Wildlife at Jim Corbett National Park

Needless to mention, this particular stretch of land holds a special place in Indian green belt and is one of the world’s most eco-friendly destinations. Known to the world as Jim Corbett National Park, this place is the refuge of a large wildlife index. Because of the fact that India’s most ambitious wildlife conservation initiative was kicked off from this oldest national park in the country it is probably the most celebrated wildlife reserve in the country. Situated at the foothills of the Himalayas in the state of Uttarakhand, this park was once established as Hailey National Park in the year 1936.
Breath taking Himalayan topography around the park makes it a favorite destination of nature lovers and this amalgamation of lofty mountains, green meadows and gushing rivers covering an area of total 522 kilometers is in itself a wonder. Since, the park ensures a safe and sound habitat for the existing wildlife inside, it is a heaven for the record number of Indian flora and fauna. The wildlife crown at Corbett National Park comprises of about 50 mammal species, 580 bird species, 25 reptile species and 110 tree species. But, it has always been an abode of the tigers. The star of the jungles, a Royal Bengal tiger is a visual treat to wildlife lovers. Thanks to the wildlife conservation initiative called Project Tigers, the park is home to the largest number of tigers in the country. However, a tiger spotting at Corbett is a difficult task which requires both patience and good luck. A ruffle behind the green bushes and there you spot the most enchanting creation which combines both beauty and horror in a perfect way.
Jim Corbett National Park is also popular among wildlife enthusiasts for numbers of other ‘wild’ reasons which goes on like- Elephants, Leopards, Himalayan Black Bears, Hedgehogs, Flying Foxes and Indian pangolins. Sloth Bear, Jungle Cat, Fishing Cat, Himalayan Black Bear, Dole or Wild Dog, Jackal, Himalayan Palm Civet, Indian Gray Mongoose, Common Otter, Goat Antelopes, Languor’s, Indian Gray Mongoose and fish-eating Crocodiles. Thus, Corbett has much more to its charm than the tigers. A jeep safari in Corbett or an elephant safari in Corbett provides a good opportunity to have an eye contact with this amazing assortment of god’s best creations. Apart from this, a rich avian population of about 600 bird species in Corbett National Park adorns the place and makes bird spotting a unique experience.
A flock of migratory birds flying in to the Corbett sky at dusk is a sight to behold and the green jungle gradually disappearing into a thick blanket of darkness is not a sight but a phenomenon at this wonderland. Holding one’s breath for a second and trying to listen to the music of the jungles reminds only one thing-if anything on this earth is ever pure than it has to be the nature. The cacophony of the wildlife around itself transforms into sweet Jazz to the ears and one’s soul leaps into a dance in the wilderness.
And if these are not enough sweet sounding reasons to lure you into these greens, then may be you have forgotten how to celebrate life and its simple offerings. Wouldn’t it be a nice to let Corbett break that monotony? Let the nature once again be a cure to your stonned soul simply at Corbett. You just need to land up here leaving the rest of the things happen on its own. This is how nature operates.

Carnivalesque Camping by the Ganges

River Rafting Rishikesh

Finding a green, serene and exotic location near Rishikesh is not a big task since the whole region is nestled in the best of the Himalayan trail. But, it becomes difficult to choose one from the myriad of such beautiful locations strewn all over the holy city of Rishikesh. Our brains went through this painful exercise once we reached this city of senses. The purpose was to relish the great religious fervor centered on the city of Rishikesh`. God forbid us from skipping such sacred places in the beautiful stretches of the Himalaya. But, secretly, we were contemplating a great river rafting exercise in Ganges. That would have meant our sacred dip at the holy Ganges! Thus, began our search for a perfect rafting in Shivpuri and camping location and finally we zeroed on a beautiful camp site near Shivpuri with a spectacular river bank to compliment the style of the arrangements.

The white sand upon the bank resembled that of a beach and the atmosphere around was no different from a beach side carnival. The sand that shone like gold when we arrived soon changed color like a chameleon and the beach looked like a sheet of silver as soon as the moon appeared at the horizon. The green hills no longer looked green and the darkness outlining those majestic hills gradually descended upon this well maintained camp site. But, the evening was lit up with a warm bonfire and never for a second did we curse the lanterns by our bed sides. At times, the absence of electricity can be welcoming too! There was no dearth of things we required for that special night by the Ganges -food, music and warm hospitality! A bunch of friendly fellow campers to our company the camp felt like a comfortable party. This was just because, almost by 13 kilometers upstream from Rishikesh on the road to Deoprayag, there we found our route to salvation. An ideal stress busting exercise we would like to call it.

But, do we need to mention how romantic it is to stare at the sky and hear the sound of the mighty Ganges in a moonlit night? You will understand it better when we tell you how we spent the rest of the night- clean Alpine tents with roll up windows and warm blankets to beat away the river side chill.  But, we couldn’t sleep away that exciting night as a completely new experience awaited us in the violent rapids of the river nearby.  It’s not that we are born adventurers but what’s the harm in trying out a mild rapid like Sweet Sixteen (Grade-1)?

