Jim Corbett National Park, a treat for wildlife sighting in Uttarakhand- India

Jim Corbett is an oldest Tiger Reserve in India and is located in town of Ramnagar,Nainital District, Uttarakhand India.It was established in 1936 to protect endangered Bengal tiger. Actually it’s an ecotourism destination for nature lovers.

We started from Delhi early morning by our car via Gajraula , Moradabad, Kashipur and reached Ramnagar. We stopped over at MC Donald, Moradabad for breakfast. As we were approaching our resort, a wolf was crossing the road at the sight of which my kids jumped. It was a good start we thought!

We were at our destination, Tiger Camp Resort by lunch . It was a three day vacation in the three star property at banks of river Kosi . As we entered the resort , we were thrilled by its lush green interiors. The passage was covered by bamboo shoots giving a unique ambiance. There were many lawns.

Lawns at Tiger Camp Resort

Lawn at Tiger Camp Resort

Greenery at Tiger Camp Resort

Jim Corbett National Park is a vast area of approximately 520sq km , comprising of hills , riverine belts , grass lands and large lake. People come here to see splendid landscapes and diverse wildlife and decidous forests. Grasslands are only 10 % and tourism is only allowed selected areas.The park includes valley region formed by Kosi river.

We relaxed for a while after lunch.

Restaurant area both inside and outside dining.

Open Air Restaurant at Tiger Camp resort

Restaurant at Tiger Camp Resort

Then we moved on to the banks of river Kosi.The view was spectacular.

Kosi river view

River Kosi

To our surprise and kid’s amazement, we saw an elephant safari and were curious to do the same. It seemed really interesting.

Elephant getting down to cross the river

Elephant ready to cross the river

It was a spectacular scene to see the elephant crossing the river. Even I became a kid for a while and kept on following the safari till it was out of my sight.

Elephant crossing the river

After a small walk , we were ready for our first excurtion into the jungle on Elephant safari by 4pm. across river Kosi to Sitavan area . Our mahout introduced us to our female elephant , Kalina.We offered her bread and started our journey. My kids were sitting tight. As we crossed the river I was scared , but Kalina was very gentle and climbed down steep slopes very smoothly. We recorded once in a lifetime experience.

View of river from elephant

Elephant creating disturbance in river while crossing

There was absolute silence and we could hear birds chirping. When we were in dense forest, I was scared and did not want to spot a Tiger. I was so close to trees, bushes, branches of trees and their twigs that I could imagine a tiger in front of our elephant and wondered how would Kalina react to it. I was praying.  My anxiety was relieved at the sight of few more elephant safaris. Seeing the forest so closely on the elephant was an experience of lifetime. Every time we moved forward, we had to side away the bushes that were coming on our faces. Suddenly , we spotted few spotted dears lazing around. As we searched for Tiger, we could see peacock, Langurs,Fox and Wolf in their natural habitat.

While coming back from the jungle , we crossed the river again and saw the sunset.It was a memorable sight.

View of sunset

Then our Mahaout and elephant said Goodbye.

Elephant saluting with its trunk and Mahout holding its tusks

Dinner time besides a bonfire and live music was relaxing. It was very cold being November.

Guitarist at dinner

At 10 pm, we thought to drive along the road to spot a Tiger at night. But, to our fate, could not spot one. It is generally said that its hard to find a Tiger in Jim Corbett unless you are staying at Dhikala. We did not stay at Dhikala as it was in the middle of jungle without any mobile connection. Although, it is safe with barbed wires but with little kids, I didn’t want to take any chance.

Next morning was a pleasant experience to enjoy scenic beauty of the jungles and landscapes from the banks of river Kosi in perfect silence. We drove till Patkot village at 5am to see Tiger but in vain as we could only see Tiger pug marks. Pug marks were very fresh and indicated the presence of Tiger in the vicinity. So, we waited for more than an hour but….came back.

