Jim Corbett National Park was on our travel wish list for a long time. Situated in just under six hours of drive from Delhi we set out early. It was a cold winter morning of December, with no interruptions of fog when we started. But once we crossed the Delhi - Uttar Pradesh border we were in for a soup. The visibility was zero, due to fog and we had to pull over at the way side MC Donald for an hour or so. We set out after day break.
We reached our resort, Ashoka's Tiger Trail, an hour before our first safari was scheduled. The resort was situated just a kilo meter away from the main gate of the Dhikala zone of the Jim Corbett Tiger Reserve. This was more of a relaxing trip than the usual touristy trip and have to say of the three passengers on board, I was the happiest ;), no points in guessing why!!!!
Well, this was one of the safaris were we did not have any luck with tiger sighting. But we thoroughly enjoyed the safari, as it took us through the wilderness and we were as close to nature as we could be. When you go on a safari here, if you are not carrying a binocular then it is always a good idea to rent it from the main gate before the safari starts.
Thanks to the rented binoculars we were able to see vultures hanging on the cliff, and many a bird species. Both the safaris where interesting, and a fake warning call from the monkey up on the tree did hype our expectations, but well it was a fake call!!!
The park has a lot of human interference in the forest area, which I think has severely affected the flora and fauna of the area.
After the safaris were done, we went to visit the Kosi Barrage, and also the Corbett Falls, The Kosi Barrage is a great picnic spot, there is a park near by and the barrage has a lot of water foul and ducks.
At the Corbett Falls, you can drive your vehicle to almost a kilo meter away from the falls and the rest of the way you have to cover on foot. It is a pleasant walk as you are surrounded by trees and have a few, little rivulets to cross by.
The most we did on this trip other than the safari of course was relax and read, the place is a haven for people looking for quietude and relaxation. Come nightfall, all you get to hear are the sounds of the jungle, the rustling of the leaves in the wind and an occasional hooting of the owl.
For the next trip we are planning to get ourselves booked into Forest Guest House at the Bijarani Zone, which requires planning ahead, as it is open to tourists only for a fixed time in the year and requires permit for which you have to apply three month in advance. Until then Jim Corbett for us was a relaxing and happy journey into the wild.
Happy Musings
Tina
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