“And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul.”
John Muir
Jim Corbett National Park is the oldest national park in India and was established in 1936 as Hailey National Park to protect the endangered Bengal tiger. It is located in Nainital district and Pauri Garhwal district of Uttarakhand and was named after Jim Corbett, a well known hunter and naturalist. The park was the first to come under the Project Tiger initiative.
The park has sub-Himalayan belt geographical and ecological characteristics. An ecotourism destination, it contains 488 different species of plants and a diverse variety of fauna.
Corbett has been a haunt for tourists and wildlife lovers for a long time. Tourism activity is only allowed in selected areas of Corbett Tiger Reserve so that people get an opportunity to see it’s landscapes and wildlife.
Corbett National Park comprises 520.8 square kilometres area of hills, riverine belts, marshy depressions, grasslands and a large lake. The elevation ranges from 1,300 to 1,400 ft. Winter nights are cold but the days are bright and sunny. It rains from July to September.
Dense moist deciduous forest mainly consists of sal, haldu, peepal, rohini, mango trees. Forest covers almost 73% of the park, 10% of the area consists of grasslands. It houses around 110 tree species, 50 species of mammals, 580 bird species and 25 reptile species.
Fauna: More than 586 species of residents and migratory birds have been categorised, including the crested serpent eagle, blossom-headed parakeet and the red jungle fowl— ancestors of all domestic fowl, 33 species of reptiles, seven species of amphibians, seven species of fish and 36 species of dragonflies have also been recorded.
Bengal tigers, although plentiful, are not easily spotted due to the foliage-camouflage in the reserve. Thick jungle, the Ramganga river and plentiful prey make this reserve an ideal habitat for tigers who are opportunistic feeders and prey upon a range of animals. The tigers in the park have been known to kill much larger animals such as buffalo and even elephant for food. There have been incidents of tigers attacking domestic animals in times of shortage of prey.
Leopards are found in hilly areas but may also venture into the low land jungles. Small cats in the park including jungle cat, fishing cat, and leopard cat. Other mammals include barking deer, Sambar deer, hog deer and chitol, sloth and Himalayan black bears, Indian grey mongoose, others, yellow-throated martens, Himalayan goral, Indian pangolins, and langur and rhesus macaques. Owls and nightjars can be heard during the night.
In the summer, Indian elephants can be seen in herds of several hundred. The Indian python found in the reserve is a dangerous species, capable of killing a chitol deer. Local crocodiles and gharials were saved from the extinction by captive breeding programs that subsequently released into the Ramganga river.
Our account of experience:-
On 2011, when started our tour from Delhi to Ramnagar it took almost 4 hrs by car. We had started our journey early in the morning and reached Ramnagar by midday. From there we had proceeded through Dhangiri gate to Dhikala forest rest house which is a very well-known destination in the park and situated at the fringes of Patli Dun valley. This rest house was built 100 of years ago. Kanda ridge forms the back drop and from Dhikala, there are views of the valley.
It took almost one hour to reach that particular place. Nowadays the reservations are done online. In order to stay at night, the Indian and SAARC visitors have to book the accommodation of Dhikala Forest Lodge 46 days in advance and the Foreigners have to book the accommodation 91 days in advance.
The six different wings of the Dhikala Forest lodge can be categorised as:
- Old forest Rest House ( Number of Room 05)
- Dhikala Annexes ( Number of Rooms 07 )
- Hutment ( Number of Rooms 06 )
- Cabins ( Number of Rooms 06 )
- New Forest Rest House ( Number of 04 )
- Old Range Quarters ( Number of Rooms 04 )
These all forest rest houses have solar electric fencing that keeps the tourists safe.
We had our safaris and game drives. After four game drives we were still lacking the visionary of that great Royal Bengal Tiger. On the third and the last day of staying there, we had our luck favourable for seeing such spectacular glance of Royal Bengal Tiger. We had goosebumps on seeing the moving black and yellow striped body crossing the road. My friends, that experience can’t be explained in words, it was a feeling, a sensation. It’s beyond words. Those moments were just passed by and we stood still on the jeep. The Royale Bengal Tiger then slowly disappeared into the depth of the jungles. We returned to the forest rest house leaving behind the forest but carried in our hearts the everlasting feeling and image of the green camouflaged region which will last forever.
So my friends, always keep travelling and be an explorer.