But, till we encountered the rapids, River Rafting Rishkesh and the camps offered us an ultimate opportunity to go private with nature at its best. Our best camp site treat was the beach volley ball game we that we enthusiastically took part at but saluting the game spirit we never cried on our defeat. We won in any way because nothing can go wrong at such a beautiful place. The only thing that vanquished was our tempered bodies and souls! And to a certain extent our fear of the wild, untamed rivers! Some rejuvenation amidst the Himalayas was necessary and the camping happened just in right time. Right here at Shivpuri!

Unbeatable Wildlife in Dhikala Forest Zone – Corbett National Park

Dhikala is very well known destination based at the core area of Corbett National Park. It is situated at the foothills of Patli Dun valley. It has wonderful landscape and one of the most beautiful grassland all over the world. Dhikala is also known for the watching point, from where you can see the uncountable verities of natural habitats.
Royal Bengal Tiger is the most charm of this place. Except this you can enjoy there elephants, Leopards, Jungle Cat, Sambhar Dear, Barking Dear, Wild Boar, Jackal, Languor, Tawny fish Owl, Grate Hornbill, Indian Roller and many more.
Dhikala is situated at 48 kms. far from the Ramnagar city. Dhangarhi gate is the main entrance gate to enter inside the Dhikala Forest Range.
Dhikala opens for tourists after mid November. Best time to visit Dhikala is 15 November to 15 June.
All forest Lodges inside Dhikala zone are run and managed by forest department under Corbett National Park. Total accommodation facilities inside the zone are only for 250 persons. Various forest houses inside Dhikala zone are Dhikala Forest Lodge, Gairal Forest Lodge, Sultan Forest Lodge, Surphdhuli Forest Rest House, Khinanauli Forst Rest House. Among them Dhikala and Gairal have dormitory accommodation facilities.
Dhikala is the largest forest zone of Corbett National Park for Wildlife Safari. One can enjoy wildlife safari at Dhikala by Jeep, Elephant and Canter. On the way you will encounter dense Sal forests, look at Ramganga River and will across many monsoon-drenched drains. To enjoy Jeep and Elephant safari inside Dhikala you  should have permit to stay inside the forest lodges. However one can travel this area by Canter which takes 18 passengers from Ramnagar.
From Delhi: 280 Km.
Connected by Road, Railway, and Air
Nearest Railway/Bus station is Ramnagar 32 km. From the Dhangarhi Gate.
Nearest airport Panthnager is 90kms. Far from Ramnagar City.

Fishing Tales from Corbett

Those who have had the opportunity of reading Jim Corbett’s "Man Eaters of Kumaon" know that the amazing accounts of his fearless adventures in the Kumaon hills wasn’t exactly confined to the tigers of the hills. His fishing holidays around the verdant valley tells us many stories of thrilling experiences. Corbett’s addiction behind fishing came with the satisfaction of cooking up a hard-earned mill in the open wilderness.  But, catching a giant Mahseer in a Kumaon river according to him didn’t make him overlook the beauty of the forests. He was indeed the man of the forest. So, following his trails, we traced back a fishing expedition near the Corbett National park. Needless to mention, named after this legendary hunter and conservationist, the Corbett National Park is one of the oldest national parks in the country and is one of the most favored eco-friendly destinations in the world. 

After setting foot at Corbett, we couldn’t help but marvel at the breath taking surroundings and a jeep safari wasn’t just enough for we Faustian souls. Jim Corbett Park is not always about tigers and the jungles have many facets to its charm. Fishing in the river is just a part of it. Thus, the fishing trip happened and the excitement of a possible encounter with a Masheer inspired us for an early morning trip to the rivers.  Who doesn’t want to go fishing in a serene river and smell the sweet scent of the jungles floating in the air on a spring day? People from all over the world flock in here for a memorable angling experience even if many of them are vegetarians. After all, what’s the harm in a date with the river for a change?  Besides, we learnt that sustainable angling is rather a beneficial conservation activity and fishing is only allowed when the big Masheers completes a breeding cycle.

But, overall, it was our patience exercise tool because, fishing is a tricky business and the joy of your success can actually make you set the fish free in the waters again! Our fishing in corbett   happened on a cloudy day and our patience almost burnt out while waiting for a fish but those who didn’t opt for it had a quite fun time on the banks. Taking a solitary walk in the woods around can actually make a poet of you. We never knew who took this seriously, but almost every face looked content. Finding happiness in the Corbett woods wasn’t that tough after all. A customized angling trip made our trip to the Kumaon hills a very memorable one. A fraction of our busy life spent in solitude and sheer idleness served a perfect antidote to our stressed out souls from the city.

However, it wasn’t our intention to get spoiled in the wilderness. All we wanted was some recreation but a camping mattress under a tree near the river just spoiled us. Too tempted to rest our souls underneath the blue sky, we gave in and the rest as they say is memory carefully tucked in our hearts. A pampered soul remembers the goodness in a better way! What say?