungle at Bijrani
Once at Corbett, Dhikala, Bijrani and Jherna are three gates special in their own ways. These gates are basically three separate entrances to the National Park. Dhikala and Bijrani are famous for Tiger sightings and also boast of a beautifully hilly terrain. The sightings of tiger will happen if you are lucky and the Terrainspotter team was in every sense!
A Bengal Tiger sitting and staring at us with all its glory
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The Road belongs to the great one!
Safari’s for Dhikala and Bijrani are booked way in advance, so do speak to your Hotel manager before going there and book a gypsy. Normally a Gypsy will accommodate 6 people and the overall cost of safari will be 2500 INR. The Safari for Jherna will be easily available, as tiger sightings are less there and the terrain is also not that scenic!
There are scores of Hotel options in Jim Corbett. The Forest Rest houses of Bijrani and Dhikala are dream options but they are booked months in advance by Hotshots, Beauraucrats and Filmstars. For a list of hotels in the Corbett area, please visit this link . Do remember to negotiate the safari rate within the Hotel Price as most hoteliers agree to that after a bit of haggling!
The road to the beautiful Dhela Camp
Another camp in the slightly low lying area of Corbett is the Dhela Camp. Not as large and fancy as the Dhikala and Bijrani adjoining camps, this camp though offers more peace and quiet surroundings!In the night, you will definitely hear Elephants and if you are lucky you might even get a sight of an elephant herd coming to the nearby lake for a sip!
Closure
Jim Corbett is again a perfect weekend getaway and it can be a perfect trip for a family, couple or a group of friends.
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