Corbett National Park

Ultimate abode of the Beast

Wildlife fascinated me from my childhood. But this interest further intensified
when I relocated to Delhi from Kolkata, since North India offers an array of
wildlife parks and sanctuaries for the somewhat wild-hearted tourists. Since
then had I have had quite a few rendezvous with wild life, in their natural
surroundings.

Located in the Himalayan foothills is the majestic CORBETT NATIONAL PARK.
Home to a variety of flora and fauna, it is famous for its wild population of
the tigers, leopards and elephants. This sanctuary was established in 1936
and was then known as the ‘Hailey National park.’ India’s first National Park
and the first one to come under ‘Project Tiger’ Corbett park supports a
variety of vegetation making it an ideal habitat for the tiger and its prey.

Once a popular hunting ground for the British, this 201 sq miles (1200 sq
km) park was later named after the late Jim Corbett, the legendry hunternaturalist
turned author and photographer, who spent most part of his life in
this area and contributed to the setting up of this park as well. In 1973,
‘Project Tiger’ was launched here, with the guidance and assistance of the
World Wildlife Fund (WWF), and this park became one of the first tiger
reserves in the country.

Several modes of reaching this sanctuary are by air, rail and road. Phoolbagh
in Pantnagar is the nearest domestic airport 50kms away and Delhi is the
nearest international airport 300kms away from the Park. One can take a
train to Ramnagar, the nearest market town, to the National Park and then a
taxi to the Hotel. Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) runs a semi-deluxe bus
service, which takes you on the 8-hour journey to Dhikala. From there you
can hop on to a bus available on a half hour interval to take you directly to
the gates of the wilderness. Any alternative cab service would also offer you
the basic facilities.

While making reservations at a suitable lodge or resort which have
mushroomed along the fringes of the Corbett Park, one can ask the travel
agent to book a jeep or elephant safari as well. This prior booking saves time
and energy. Most of these hotels offer a plethora of services which include
accommodation, guided tours of the nearby forests as well as the park, not
to mention the scenic locales around which they’re built. So you can take
your pick as per your convenience, interest and affordability. These range
from ‘The Claridges Corbett Hideaway’ ‘the Corbett riverside Lodge’, ‘The
Dikhala Forest lodge’, ‘The Sarapduli Forest Rest House’ among others.
Your Travel Agent or the Hotel Concierge can arrange permits to the park.
The other option is to obtain the same from the administration centre in
Ramnagar. Choose your entry gate as per your convenience and proximity.
Be sure to be there at least half an hour earlier to complete entry formalities.

Arriving during the early evening, we checked into our comfortable rooms,
devoured the delicious tea and decided to kill time on the banks of Kosi river
(which flows behind the hotel) for as long as possible. There was a majority
vote for returning early next morning for a quick refreshing dip, before we
set off on our jungle safari. With this we headed towards the hotel realizing
the danger lurking in the jungle overlooking us. The wild beasts alive and
about looking for suitable prey was a spine-chilling thought. It was as if I was
reliving the stories by Jim Corbett, read during my childhood. The locales,
the people, the jungles all sent an eerie feeling through my spine and I
couldn’t wait to take the Jeep ride the next day through their wild haven.

When our guide-cum-driver of the open Maruti gypsy informed us that the
best visiting season is from November 15 to June 15 and that the authorities
shut the gates from June 16 to November 14 due to floods, which
disconnects all the road links; we considered ourselves more than lucky. It
was the 1st week of October and Mr. Karan Johar was shooting for his film
"KAAL" here. Hence there was smooth accessibility. Remember to carry your
binoculars, remain as quiet as possible within the premises, to wear light
coloured clothes and no strong perfumes.
For the very wild at heart, the elephant safari is a favourite mode to get
around the wild terrain. It sure is safer high on top than the open jeep in
times of grave danger. It might be your life’s desire to see a live tiger.
However, when the beast does actually walk up to your jeep and stares at
you trying to hypnotize you with its gaze, you end up having mixed feelings
and are confused at what exactly is to be done.
The varied topography comprises of hilly and riverine areas, temporary
marshy depressions, plateaus and ravines. The lower areas are almost
completely populated by Sal Trees. Corbett national Park is a vast green
house of around 110 tree species. It also boasts of housing 50 mammal
species, 580 bird species and 25 reptile species.
Tourists throng to Corbett Park not only because it’s a haven for tigers. There are other wildlife attractions as well, which often fall prey to this beautiful stripped wildcat. Four kinds of Deer and Wild Boars are some of these less fortunate animals. However, you might just come across some leopards in the hilly areas as well as some nocturnal cats such as leopard cats, jungle cats and fishing cats. Sloth bear is found in the lower region, whereas the Himalayan Black bear is located in the higher hills only. The rocky hillside can offer some views of the ‘Ghoral’ or the Goat Antelope. You can spot some Dole or Wild Dog and Jackals in the southern areas of the park. The Himalayan Palm Civet, the Indian Grey Mongoose, the Common Otter, the Black-Nape Hare and the Porcupine are some of the smaller and lesserknown dwellers of this humungous sanctuary.
The shores of Ramnagar River offer a rare view of the long snouted, fisheating ‘Gharial’ Crocodile as well as the ‘Maggar’ Crocodile. Interested anglers can find a game or two at the Kosi River in the likes of the legendry ‘Mahseer’ and the River Carp. Lungoors and Rhesus Monkeys can be spotted on tree tops well distributed throughout the jungle, always ready with their characteristic alarm calls, warning the rest of the park of an approaching Tiger or Leopard. It’s strange how nature has its own ways of creating a security system.
Be it the jeep safari or the elephant back ride; wildlife view has an equal
charm on both. It’s preferable to visit the park at dawn or dusk, for during
the heat of the day a chital, Sambhar or other Deer species are mostly
commonly viewed. These preferred hours of the day may perhaps make you
a lucky tiger viewer. If not, you can surely spot fresh pug marks. I feel that
the latter itself should be no less exciting. You can also use the little rooms
(Machaans) built specially to spot the beasts from a higher level from the
ground, giving you a perfect bird’s-eye view. So, you never know what the
vast Savannah grassland, also known as the Maidan has in store for you.

If all of the above fails to burn your adrenaline, you can entertain yourself
with Rock- climbing, White-water rafting, Nature walks or some star gazing
at night.
Having said all this, our little Safari, however, was not quite fruitful, since we
never caught sight of any of the big cats. We returned quite half-hearted
having spotted some deer and peacocks. Perhaps our timing was wrong.
Anyway better luck next time!