[joybhowmik]

One does not need many reasons for a short trip. They are a necessary and welcome interruption to the tiring bromides of city life. They leave a small footprint in the recesses of the mind. Years later, when personal circumstances change, these memories would be retrieved from a corner, dusted off and re-lived as fleeting moments of joy!

So without further ado - here's our account of one of many trips to Corbett completed over the Eid weekend (September 25-September 27 2015). While other trips have not been documented, there was sufficient "special reason" to document this one.

It would be R3's first highway outing. Besides exams were over, and the promised treat to the kids was long overdue! Pujo is in the air! And what's a better way to herald Pujo in, than a drive on a highway that winds by waving fronds of Saccharum Spontaneum (a.k.a. কাশ ফুল by many friends from Eastern India on the forum.)

Saccharum Spontaneum


An informal introduction to R3

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRhXIw5-N7w

Some cranes that added to the beauty of the Autumn morning.










As is our wont, when it comes to driving out to Corbett, we prefer a late start - which means - no later than 7 AM. That gives us enough time, to make it to Corbett for a late lunch at whichever resort hosts us.

Snacks were had on the way - at our favourite Udupiwala at Rajabpur, UP (28.836634, 78.384562 call at +915922291277).

The delectably light and fluffy vadas


R3 parked by NH-24


From thereon, it's but a short 3 hour drive via Kashipur - Thakurdwara -Ramnagar to reach Corbett Adventure Resort (29.306092, 79.185422, contact at 9639738126, 8859354581) where we had booked ourselves for a 2N 3D package deal.

An A/C premium room on a 2N 3D package (AP) , for 2 adults and 2 children cost us a little over ₹ 10k through trivago/travelguru. The extra safari was a whopping ₹ 4k ! As inquiries at the online portal had shown, there was one safari slot left , so it had to be ponied up as I did not want this trip to end up only as a Delhi-Resort-Delhi milk run.

The signboard.


R3 resting awhile after reaching the resort.


The Reception


The Enclosed Parking


And a Special Parking for a very Special R3 :-)

[joybhowmik]

First impressions:
The resort is not near the Core area , rather its located at Bailparao village about 15 km from Ramnagar on the Ramnagar - Nainital road. So a drive to any of the Corbett forest gates would easily take the better part of the hour by car.

Having said that, despite it's locational disadvantage, the resort is set among sprawling grounds, impeccably maintained, staffed by polite and trained people, and very family and children friendly.

Even if one is not lucky enough to have booked a safari, one can easily spend time lounging at the pool, or engaging in some adventure at the attached adventure park, play a game of volley ball or badminton or simply laze around on the swings or in the several gardens.

Our rooms


The arbor walkway


A solitary hibiscus


Playground


Driveway by the Cottages


The main driveway


Quaint Garden Art


A beehive


A cart in want of bullocks


A flower by the way side


The pool - an instant hit with the kids


"Asset"- the friendly guard dog.

It was quite shocking to learn that Asset is usually left chained to the gates- due to perceived inconvenience to guests. SPCA are you listening?

The gate to the Adventure Park - to which the resort owes its name


Rapelling Jig


Various obstructions to climb over dot the landscape - some tyres in this instance


The paintball arena - can be yours to play चोर-पुलिस in for ₹ 400/-


The Paintball arena - from the watch tower


A burma bridge


A climbing wall


The dining hall with the buffet spread

They also do à la carte.

[joybhowmik]

The Barati Rao falls are about 7 km from Bailparao village towards Kaladhungi. At the start of the approach road, is a sleepy little Ecotourism center- which doubles as government FRH cum training ground for guides in Corbett National Park.

From Bailparao , pass over this
gurgling nondescript nullah


The turn off from the Ramnagar-Nainital road is easy to miss, so,
watch out for this signboard


At the entrance to the approach road, is the Ecotourism center


Move past it, towards the Barati Falls Gate
The road quickly dwindles to a track. It's a good idea to have a local guide, but there are plenty of small hamlets on the way, to ask for directions at the many forks.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvvfXelbMDA

Eventually, park by the gate


The initial part of the trek is up a steep climb






Besides the stairs the gushing sound of the water washes the tiredness away




Then the path narrows suddenly, the ambient light is tempered by the verdant profusion around-almost magical in the twilight






And before you know it, Barati Rao Falls is right ahead

Legend has it, that a travelling बारात (groomsmen) met a grisly end when their bullock carts suddenly sank in quicksand , that once existed here. And thus the quaint choice of name.

Sufficiently sobered by the thoughts of such a grave event , we laboured on through the jungle..




A termite nest - so common in the jungles


An artificial step, to break the flow and control the direction of flow


A sluice feeds water into the channel that takes it away for irrigation use


Our guide- Raju. We contracted him from the Ecotourism centre.

[joybhowmik]

A short drive of 18 km from Bailparao to Kaladhungi brings one to Jim Corbett's erstwhile home (29.292830, 79.338119) now a museum.

The Museum Gate


Jim's House




A write-up about Jim's incredible generosity and the genesis of छोटी हल्द्वानी


A palanquin to carry Maggie Corbett (Jim's sister)


Jim handcrafted this furniture for his personal use.



An ornamental plant on the grounds


With the great man - philanthropist, photographer and environmentalist

[joybhowmik]

No visit to Corbett can be said to be complete , without a safari. Unfortunately for us, the popular core areas (amongst them Bijrani and Dhikala) were off bounds at this time of year. Our safari was thus restricted to Dhela (in the buffer zone) - but word had it that there had been the all important tiger sighting a few days ago.

