which wildlife sanctury(cancelled: going to Narkanda now!)

[tsk1979]

Hi,
We are planning to visit a wildlife sanctury within 400kms of Delhi.
The options are
1. Ranthambore
2. Corbett
3. Sarsika
4. Kanha

By the latest census, Kanha and Corbett have the largest number of Tigers, second is Ranthambore and Sarsika is devoid of any

So that leaves us with Ranthambore and Corbett. And maybe kanha, but only if its possible to reach there within 10 hours of spirited driving, but I am not sure how far is it from delhi.
The plan is to go there with three days
Friday, Saturday, Sunday
Friday to reach
Saturday to enjoy and Sunday to return

So please give the following info.
1. Distance from delhi and approximate time taken
2. Good places with budget of around 1500-2000rs/night and they should arrange tiger safari
3. Condition of roads and area, and other suggestions

[naveendhyani]

the road conditions to corbett are good. also it should take u no more than 7 hrs normal drive from noida. keep the distance at roughly 225-250 kms.

[speedzak]

I haven't been to any of these. :

As much as I've heard and read about, Kanha is the place to go if you're just looking for tigers.
Ranthambore is more interesting but less number of tigers than Kanha.
Not much informed about Sarsika, but heard it's worth travelling there for the birds and roads.
If you're looking for an overall wild and Jungly experience, then Corbett will satisfy well. But I heard the gates were closed due to some strikes or something. So, make sure before you go that way.

Distances?? Where's LBM, Gunbir, iRaghava etc...??

[iraghava]

Tsk you really want my opinion? I think you already know it!!!

Anyways will answer your questions in detail, give me a few hours.

[noviceDriver]

I've been to Corbett and Ranthambore, so here's the first hand information about them:

Corbett (been there last year):
Distance from Gurgaon: 328 KM (till Ramganga Resort, numerous small bad stretches of road after you cross Corbett Hideaway in Ramnagar). But otherwise good road till Ramnagar, with diversions galore in NH24 due to ongoing road-widening work. (road information is as recent as of last week, due to trip through that area)
Stayed in WelcomHeritage's Ramganga Resort, too good of a place to stay (lot of options ranging from tents to cottages), with food, scenery etc. Costed us 2000/day including all meals for a tent accommodation. Only negative point, 25 odd KM away from the common entrance gates like Bijrani / Jhirna.
Inform them beforehand if you wish to avail the jungle safari through their jeep. You can also take jeeps on rent from outside the gates, rate depends on your negotiation skills, I was poorer by 800. This time while crossing the area, also saw canters, no idea about its rate. Book as early as possible for the safari, there was (hope still is) restriction on the number of car / jeep's entry through each gate.

Ranthambore (been there during Dussera this year):
Distance from Gurgaon: 412 KM (via Dausa, bad road stretch of around 60 KM after Dausa); 435 KM (via Tonk, better road).
Stayed in WelcomHeritage's Ranthambore Jungle Resort, good food, good accommodation, costed us around 2500/day, again with all meals (If you need more info about this resort, PM me). Have numerous hotels and resorts around, will suit every budget.
Safari charges: 350/person in canters. Gypsys will cost more, 2500-3000 for a gypsy, will accommodate 4-6 persons. All hotels arrange them, so not a point of concern in choosing hotels. Handycam charges 200, nil for still cameras.
Don't miss Ranthambore Fort, though you'll pass by it during safari, it's not part of safari, you can take your own car till the fort's entry. Better to go there for the sunset views of the jungle and water bodies around.

Alas, I've seen everything except tigers in these two places , wish you'll have better luck!

[iraghava]

Tsk you really want my opinion? I think you already know it!!!

Oh hell I'll answer it right now:

My choice would be Corbett for the following reasons:

1. Good to great roads on the way.
2. Well developed tourist infrastructure.
3. Lots of options for staying.
4. Highest chances of Tiger Spotting.

Sariska is highly disappointing, I had been there 2 years back & not only did we see very few wild animals leave alone Tigers, the infrastructure also was pretty poor.

