India (Frommer's, 4th Edition) (370 page)
264km (164 miles) NE of Delhi; 436km (270 miles) NW of Lucknow
Covering 1,319 sq. km (509 sq. miles), Corbett became India’s first national park on August 8, 1936, when it was declared a reserve; 37 years later Project Tiger, a government undertaking aimed at saving India’s dwindling tiger population, was launched here in 1973. Today the biggest draw of the park remains the possibility of spotting a tiger in the wild but despite the fact that 140 or so tigers reside here, sightings are not to be taken for granted, and your chances of an encounter are far better at Ranthambore (Rajasthan) and Bandavgarh (Madhya Pradesh). The advantage of Corbett, however, is that you can overnight in the park, and it’s a relatively affordable option. It’s also the closest and easiest park to get to from Delhi. Staying here also means you place less pressure on those increasingly popular parks (if you equate a real vacation with the most luxurious safari lodgings, you’ll be far better off at either the much lauded Aman or Oberoi properties adjoining Ranthambore, or the gorgeous Taj safari lodges near Bandavgarh).
Corbett National Park’s landscape consists of
Sal
forests and bamboo trees, with an abundance of other wildlife, including leopards, wild elephants, boars, black bears, sambar, four-horned antelope
(chausingha),
monkeys, and, among the reptile population, pythons and the endangered gharial crocodile. Corbett’s many water bodies are a birder’s delight, with more than 400 species recorded. Inside the park, you can hole up in a watchtower near a waterhole for hours. Areas outside the park, especially along the Kosi River, are almost as good.
The Hunter-Turned-Conservationist
Born in Nainital, Jim Corbett was a reformed hunter who, like so many of the world’s conservationists, spent his formative years hunting large animals for pleasure, killing his first leopard at the age of 8. During the 1920s, he gave up killing as a hobby but regularly shot man-eating tigers or cats believed to be threats to humans, but with an increasing sense of loss. (To get yourself in the mood for a visit to the park he helped create, pick up a collection of Corbett’s fearsome hunting tales or a copy of his first book, Man-Eaters of the Kumaon, which recounts how he hunted and killed the Champawat tigress that was responsible for the death of 434 people.) When the reformed hunter finally passed away in Kenya in 1955, the park he helped establish was renamed in his honor.
VISITING THE PARK
Corbett is open from November 15 through June 15, much of it closed when the monsoon causes rivers to flood their banks. Sightings are best between March and June. Access to the park is via the town of Ramnagar, where the
Park Office
(opposite the Ramnagar bus stand;
97-1925-1997;
www.jimcorbettnationalpark.com
; Dec–May daily 8:15am–noon and 1–4pm, June–Nov daily 10am–noon and 1–5pm)
processes and issues the required permits, and handles all park-managed accommodations as well as jeep safaris. There are direct trains from Delhi to Ramnagar; driving takes 6 to 8 hours (about 300km/186 miles).
Corbett is divided into four mutually exclusive tourist zones, and you can visit only one zone at a time. If you do not have your own vehicle, hire one in Ramnagar or at Dhangari Gate for around Rs 700 to Rs 900 (jeep and fuel). It’s best to undertake jeep safaris early in the morning; each zone has a separate fee: for half-day excursions entry/vehicle/guide fee for
Bijrani
and
Dhikala
is Rs 200/100/250,
Jhirna
is Rs 100/75/250, and
Durga Devi
is Rs 100/75/250; full-day fees are double throughout. You also have the option to go for a 6-hour safari in the government-run 18-seater minibus (Rs 1,200). The park is open daily 7am to 5pm in winter, and 6am to 6pm when the days are longer. You are not permitted to enter the park less than 30 minutes before the sun descends, and nighttime driving within Corbett is not allowed. Don’t make the mistake of arriving in Ramnagar too late in the day; you will have to fill out forms, pay for permits and accommodations, and still get to the gate 30 minutes before sunset. Corbett is extremely popular and likely to be fully booked, so don’t arrive unprepared.
Perhaps the most visually attractive area of the park is
Jhirna,
which is the only section that does not close during the monsoon season (June 15–Nov 15).
