Corbett National Park

Common Info

Corbett National Park is one of the thirteen protected areas covered by World Wildlife Fund under the Terai Arc Landscape Programme. It is located at the junction of the Kumaon and Garhwal hill regions in Nainital district in the northern state of Uttarakhand. The park is spread over an area of 1288 square kilometres comprising 520 square kilometres of core area and 798 square kilometres of buffer area. Jim Corbett National Park has been named after Jim Corbett, the famous hunter-cum-conservationist of the late 19th century. Corbett National Park is the oldest national park of India which was set up as early as 1936 (then known as Hailey National Park). Every year more than 70,000 visitors come to the park from various parts of India as well as from abroad.

Jim Corbett

Edward James ‘Jim’ Corbett (1875 –1955) was an Indian-born British hunter, conservationist and naturalist, who was famous for his bravery and hunting several man-eating tigers and leopards in north India. Corbett was a colonel in the British Indian Army who was often summoned at the Kumaon and Garhwal region to hunt the wild cats when turned deadly. Between 1910 and 1938, he had shot the leopard of Rudrapayag, the Champawat tiger, the tigress of Chowgarh and the leopard of Panar, all of which had turned man-eaters owing to various reasons. However, Corbett equally stressed on the need of conservation of India’s wildlife. Corbett had authored the famous book ‘Man-Eaters of Kumaon’ along with others. Corbett in all had killed 19 tigers and 14 leopards.

Uttarakhand

Uttarakhand in northern India is a mountainous state bordered by Uttar Pradesh in the south, Nepal in the east, Haryana in the west, Tibet in the north and Himachal Pradesh in the north-west. Uttarakhand was carved out from Uttar Pradesh in 2000 (previously known as Uttaranchal). State capital is Dehradun.

Geography of Uttarakhand

Most of Uttarakhand’s terrain is mountainous and covered with forest. In the north, the state is flanked by the Greater Himalayas. The proximity of the Himalayan ecosysytem gifts the region with great flora and fauna diversity. Ganga and Yamuna, two of India’s prime rivers, originate from the glaciers of Uttarakhand. The highest altitude in the Uttarakhand region are dominated by glaciers with little or no green while tropical forests are mainly found in the lower points. Uttarakhand is home to several national parks.

History

Some areas of the present day Corbett National Park belonged to the the erstwhile princely state of Tehri Garhwal. The king of Tehri formally ceded a part of his territory to the British East India Company in lieu of the latter’s favour in keeping away the Gurkhas. The land was inhabited by the Boksa tribal people although they were evicted by the British who prohibited any kind of agricultural and cattle grazing activities in the said area. They decided to set up a wildlife reserve here and in 1936 the Hailey National Park was set up. In 1954-55 the name was changed into Ramganga national park and in 1955-56 the name was changed again into Corbett National Park after Jim Crbett, who had played a key role behind the establishment of the park. Hunting is not allowed in the park although timber felling is. During the Second World War, the park had witnessed excessive poaching and wood cutting activities. The area of the park was increased in 1991 assimilating Kalagarh forest division and also of Sonanadi Wildlife Sanctuary. Project Tiger was launched at the Corbett National Park with an aim to protect the endangered Bengal tiger. The park headquarters is located at Nainital district.

Flora

About 488 plants species have been found in the Corbett National Park. Commonly found trees in the park include, Sal, Pipal, Haldu, Rohini and mango, besides grasslands.

Fauna

Bengal tigers inhabit in these jungles even though the thick vegetation prevents frequent spotting of the striped cats. The tigers here are known for their ferocious nature. Besides, elephants, buffaloes, boars, barking deer, sambar deer, hog, Black buck, chital, Sloth and Himalayan Black bears, yellow-throated martens, Indian Grey Mongoose, otters, ghoral (a kind of antelopes), Indian pangolins, langur and rhesus monkeys are also found here. Crocodiles, snakes, and various types of fishes, amphibians and dragonflies are also found here.

Avifauna

About 600 types of birds are also spotted in the Corbett National Park. Crested serpent eagle, blossom-headed parakeet, red junglefowl, owls and nightjars are found here.

Geography

The average elevation of the Corbett national Park region is between 385 and 1,100 metres above the mean sea level. The park area features ridges, small plateaus, minor streams and ravines. The park area also encompasses the Patli Dun Valley that has been formed by the Ramganga River. The Sonanadi Wildlife Sanctuary is located in the zone buffer to the Corbett National Park. The national park is located between the Lesser Himalayas and the Siwalik Mountains.

Climate

The Corbett National Park region experiences temperate climate. During summer, the temperature rise to a maximum of 40 degree Celsius while during the winter, the mercury varies between 5 and 30 degree Celsius. Monsoon months may witness heavy rainfall. Annual rainfall is between 1,400-2,800 mm.

Best time to visit Corbett National Park

The Corbett National Park remains open from mid-November to mid-June. Roads inside the park get washed away by the rains and it is only after they are resurrected after the monsoons that the park is reopened for the tourists.

How to reach Corbett National Park

Ramnagar town located in Nainital district in southern Uttarakhand is the headquarters of the Corbett National Park. Ramnagar is well connected by rail, road and airways.

By air
Pantnagar is the closest airport to Ramnagar which is 50 km away. New Delhi airport is 240 km from Ramnagar.