Tiger pug marks

We then got ready for our visit to grasslands of Dhikala by canter. Dhangarhi is the main entrance to the park.

Dhangarhi Gate

It is on the Ramnagar- Ranikhet road. It was a bumpy ride in Patli dun valley along banks of river ramganga. As we passed through dense Sal forest we saw panoramic view of valley .

View of forest from canter

We were mesmerized by the landscape and saw wildlife from proximity , which included deers and a large ghariyal at crocodile point.

Deer hiding in bushes

Forest of Sal wood

It was now time to stop at Dhikala. Dikhala resort was on the bank of river and it was a nice view.

Dhikala resort

View from Dhikala resort

After a simple and tasty snack at the Dhikala resort, we started our trip to grasslands. We were roaming around when , suddenly our canter stopped. To my amazement, a large wild female elephant was standing right across our way with her small calf. She glanced at us angrily. Our driver being experienced, reversed the canter because the elephant could have attacked. We waited for a while and sped away as soon as her attention was diverted. It seemed she forgave us for crossing her way.

Cottage at Tiger Camp Resort, Jim Corbett

We came back to our resort extremely tired and exausted, had our dinner in the room itself and slept like logs of wood. Next morning we woke up refreshed and enjoyed scenic beauty fron our balcony and played various games at the resort.

Hill view from balcony

Play Area at Tiger Camp resort

It was time for us to bid goodby. We started at 12 noon & reached delhi by 7 pm , after long traffic sanarls and jams.

Although this time we could not spot a Tiger , our encounter with wild elephant was a memorable one.

I would definitely advise all nature and wildlife lovers to visit this place .

JIM CORBETT ZONES :

5 Zones selected to permit wildlife safaris and watch wildlife from proximity after taking due prior permission from park authority & accompanied by naturalist guide. Morning and evening safaris are allowed in all but Dhikala. Only morning centered arranged by government are arranged.

Dhikala– Located in the core of Jim Corbett National Park. Probability to spot a Tiger is maximum in this zone. It is advisable to pure book this government operated lodge

Jhirna– This zone hosts animals like Leopard, Deer, sloth bear, wild boar and even Tiger. Zhirna was a farming village. In 1994, it was relocated under project Tiger. One can enjoy Bird Watching as well.

Bijrani-This zone houses variety of vegetation and is comparatively drier than Dhikala.

Domunda– This zone habitats Leopards, Tigers and wild elephants

Sonanadi-Popular for bird watching, this zone houses wild elephants, Tigers, Leopards , King Cobra, Ghariyal, Bear as well.

There are four ways to reach Jim Corbett.

By Air– Airports near Jim Corbett are Delhi- Indira Gandhi International Airport or Palam Airport for domestic link. Other airports near Jim Corbett are Dehradun and Lucknow for domestic link

Important roads connecting Ramnagar-

1. Delhi- 260kms
2. Lucknow – 145kms
3. Nainital- 66 kms
4. Ranikhet- 112 kms
5. Dehradun- 170 kms

By rail

Trains connecting Ramnagar are Corbett Link Express and Ranikhet Express

Trains connecting Kathgodam- Kathgodam Express and UTR Sampark Kranti. Kathgodam is approximately 140 kms (2 hrs and 46 mins )away from Jim Corbett.

By road

If you are going from Delhi, go via Hapur, Garhmukeshwar, Moradabad, Thakurdwara, Ramnagar and Jim Corbett National Park. Do not enter Moradabad city, take right for Moradabad bypass. Start early morning to be able to reach by lunch as it takes 6 hours.

In case you are taking a bus, you can board semi deluxe bus service from Anand Vihar. Delhi transport corporation run semi deluxe bus service every half hour.

Other beautiful snaps.

Forest

Machan in forest

View from rear of Tiger Camp Resort

Dense forest at Jim Corbett National Park

Nidhi KM, 11th March, 2014

Copyright Viharin.com