Jim Corbett National Park

Founded in 1936, Corbett National Park - the best of India 's protected Parks has the largest wild territory. Corbett Park is located not far from Ramnagar in Terai region of Nainital district of Uttaranchal state. Pastures, and forests that make up the reserve, lie on the hilly foothills of Shivalik at the foot of the Himalayas along the picturesque banks of the Ramganga River. A trip to this national reserve will introduce tourists to the rich diversity of fauna and flora of northern India.

 

General Information

Visit Corbett National Park is included in the program of the Golden Triangle tour. The program of the tour, calculated for 8, 10 or 12 days, involves paying attention to the reserve for slightly more than two days. After spending the night in the train, on the sixth day of the tour, you will arrive at the lively Ramnagar commercial city, from where you will be transferred to a hotel near the Park. After lunch, tourists are waited by a safari through the reserve on jeeps or elephants. Overnight at the hotel in Corbett. An early walk, breakfast and again for the whole day a jeep safari, during which you can be lucky to observe the inhabitants of the Park in the wild. The next morning, early climb, a small jeep walk through the Park, breakfast and further travel through India.

 

Historical Background and Description Corbett National Park

The oldest, most famous and almost the main wildlife sanctuary of India - Corbett National Park is founded by the legendary hunter for cannibal tigers, English naturalist, the fighter for nature protection, writer Jim Corbett. Initially, the reserve was called the National Park of Haley, then renamed in 1954-55 in the National Park of Ramnagar, and since 1956 and now bears the name of its founder.

Corbett Park is a particle of a vanishing world of untouched wildlife. 37 species of bamboo and herbs, 21 species of climbing plants, 51 species of bushes, 110 species of trees - this diversity of flora is recorded in this amazing place. Flat valleys, green meadows, forests, jungles and a large number of permanent and temporary reservoirs provide a wide choice of inhabitants: 580 species of birds, 50 species of mammals and 25 species of reptiles. 

The reserve, located in the north of the country, with an area of ??52.5 thousand hectares, protects natural complexes of shrub thickets, marshes and dry subtropical forests in the foothills of the Himalayas.

The area protected by a buffer zone of forests from sal wood and mixed forests of hardwood provides shelter for many wild animals and is famous for its majestic landscapes. Here in the grassy steppes, you can find spotty deer axis, deer sambar, antelope-goral. A large variety of birds varies from an ordinary water-colored mottled kingfisher to a predatory crested serpent. Also, visitors have the opportunity to see a bear-sponge, monkey-langur, civet, palm squirrel, peacock, Indian starling-lane, hoopoe, heron, turtledove, the green parrot and other birds and animals. Jackals here are very common, in the even in the camp you can notice a running wild boar. And the banks of the reservoir are the best places to watch large herds of Indian elephants. The park is also inhabited by a marsh crocodile marsh, a marsh tortoise, and a tiger python.

However, the largest popularity of the Park brings large representatives of the family of felines. Dangerous and graceful predators, such as the Royal Bengal tigers, reed cats, leopards, leopard cats, cat-fishermen can meet you during a safari. Great attention in the park is paid not only to preserving but also to the multiplying of tigers. In 1973, in the reserve with the support of WWF, a presentation of the Tiger project took place, thanks to which by now the number of tigers has significantly increased.

Great respect for the inhabitants of India is enjoyed by another inhabitant of the reserve - cobra - a noble animal, warning of its presence and not falling behind. Many animals of the National Park are listed in the Red Book. So, for example, a relative of dinosaurs, a rare species of crocodiles - gavial - a fairly peace-loving creature of an intimidating species.

This corner of the Earth has collected a lot of amazing representatives of the wild animal world, which can be observed from a fairly close distance. The heart of the National Park is 330 square kilometers. is not accessible for visits, only border forests are allowed for safaris. That is why this part of India can be seen as it was seen by D. Corbett and R. Kipling - the primitive.

 

Visit to Corbett National Park

In the period of monsoon rains, when river channels fill and interrupt the road connection, somewhere between June 16 and November 14, the National Park is closed to visitors. For the rest of the day, visitors should obtain permission to visit the administrative center of the Park located in Ramnagar. Spring months are an ideal time for visits to the Park, in winter it will be quite interesting for ornithologists. 

 

Independent Travel

People who are not on a program of a certain tour can visit the Corbett National Park on their own. Ramnagar can be reached by buses, which often run from Ranikhet and Nainital, which are located 112 km to the north. Also, you can make an eight-hour trip on a bus of plain-looking from Delhi, for lovers of comfort Delhi Transport Corporation offers a flight of junior suite. Fans of trains can enjoy themselves with a trip from 20.00 to 6.30 in the morning to Delhi by train without a transfer, but with a huge number of stops. A train of another direction or faster goes only from Moradabad, which must also be reached first. In 80 km. southeast of Ramnagar in Pantnagar is the nearest airport, but it is used extremely rarely.

One kilometer from the center of Ramnagar is the nearest entrance to Amnanda Gate. From here you can immediately get to the camp of Bijrani, which is a base for one-day campaigns. To the north of Ranikhet along the 18 km highway there is the Dhangarhi Gate, through which you will enter the Dhakalu camp and the northern parts of the reserve along the Ramganga River.

 

Dhakkala

Dhakala - the main camp of the Corbett National Park is located above the Ramganga reservoir in 40 km. from Ramnagar. This place is reminiscent of a military camp, because it is not let out beyond its borders without armed guards or without transport (an elephant, a jeep or another car). As accommodation, tourists are offered huts, designed for 24 people, or more comfortable double houses and bungalows. Meals in the dining room at the rate of either a person or a day, but the prices are pretty decent.

 

One kilometer from the camp is the observation tower, from where with the help of binoculars you can observe a large number of animals and birds near the watering hole. It is better to go for a walk around the reserve at sunrise or sunset, when the inhabitants of the Park do not hide in the wilds of the jungle from the heat. A great luck is meeting with tigers , because despite the increasing number of livestock, there are very few places where they can be seen.