By Rail
Ramnagar railway station is located about 65 km from Nainital. Kashipur and Moradabad (in UP) are other rail stations nearby. Ranikhet Express and Uttarakhand Sampark Kranti Express connect Ramnagar with New Delhi.

By road
Ramnagar can be reached from New Delhi by road (route: New Delhi-Ghaziabad-Babugarh-Gajraula-Joya-Moradabad-Kashipur-Ramnagar). Also National Highway 121 linking Kashipur and Bubakhal in Uttarakhand pass through Ramnagar. Ramnagar can also be reached from Nainital, Haldwani, Bareilli, Kathgodam, Hardwar, Ranikhet, Dehra Dun and Lucknow.

Tourism zones at Corbett National Park

Corbett national Park has been divided into five tourism zones, namely, Bijrani (entry at Amadanda), Dhikala (Dhangiri), Jhirna (Khara, Kalagarh), Domunda (Durgadevi) and Sonanadi (Vatanvasa). This division has been done for the convenience of the visitors.

Dos and donts at Corbett

• Enter the park only after procuring the necessary permit
• Co-operate with the Nature Guards in helping you to enjoy the wildlife at the park and ensure your own safety and security
• Drive slowly in the park without disturbing the wildlife. Maintain the ride on specified roads and trials or otherwise small trees and resting animals can be disturbed
• Maintain safe distance with the animals
• Move quietly and do not make noise
• Do not wear clothes with too bright colour. That can scare the animals
• Do not carry weapons
• Do not smoke or light campfires in the forest
• Do not get off the vehicle without permission
• Do not always expect to spot a tiger (April to mid-June is the best time to spot tiger). You may return dissatisfied. Instead, enjoy the other beauties of the forest.
• Do not booze
• Do not litter. Non-biodegradable wastage must be carried out from the park

Permit

One must procure permit for entering the Corbett National Park. For the day visit, entry permits are obtained at the entry gates while for the night stay, permits are available at the CTR (Corbett Tiger Reserve) Reception Office at Ramnagar.
Entering Dhikala Tourism Zone: Day visits here are not permitted excepting the conducted safari organized by Corbett Tiger Reserve. Visitors with prior reservations can, however, enter the zone.

Accommodation

• Tourist accommodation facilities are available at Dhikala and Bijrani. Dhikala has the maximum accommodation facilities.
• Lodging is available at forest houses at places like Malani, Sarpduli, Kanda, Jhirna, Gairal, Lohachaur, Rathuadhab, Halduparao, Mundiapani, Morghatti, Sendhikhal and Dhela.

Notes

Prior booking can be made by paying the necessary tariffs in advance. Once the accommodation is reserved, permits can be collected from Ramnagar Reception Office.

For advance reservations for night halts, one can contact

• The Director, Corbett Tiger Reserve, Ramnagar – 244 715, Dist: Nainital
• Tel.: +91-5947-253977, Reception – 251489
• The Chief Wildlife Warden, Uttaranchal, 85, Rajpur Road, Dehradun-248001
• Tel/Fax. : +91-135-2744225, 2741607
• Uttaranchal/Uttarakhand Tourism, Indraprakash Building, Barakhamba Road, New Delhi – 110001, Tel. +91-11-23319835

Other resorts/hotels

• Ramganga Resort

• Infinity Resort
• Corbett Riverside Resort
• Corbett HideawayCountry Inn
• Treetops Resort
• Riverine Woods
• Tarangi Resort
• Wood Castle Resort
• The Hideaway River Lodge
• Jim’s Jungle Retreat
• Camp Riverwild
• The Wild Crest Resort
• The Den
• Solluna Resort
• Corbett Wilds Camp & Retreat
• Corbett Jungle Club

• Corbett International
• Corbett Kingdom

Threats to Corbett National Par

• The overwhelming popularity of Corbett National Park is indeed its biggest threat. Excessive tourist influx in this area leaves an adverse impact on the ecosystem. Noise pollution is also a major cause of concern for the national park. In 2007, noted nature-lover, photographer and film-maker Kahini Ghosh Mehta took initiative to make tourism in Corbett National Park a healthy affair. She made the only travel film on Corbett National Park titled ‘Wild saga of Corbett’ wherein she has laid emphasis on the tourists’ responsibility to contribute towards healthy tourism. She also featured in Femina, noted women’s magazine for her contribution as a naturalist in Corbett National Park.
• The construction of a dam at the Kalagarh river which has led to the submergence of a big tract of low-lying area led to a adverse effect on the swamp deer and the hog deer population.
• The spread of exotic weeds Lantana, Parthenium and Cassia.
• Encroachment by local people
• Rising incidents of poaching

Other tourist attractions

• Dhikala: Located at the fringes of Patli Dun valley. Ideal spot for nature viewing.
• Garjia Temple: Dedicated to Garjia Devi, the temple is located on the banks of River Kosi and about 14 km from Ramnagar.

• Hills stations like Ranikhet, Nainital, Kausani, Binsar
• Berinag, Chaukori, Gwaldam, Gangolihat, Patal Bhubaneshwar
• Corbett Wildlife Museum
• Kalagarh Dam

Activities

• Elephant Safari

• Guided trekking
• Bird watching
• Fishing (at Pancheswar, Binsar and Ramgarh with special permission)
• Rock climbing
• Jeep safari