Team-BHP - Need help for road trip from hyderabad to Jim corbett national park.

hi Bhpians,
we guys are planning for a trip from hyderabd to jim corbett by the end of Jan 09 or begining of feb 09. we are 4 of us & two drivers. I need help regarding the routes,places to stay & expences. would appriciate if the map is provided. can we buy a road map? if yes where do we get in hyderabad. please throw some light on this topic. You guys have been a great help for my mahabaleshwar trip. Exact information & Accuratu Route, Expect the same kind of response.

Thanks in advance.

I would advise that you pick up Eicher road map of India. This is one of the best resources.

Second in planning you route is Delhi a must? You could divert from Agra to Aligarh and thence to Moradabad and Ramnagar (Corbett is just after this) Saves you tons of traffic and endless jams plus would be shorter. Atleast on upward leg of the journey.

Third plan to be in Ramnagar at noon by latest (leaving time for contingencies) if you plan to stay in side the forest area. No entry late in the evening as all traffic inside is stopped at sundown. That said plan previsou night at Agra and you can achieve this.

Hyderabad --> Agra: Guru's here can tell you better although roughly it should be Nagpur/Sagar/Jhansi/Gwalior/Agra. I have no idea of road conditions. Or there could be some other alternative.

The shortest route to Corbett would be on NH7 via Adilabad, Nagpur, Seoni to Laknadon, then NH27 via Narasinghpur, Sagar, Lalitpur, Jhansi to Gwalior, then NH3 via Morena and Pholpur to Agra. From Agra, you can go via Hathras to Moradabad, and from Moradabad to Ramnagar and Corbett.

However, problem areas are as follows:
- NH7 widening work from Hyderabad to Nagpur
- Terrible roads on NH27 from Laknadon to Lalitpur
- Bad roads from Lalitpur to Gwalior
- Avoidable roads between Agra and Moradabad

The alternative route is via Bombay which is very long but extremely fast since it will take you on NH9 to Pune, the expressway to Bombay, NH8/NH76/NH79 from Bombay-Thane all the way to Delhi via Surat, Baroda, Ahmedabad, Udaipur, Chittorgarh, Bhilwara, Kishangarh, Jaipur, Delhi, Hapur, Gajraula, Moradabad.

I have discussed the 2 routes in an earlier thread, maybe you can search out the forum, you will also get comparative distances and time plans there.

Will be happy to work out the route details further. I have been to Corbett, but from Bombay and via GUjarat, Rajasthan and Delhi, not through the Central India route.

In any case, please see the following log books for some guidance:

H V Kumar - Driving Log Books - KUMAR'S DRIVING LOG BOOKS Kashmir to Kanyakumari, Dec 2002
This one has the route from Hyderabad to Agra via Adilabad, Laknadon, Sagar, Jhansi, Gwalior, but in the reverse North-South direction.

H V Kumar - Driving Log Books - KUMAR'S DRIVING LOG BOOKS Uttaranchal, North India, Oct 2006
This one has the route from Bombay to Corbett via Baroda, Ahmedabad, Udaipur, Jaipur and Delhi

I would avoid the trip in January because it will be very foggy at that time - thgis means very tough driving conditions for half the day, and also reduced sightings in the Park itself. Besides, this is also the peak foreign tourist season in that area. Mid-Feb would be preferred.

Hvkumar thanks a lot for the information above. your suggestions & information helped me a lot for my privious trip to mahabaleshwar. I wanted to know how much distance will it take if we go Via delhi & how much will it be Via Mumbai. after reaching there what about the stay? how much will it cost for a stay? can we stay inside the forest, heard about the rooms in dakila, but sounds very expensive. needed some information, please help

One: As HVK says January is not ideal time. In that respect April/May are much better (though hotter) for seeing wildlife.

Two: The huts inside the reserve area are not expensive but getting a booking is a chore. Done through Director Project Tiger at Ramagar. Any one having address details?

There are so many resort outside the forest periphery ranging for all budgets. Starting from Tourist corporation hostels to luxury resorts.

Hyderabad-Agra via Nagpur and Sagar is around 1,350 kms.
The route via Bombay to Agra (via Jaipur) will be very long, nearly 2,200 kms.

As sudev mentions above, there are several hotels on the fringes of the sanctuary on the road between Ramnagar (closest town to the WLS) and Dangarhi Gate (the entry to Dikhala). I have myself stayed in the Corbett Camp which is n5 kms from the Bijrani Gate (and Ramnagar). If you search for hotels on the net, you will find ample choices.

AS far as getting into the FRH at Dikhala is concerned, it is very difficult, and the Forest Dept has the standard practice of saying all rooms are full. They also reserve rooms for VVIPs and that reduces the numbe rof rooms further. Your best bet is to stay at one of the hotels. Please bear in mind that getting into the WLS through the 4 gates (Bijrani, Jirna, Dangarhi and one more (cant recollect name) is a difficult exercise since they allow only limited number of Gypsies into the jungle at the designated times and these are often "full" even before the Q starts.