Ranthambore is pretty far & I'm not sure there are too many tigers left there anymore, according to the last census the number there was between very few to none. Kanha I have no idea about.

About Corbett:

1. Distance from Delhi is 265 kms. Delhi to Moradabad - 160 kms; Moradabad to Ramnagar 105 kms.
Approximate driving time 5 hours without stops. For stopping spots please refer to my previous guide posted for your last trip! Or do you want an updated one???

2. If you can get it the best place to stay is the Forest Dept Guest House at Dhikala which is 30 kms inside Corbett in between the dense jungle. Earlier wild animals including Tigers used to walk in here (to give you an idea of how deep it is situated) now they have an Electrical fencing around the compound to deter the animals. There are a few more like Bijrani which are also Govt. guest houses but are not as good. Reservations for Dhikala are made months in advance so it's pretty tricky to find a place to stay there. Otherwise there are lots of nice resorts on the outskirts of Corbett but they are going to be a little expensive but have much better facilities than the govt. ones.
Also almost every hotel/resort/guest house there will arrange for a Night safari for you. Elephant or Jeeps both.

3. Road conditions:

a. Noida to Hapur Byepass - Fabulous roads, lovely 4-lane highway can
maintain high speeds here.

b. Hapur to Brijghat - Mixed condition with some bad, broken patches due
to ongoing widening of roads.

c. Brijghat to Moradabad Byepass - Good roads but lots of diversions due
to the road widening procress.

d. Moradabad byepass to Ramnagar - Fabulous roads, scarce traffic,
picturesque landscape with lots of greenery. Real pleaure to drive here!


Other suggestions:

a. Start early morning on Friday to reach Ramanagar by lunch. That ways if you want you can make a day trip to Nainital on Saturday.

b. You can visit Corbett Falls which is about 20 kms from Ramnagar.

c. Avoid travelling at night at any of the stretches also due to risk of Fog
in the current weather.

Any more questions, please feel free to ask!

[aZa]

rags u worked for "outlook traveller" by any chance? lol

[tsk1979]

Thanks for the info rags!!
Actually Corbett is the easiest as I know the ramnagar route very well.
But I heard ranthambore is good for tiger spotting, even better than Corbett.
The best option they say is Kanha, which is the most well managed wildlife park, but the problem is hardly anybody is aware of route and road conditions!

[iraghava]

Originally Posted by aZa

rags u worked for "outlook traveller" by any chance? lol

No but I own it .

Originally Posted by tsk1979

The best option they say is Kanha, which is the most well managed wildlife park, but the problem is hardly anybody is aware of route and road conditions!

Yeah I know I was trying to find the route on some map sites & none of them had Kanha even though they had all the others!

[speedzak]

Ranthambore was blessed with 10 brand new cubs recently!!
Yes! google had it in their news section.

And check this while going to Corbett.

[tsk1979]

Thanks for the links speedzak. The 10 cubs news was what is gravitating me towards ranthambore.
But since I will be hitting the parks on christmas, the strike at corbett will most probably be over.
I am planning a long weekend with a visit to some snow covered hill stationed too!

[speedzak]

Hey,
I didn't know about your trip being in Christmas. Then nothing else to be considered than Corbett! The snow and the chilly weather is just what needed for that lushy Jungle experience.

Hope you're married!!

[tsk1979]

That I am
Ranthambore is still in the loop, with Ranthambore-Narkanda straight drive in the end for snow

[iraghava]

Good you have time Tanveer! If you finalise Corbett then better try for the bookings to Dhikala now otherwise later might not be possible. Give me a call if you need any help there.

And anyways for snow you can visit Nainital, Bhawali etc.

Originally Posted by speedzak

Hope you're married!!

Yup he is!

[tsk1979]

Bookings are hard to get by, so planning to book now.
Any feedback on the Tiger Camp resort?
Any contact numbers, booking details etc.,?
This is one of the resorts which we found had tariff around 2000/night.