(Corbett National Park Is in Uttranchal region of North India)

Corbett National Park ! The name itself brings to mind the spectacle called Tiger ! Thousands visit this nature reserve with an idea to sight the majestic king of the jungle ! But how many actually come back with a ‘successful visit’ ?

Only a fraction ! Corbett National Park is a natural jungle … protected by the special laws… but is still a jungle ! It is not a Safari Park…or a ZOO !

There are estimated to be less than fifty tigers in the total Park area of more than 500 square Kilometers. And if we add the peripheral forest area…The totality…termed as Corbett Reserve… spans an area of over 1300 sq. Kms.

Now imagine! One tiger per 25 sq. Kms. ! And we all know that tiger is a shy animal! It does not flaunt its existence! So, the probability of tiger sighting for an average visitor is a small fraction !

Well, if one is hell-bent on spotting a tiger…then one can visit the local zoo!!

But what the jungle has to offer…if we reconcile with this fact that the king may or may not oblige, …. is simply phenomenal! It is mind boggling!

Corbett National Park authorities, and the conservationists, as well as nature lovers would be doing a great service… if they somehow recast their USP !

The uniqueness of Corbett is not the tiger sighting ! The park is a nature lover’s delight ! The jungle area has almost all the ingredients that are sufficient to give goose pimples to a romantic nature lover!

The park has amazing grasslands … tall Sal trees … winding trails…. a river full of alligators/Gharials…. mountain ridges… termite hills…. thousands of cheetal deer and beautiful herds of gray/blue/brown elephants ! And much, much more !!!

We shall not go into the cataloguing of flora and fauna of the park but purists would tell you that the Corbett area boasts of some of the finest plant and animal species in this part of the world ! And bird lovers … you are also well catered… certain areas, especially near the Rathuadhab/Mandal are a bird lovers’ paradise !

Once you enter the Dhangarhi gate and drive up to Dhikala, you can suddenly start sensing the romance… and if you encounter a lone tusker…who, your guide will definitely tell you, is the most feared creature in the entire jungle…. you would feel a different type of thrill…maybe a slight fear as well ! And when this lone tusker, who is so unpredictable, suddenly turns a wee bit and gives your vehicle a second glance… ask your driver what he is feeling at that time !!!

The best way to imbibe this intoxicating experience is to stay at Dhikala Tourist complex.. inside the park… in functional, rough and tough accommodation provided by the forest department. If you fancy luxury resorts, they are all outside the park area, and then you can merely be a day visitor ! (Which is not too bad…but the real romance is, if you are staying inside !)
There are other rest houses in the park …. apart from Dhikala…. Sultan, Sarpaduli , Khinnanauli , Gairal , Halduparao etc. … these are wilderness out houses , suitable for hard core adventure lovers who are not worried about things like electricity, a cafeteria etc. and who do not mind an occasional scare from a creeping snake or a scorpion !

Once you are inside, then in the wee hours of the morning, you can take a car/jeep excursion or an elephant safari and set out in this amazing wonderland called Corbett!

If you care, you can perch atop a machaan or a watch tower and spend hours watching the splendor of flora , fauna and avi-fauna.

While driving along some deserted dirt track, you might come across a centuries old tree whose branches have gone back to the ground and rooted…again to be jutting out… an eerie sight ! Reminds some people of the illustrations in the Indrajal comics they had read in their childhood…and then there are creepers who have made their resting place on top of some tree…and it is difficult to make out…where the tree ends and the creeper (with thick veins) begins !

And the nights are spectacular ! STARSTUDDED ! I remember one particular night when we had gone to a rest house outside the park area…in the reserve forest… it was Dhela, if my memory serves me right…. where in the pitch darkness, when I looked up …. there was a canopy of trillion diamonds on my head !

And there was a tree in the courtyard…an old banyan tree…. and that tree was loaded…. studded … with another set of diamonds…the glow worms ! One cant ask for more !

And on some winding trail, you might come across a tiny creature pushing a ball (of dung) three times its size… with its hind legs, while getting the propulsion from the ground with its fore-legs ! This would be the dung beetle ! And you are sure to find thousands of miniature dinosaur-look-alike lizards, it is a fascinating place…. and of course you might come across the king himself !…or atleast listen to the Sambar or Langur making calls…. these are supposed to be the most authentic !

You might also discover, as I did, that the seemingly disproportionate elephant is as nimble as a mountain goat… and the tusk is used for variety of purposes while it is negotiating the rough terrain !

So, please go to Corbett… but be a traveller…not just a tourist !

And don’t be like a particular state politician who visited Corbett along with his VIP entourage, stayed at Dhikala , and in the morning enquired : “ WHERE IS THE PARK SO I CAN GO FOR MY MORNING WALK ?”