Try to visit
Ramganga Reservoir,
where endangered gharial crocodiles bask on the banks and a sign warning against swimming proclaims that
SURVIVORS WILL BE PROSECUTED
. Surrounded by vast elephant grassland savannas,
Dhikala
has the greatest selection of accommodations, and substitutes solitude for access to facilities like restaurants and even film screenings. Dhikala is reached via
Dhangarhi Gate
(16km/10 miles north of Ramnagar), and is only accessible to visitors with accommodations reserved inside this zone; entry to Dhikala costs Rs 450 per person for 3 nights, plus Rs 150 for a car or Jeep and Rs 250 for the guide (4 hr.).
Tip:
If you want to plan a flexible itinerary, you’ll need your own vehicle from Delhi or you can hire a vehicle (preferably a jeep) with driver once you arrive; otherwise all accommodations will arrange pickups from Ramnagar Station. If you don’t plan on staying in the park, it’s far easier (particularly if you’re staying at one of the resorts below) to have your hotel management make all your safari arrangements; the bureaucracy and form-filling that go along with acquiring the necessary permits can be exasperating.
Sightings from the Saddle
Saddle up for a 3-day (or 6-day) horse safari in the reserve forest bordering Corbett National Park.
Corbett Horse Safari
takes you out on thoroughbred horses retired from Mumbai’s racetracks across the Kosi River, up and down ridges and mountains, through thick forests of sal and elephant and tiger country to Kaladungi, where Jim Corbett lived. Trips are professionally led, and horses have accompanying syces (stable-hands). Riders overnight in spartan 19th-century forest rest houses (or tents) along the way. The whole experience is a step back in time. Call98-1110-9596
or 98-7187-8671; or go to
www.corbettriverside.com
. Customized trips with accommodation and all meals cost approximately Rs 6,000 per person, per day. Or saddle up for 3 hours for Rs 500.
WHERE TO STAY & DINE
Inside the Park
Although overnighting at one of the official park lodges has many advantages (particularly for your budget), comfort and service are not among them, and you’re best off at Hideaway Lodge (reviewed below). The popular and often crowded
Dikhala
camp is one of the few places (others are Gairal and Bijrani) where you can get food in the park; it has two vegetarian restaurants (non-vegetarian food and alcohol are forbidden in the park and at park lodges, with the exception of Hideaway River Lodge). Dikhala’s accommodations include cabins and three-bed “hutments” with attached bathrooms, and dorms that sleep 12 and are serviced by a separate washroom.
Forest bungalows (rest houses)
are scattered throughout the reserve and are best booked at least 1 month in advance; they offer seclusion and complete privacy, but—as with all of the rest houses outside Dikhala—you’ll have to bring your own supplies. (Don’t leave food lying around—there are reports of elephants ripping out the screen windows of forest rest houses to get to the provisions inside.) One of the best bungalows is at
Gairal,
near the Ramganga River and close to a hide bank.
Kandha Resthouse
is set on the highest point within the park. If you’re up for a little more style, ask about
lodges
once used by British hunters; these have such unexpected luxuries as attached bathrooms, fireplaces, and carpets. For reservations at any of these camps, contact the Director, Corbett Reserve Reception Centre, Ramnagar 244 715 (05947/25-1489;
fax 05947/25-1376;
www.corbettnationalpark.in
). At Dhikala, rates range from Rs 200 per person for a log-hut dorm to Rs 1,400 for a room in a cabin, and up to Rs 2,000 or Rs 2,800 for a room in a more private forest bungalow. Rooms in various other rest houses throughout the park cost between Rs 800 and Rs 2,800. Credit cards are not accepted.
Outside the Park
Nature lovers who don’t necessarily require top-notch hotel amenities will love the rustic but terrific
Camp Forktail Creek
(05947/28-7804;
www.campforktailcreek.com
), run by a young, enthusiastic couple, Ritish Suri and Minakshi Pandey. Accommodations are in safari tents, with elevated wooden floors and attached toilets, or in mud huts with thatched roofs and verandas. Customized walks, safaris, and birding and angling trips include the services of a resident naturalist or tracker. A double at Rs 4,400 includes all meals, cold drinks, and escorted walks; no credit cards. Half- or full-day game drives are offered, and you can also opt for a camping trip into the forest reserve or multi-day elephant safaris. Delicious buffet-style meals are served in “The Thatch”; lit by lanterns at night (there is no electricity), it houses a collection of some 700 books for guests to peruse.