It's said the tiger sees you , yet is never seen. Ne'er a truer word. And thus, a sighting is nothing but a game of chance, for the casual wildlife hobbyist. Despite the excitement , and the furiously significant gestures of guides and drivers alike , I have developed a healthy lack of expectation from Corbett and other forests over the years.

Instead, I had decided to enjoy the experience of an open top jeep, hanging on to its supports as it scrambled to gain a toehold on deeply rutted tracks, whilst supporting my camera gear.

And with my son, emulating the same , right next to me - could things have gotten any better?

So without further ado...

Us in the Gypsy


Locals trap fishing in the Kosi river


A crane


Unsure what bird this is. Any guesses?

(Apologies for the out of focus image. We were at that time moving along crossing a fast flowing nullah, and it was all I could do under the trying circumstances.)

A green bee eater

(Apologies for the out of focus image!)

The same bee eater (again)


A magpie

Apologies for the darkness. As I chose to photograph her, she hopped away , and flew into the branches, going ever deeper into the foliage. No amount of flash could have helped in the circumstance.


A deer that posed for us for the longest possible time




A pair of Babblers groom each other




A weaver bird's nest


A warbler?


An egret hiding behind the grass


A flock of deer

They fled when surprised first by us, and then by a possible predator in their tracks.



At which point they turned around and crossed our path. Evidently in their eyes, our "threat perception" was lower.



And then - the best part of the Safari ...

A herd of elephants crossed our path through the elephant grass, and then we went up close - but not too personal!! At one point, it seemed as if one of the young bulls had got sight of us, and almost sauntered by close to us. However, we were prepared to put pedal to the metal, and out run the big guys!



















As dusk settled in, the experience of the couple of hours of getting close to wildlife - ran through our minds, again and again.

We had not seen the tiger, but with the way the deer behaved, it was evident that a tiger had been very near, but chose not to reveal himself.

I hope to be back someday, on asafari, that's untrammeled by the hotel's "expert tracker , manager & guide" and other equally forgettable advise.

Rather I plan to stay at one of the government FRH's, and take a local tracker along as a guide. I am sure the experience will be better and more authentic.

As our safari drew to an end, dusk settled in and we headed back to our resort, for final packing before the next day's 270+ km ride back home.

Corbett - we will be back!

[Gannu_1]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[mayankk]

Oh Hey!
I was at this place just a few months back! Except for the food and the smallish rooms, it was pretty good.
Oh, and the one million tiny frogs!!

So you have the call now, to go back repeatedly to Corbett. To see the tiger!
Good luck with that!! Took me 7 trips before seeing one.

[Aditya]

Fantastic travelogue Joy.

Spotting a tiger at Corbett,or for that matter at most of our national parks and reserves, has been difficult for many years now. For most of us it takes multiple visits to get a glimpse of one. Chital, elephants, monkeys, etc are quite common.

Don't apologise is you feel some of the pictures aren't as good as you would have liked them to be. One requires a lot of time and patience shoot wildlife.

Sweet dog. They should move him to another location. Not a good idea to chain him up all the time.

By the way, I'm a big fan of Corbett's writings.... and the Mahindra Scorpio.

[MindOnWheels]

Hi Joy,

We too planning a trip to Corbett from Delhi in the next 15 days.

Wanted to know few things:

1. How good are the roads?
2. We would be driving only during day time. Guess, it's safe then, right?
3. Plan to take a ZoomCar and drive. Guess we would be required to pay commercial taxes while entering UP first and then Uttranchal. This should easy like paying a toll or you reckon any issues like long lines, unfriendly guys etc..

Let me know. Many Thanks

[joybhowmik]

Originally Posted by MindOnWheels

Hi Joy,

We too planning a trip to Corbett from Delhi in the next 15 days.

Wanted to know few things:

1. How good are the roads?
2. We would be driving only during day time. Guess, it's safe then, right?
3. Plan to take a ZoomCar and drive. Guess we would be required to pay commercial taxes while entering UP first and then Uttranchal. This should easy like paying a toll or you reckon any issues like long lines, unfriendly guys etc..

Let me know. Many Thanks

Hi MindOnWheels...
Great to hear that! I am sure you will enjoy more, due to the absence of mad-rush of tourists.


1. Roads - NH-24 is good. I expect you would leave NH-24 for state routes at the Moradabad bye-pass end point (the famous U turn)... beyond that the roads in UP are pathetic -- acually no-roads. Once you cross into Uttarakhand , the roads are good and a pleasure.

2. Yes you ought to be safe. I have rarely come across security incidents myself on this stretch. I do take reasonable precautions of course - like everyone else.

3. I have once taken a taxi to these parts, and my recollection is that the driver paid toll like everyone else. During my recent journey, commercial vehicles (yellow plates) joined the same queue. Local vehicles (commercial and private) only are exempt from paying toll, as is the rule in many other parts of the country.

[MindOnWheels]

Thanks Joy, appreciate your feedback and inputs.

Just to let you know, ZoomCars carry black plates with yellow numbers. Even though they have All India Permit, when you enter another state from the origin state, guess taxes have to be paid.

How long is the drive from Delhi; say 6 hours?

Many thanks once again

[joybhowmik]

Originally Posted by MindOnWheels

How long is the drive from Delhi; say 6 hours?

Many thanks once again

You are very welcome MindOnWheels.
Ex-Delhi I would think between 6-7 hours at a steady pace with decent breaks. Some who put up a blistering steak of a run can perhaps boast of 5-6, though that kind of driving never really appealed to me.
I would recommend leaving early thus avoiding the buildup of slow moving traffic near Dadri, Garh Mukteshwar and Gajraula. Beyond that its a quick run now, unlike yesteryear.

Enjoy your drive!!