Introduction :
About 300 km north-east of Delhi, in northern Uttar Pradesh province.
Ramnagar is the nearest town and railway station. The main accommodation
center inside the park is at Dhikala, about 50 km from Ramnagar.
Corbett
National Park at the foothills of the Himalyas was established in 1936 as
the Hailey National Park, India's first National Park and the first to come
under Project Tiger.
It is one of the best wildlife reserves in Asia, famous for its wide
variety of wildlife and its beautiful location. The highlight of any visit
is an elephant safari into the jungles and grasslands looking for tiger or a
herd of wild elephants.
Spread over 520 sq km Corbett is characterised by dense forest interspersed
with broad open grasslands (called "chaurs") and the ever present
river Ramganga, winding its sinous way through the sanctuary - ideal country
for the tiger and its natural prey.
The Park is named after the famous hunter and naturalist, Jim Corbett, who
popularised this land and its animals in his book "The Man-Eaters of
Kumaon". Corbett recounts many fascinating tales of hunting down
man-eating tigers. Always a nature lover, he helped set up a sanctuary
called Hailey Park in 1936. Eventually, an all India initiative for the
protection of the Tiger was launched from here. The park has a high density
of tiger population.
Prime Attractions of the Corbett National Park :
» Flora & Fauna - Corbett National Park is rich
in vegetation, with different kinds of trees and shrubs. The lower reaches
of the Park, where the land is flat compared to the upper reaches, consists
of tall and slender sal (Shorea robusta) trees. Shisham (Dalbergia sissoo)
and khair (Acacia katechu) trees are found in the middle reaches, while the
upper reaches of the mountains are full of bakli (Anogeissus latifolia),
chir (Pinus roxburghii), gurail (Bauhinia racemosa) and bamboo trees. The
Park is dotted with lantana shrubs, a species that is a great cause for
concern. Imported years ago from America, the lantana shrub ensures that
nothing else grows near it. In the Park are 110 species of trees, 51 species
of shrubs, and over 33 species of bamboo and grass that are mostly found in
chowds, or meadows.
Corbett National Park has more than 50 species of mammals, 585 species of
birds and 25 species of reptiles, but the Park is known for its elephants
and leopards, not its tigers. Many kinds of deer, namely chital (spotted
deer), sambar (Indian stag), chinkara (Indian gazelle), pada (hog deer) and
muntjac (barking deer) abound in the Park. Tiger sighting is rare, in spite
of a lot of alarm calls from monkeys and deer. Elephant herds comprising
tuskers, females and calves are commonly seen. However, an elephant herd
with calves is perhaps the most dangerous encounter in the wild, for
elephants are very possessive of their young and do not hesitate to charge
at intruding human beings.
» Other Wildlife Attractions - Leopard sighting is
even rarer than that of the tiger, and these spotted cats confine themselves
to the higher reaches of the Park. Other feline species found in the Park
are leopard cats, jungle cats, the rare fishing cat, and caracal, to name a
few. Sloth bears, wild boars, monkeys, dholes (wild dogs), jackals and
ghorals (mountain goats) also inhabit the Park.
The aquatic reptile population in the Park consists of mugger (Crocodylus
palustris) and gharial (Gavialis gangeticus) crocodiles, while Indian rock
pythons, Russell’s vipers, cobras, king cobras and common kraits are
some of the snakes found in the Park. Bird life includes parakeets,
flycatchers, babblers, cuckoos, robins, bulbuls, Indian and Great Pied
hornbills, warblers and finches, to name a few.
General Information Tips :
Access : 86km from Nainital 297km from Delhi
Altitude : 400-1,200m
Temperature : Min 40 deg C, max 42oC
Area : 350sq km core, 150sq km buffer
Below
are the official prices for foreign tourists:
» Entry fee/person (valid 2 nights) : Rs 350
» Jeep Entry fee : Rs 100
» Movie Camera : Rs 5,000
» Still Camera free
» Nature Guide/Jeep (upto 4 hours) : Rs 100
» Elephant Ride at Dhikla (aprox 2 hours) : Rs 100
» Dorm accommodation/night at Dhikala : Rs 100
Getting There :
Air : The nearest airport is a small airport at
Phoolbagh, Pantnagar, 51 km away.
Rail : The closest station is at Ramnager, 21 kms
distant. Ranikhet Express, which leaves the Old Delhi Railway Station at
night, is convenient as it reaches Ramnagar early next morning.
Road : Access to the park is from Ramnagar and buses are
available to Dhikala in the park. Taxis can also be hired here. It is also
feasible to drive down from New Delhi. The 300-km drive takes six hours, is
extremely picturesque and gives glimpses of various regions of Uttar Pradesh
from the most industrialised to the agricultural and the remote. Buses run
from New Delhi to Ramnagar but unless it is a luxury bus the ride can be
extremely uncomfortable.
