Location: Uttaranchal.
Main Wild Life: Tigers, Leopards, Crocodiles
Area: 1,200-sq-kms
Best Buys: Various ayurveda medicines for almost all aches and pains
Corbett National Park Short Review
Located in the foothills of the Himalayas is the Corbett National Park was declared in 1936 as India's first national park. The Corbett National Park was first delimited in consultation with that great hunter and conserver, Jim Corbett. Home to a variety of flora and fauna, it is famous for its wild population of Tigers, Leopards and Elephants.
Flora and Fauna In Jim Corbett National Park
Corbett National Park is rich in vegetation, with different kinds of trees and shrubs. Consisting tall and slender sal (Shorea robusta) trees. Shisham (Dalbergia sissoo) and khair (Acacia katechu) trees are found in the middle reaches, bakli (Anogeissus latifolia), chir (Pinus roxburghii), gurail (Bauhinia racemosa) and bamboo trees. There 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.
Jeep Safari in Corbett Park
Jeeps Safari, is the most convenient way to travel within Corbett National Park.
Best Time to Visit
The best visiting season of Corbett is from November 15 to June 15. During other months the monsoons flood the river beds and cut the fragile road links.
How to Reach
Air: Phoolbagh, Pantnagar at a distance of 50-kms is the nearest airport. Delhi at a distance of 300-kms is the nearest international airport.
Train: Ramnagar is on the broad gauge track from where the road transport options have to be availed to reach the park.
Road: Dhikala is 300-kms from Delhi, 145-kms from Lucknow and 51-kms from Ramnagar. The route from Delhi spans Hapur-Murababad-Ramnagar. The turn off is some 7-kms beyond Muradabad to the left, marked by a small board. The route from Lucknow spans Bareilly–Kichha–Rudrapur–Doraha–Kashipur. Ramnagar is served by frequent buses to and from Nainital and Ranikhet, 112-kms north.
