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Corbett National Park
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The Corbett National Park is
situated in the foothills of the Himalayas and is spread
over the districts of Nainital and Garhwal in the State of
Uttaranchal, located in northern India. The national park
covers an area of 521 sq kms. It was established on August
8th, 1936 and is the oldest national park of the Indian
subcontinent.
Jim Corbett was born on July 25th, 1875 and spent most of
his formative years exploring the wilderness that lay
around. This led to developing a deep knowledge of the
forests and its inhabitants. The result was a naturalist
who could read the signs of the forest and predict the
movement of wildlife. Corbett's in-depth knowledge of
Indian Wildlife would stand him in good stead in later
years.
The elevations in the Park range from 1312 feet (400
meters) to 3970 feet (1210 meters). Most of the Park lies
in the Outer-Himalayan or Shiwalik region.
The Ramganga River is the lifeline of Corbett Tiger
Reserve. It is a rain-fed river originating in the Lesser
Himalayas at a place 100 kms away from Corbett. It then
flows for a distance of approximately 40 kms through the
park. At a place called Kalagarh this river has been
dammed, and the resultant reservoir is about 80 sq kms
with half of it in Corbett National Park, and the other
half in Sonanadi Wildlife Sanctuary. Its main tributaries
in the national park are the Mandal, Palain and Sonandi.
Numerous mountainous streams flow into these rivers. After
leaving Kalagarh the river flows for another 300 kms
through the Indo-Gangetic plains before emptying into the
Ganges.
While there are no human settlements in the main park, 19
villages exist in the buffer zone and around 200 villages
all around the reserve. There is no grazing in Corbett
National Park, while Sonanadi Sanctuary has a few Gujjar
families with their cattle.
Cattle lifting by tiger and leopard take place fairly
often. Earlier the villages would try and kill these cats
by poisoning the cattle. Now NGOs like Corbett Foundation
(www.corbettfoundation.org) have programmes where
compensation is paid to the aggrieved villager once it is
confirmed that his cattle has been killed by a tiger or
leopard.
Dynamiting and illicit netting of fish in the Ramganga is
a major problem.
A special mention must be made of the avifauna found out
here which is very interesting, because of the overlap
between the high altitude and plains, and the eastern and
western races of a number of species. As the park is
situated on a migratory route, it is visited by the
passage migrants. It also attracts a large number of
migratory birds, with the Ramganga river attracting
species that migrate vertically up (in summer) and down
the Himalaya (in winter).
Places To See in Corbett :
Dikhala: Dhikala is the most popluar tourist destinations.
Dhikala offers an awesome uninterrupted panoramic view of
the valley, with the Kanda ridge in the backdrop. This
sight appears all the more imposing from the watchtower
near Dhikala. The Tourist Complex overlooks Dhikala chaur
(one of the largest remaining grasslands of the Park) and
Phulai chaur. A drive through the numerous trails through
chaurs is rewarded with sightings of wild elephants,
chital, hog deer and numerous grassland bird species and
raptors. The old rest house at Dhikala is a historic
structure, having been built over a hundred years ago.
Corbett Museum: Corbett Museum at Dhangarhi where you will
see the belongings and life history of Mr. Jim Corbett.
You will also see some animals freely moving around the
museum.
Garjia Temple: 14 kms. from Ramnagar,on the way to
Ranikhet, is a huge rock in the midst of river Kosi. This
place has been named Garjia Devi after the deity. The
temple is visited by thousands of devotees from different
parts of the state. A large fair is held here on kartik
Poornima.
Fauna:
Mammals include caracal sloth bear, cheetal, elephant,
fishing cat (rare), ghoral (mountain goat), jackal, jungle
cat, langur, leopard, Pada (hog deer), Muntjac (barking
deer), Rhesus monkey, sambar, tiger and wild boar.
The Zoological Survey of India has recorded over 585
species of resident and migratory birds here.
Bright-headed Cisticola, Barbet, Bulbul, Grey Slaty Rosy
Minivet, Chir and Khalij pheasants, Cinereous vulture,
Cuckoo, Drongo, Egret, Flycatcher, Heron, Hodgson's
Bushchat, Kingfisher, Indian pied hornbill, Jungle
babbler, Lesser Fish Eagle, Cinereous Vulture, Minivet,
Pallas's Fish Eagle, Parakeet, Pallas’ fish eagle,Shrike,
Spotbellied Eagle Owl, Tawny Fish, Wagtail, White-tailed
rubythroat, Woodpecker, Wallcreeper, White tailed
Rubythroat are just some of the species that are regularly
seen in and around the park.
Reptiles include cobra, Indian rock python, king cobra,
krait, mugger, rock python and Russell’s viper.
Best time to visit:
Between mid November and April. Winters can be cold. The
park is close from mid-June to mid-November.
Safari timings:
Mornings and evenings. Timings keep changing, so better to
check.
Go there for:
Tigers, angling.
How to reach:
Ramnagar is the town closest to Corbett National Park and
is well connected via road to Delhi, Nainital, Ranikhet
and Haridwar.
Important distances from Delhi - 295 kms; Lucknow - 145
kms; Nanital - 105 kms and Ranikhet - 112 kms.
by road:
Delhi is a drive of 275 kms/6 hrs from the park. The route
goes past Hapur – Garhmukteshwar – Gajraula – Moradabad –
Kashipur and Ramnagar.
by rail
The most convenient rail connection (www.indianrail.gov.in)
to Camp is:
Delhi – Ramnagar:
5013 Ranikhet Express DEP Old Delhi Railway Station 2245
hrs; ARR Ramnagar Railway Station 0500 hrs.
Ramnagar – Delhi:
5014 Ranikhet Express DEP Ramnagar Railway Station 2115
hrs; ARR Old Delhi Railway Station 0500 hrs.
The II AC compartment of this train is very comfortable.
From Agra, your options are:
Mathura – Lal Kuan: 5311 Kumaon Express DEP Mathura
Junction Railway Station 2315 hrs;
ARR Lal Kuan Railway Station 0845 hrs.
Lal Kuan – Mathura: 5312 Kumaon Express DEP Lal Kuan
Railway Station 1900 hrs; ARR DEP Mathura Junction Railway
Station 0425 hrs.
Mathura is 58 kms from Agra.
Lal Kuan is 75 kms from Camp.
Both trains mentioned above operate on all days of the
week.
Station transfers from Ramnagar Railway Station or Lal
Kuan Railway Station can be arranged on request.
by air
The closest domestic airport to Corbett National Park is
50 kms away at Phoolbagh, Pantnagar. At 295 Km from
Corbett National Park, the nearest International Airport
is at Delhi.
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© 2008, Banjara Camps & Retreats Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi. All rights reserved.
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