Safari sojourn

Shubhangi Atre visited Jim Corbett National Park in May with her husband, Piyush Poorey. It was a special trip coinciding with her hubby's birthday. She recounts the beauty of the forest and wildlife with CS:

Feast for the senses
We spent four days at the Jim Corbett National Park in May. As it was summer, all the animals came out of hibernation or their lairs, to welcome the viewer. The glowing red flowers of the Flame of the Forest, the dense foliage of the ferns/creepers ferns and the waving Tiger grass define the forest in summers.

Nestled in the foothills of Kumaon, the park is spread on a broad flat valley, the river Ramganga flows through it, and one can spot animals on the riverbank. The distinct feature of the forest are the Sal trees seen in hues of green and copper.







Wild encounters
We visited the places like Bijrani, Jhirna and Dhikala, which are known for different animal sightings. The park has over 50 species of mammals and 580 bird species. One can see animals like tigers, elephant, wild dog, leopard cat, Indian pangolin and hog deer.

We saw elephant herds, deers like Chital, Sambhar and Muntjac (Barking Deer), monkeys, crocodile, jackals, hog deer, leopards, peacock etc. The tiger is quite elusive, we could see only one tiger, that too at 4 am, when we went for an elephant safari.

We spent a night at a dense forest camp at Dhikala. It was on a picturesque location at the edge of a grassy plateau perched high above the Ramganga reservoir. We were surrounded by deers, elephants and other animals. At dinner time, around 100 deers were roaming at a distance of ten feet from us.

Tourist attractions
Other attractions around the park include the Sitavani Ashram, the Corbett Museum dedicated to Jim Corbett, the Garjia temple, Kaladungi falls and many more. The hill stations of Nainital and Ranikhet are also close by.

Tips for travellers
Wear brown or green so you merge into the forest.
Don't wear perfumes as animal senses are strong
No smoking or alcohol is allowedu00a0
Must take hats and goggles as there is direct sunlight everywhere
Wear full sleeves clothes as there are variety of insects in forest
Wear good quality shoes.