The Wonders of Middle India

[VP Singh]

Another of our finest parks is the Corbett, a connoisseurs delight. This is the only park where you are currently allowed to stay inside the core areas. The accommodation is indeed very basic but for a man who loves the wildlife, there is nothing more exciting than staying inside and listening to the jungle folks at night. The alarm calls are fascinating and you can sometimes actually trace the path of the carnivora by listening to these calls!
In our younger days, the Easter holidays were spent in the Corbett. Those were the days when poaching was unheard of and consequently the Forest department was quite liberal. They allowed us to climb the tree machans right in the deep forests and we have had some great experiences sitting atop safe and keeping an eye for all the animals who came for a drink at the water hole. Sadly, with the pressure of ever-growing tourism, such luxuries are no longer available to an enthusiast!
The last I visited the area was the Sonanadi National Park, Halduparao FRH. My trip report appears on the TA at: https://www.tripadvisor.in/ShowUser...y-Nainital_Nainital_District_Uttarakhand.html
For those who are looking for luxury accommodation, there are several very nice hotels in the buffer zone. However, a night inside is most recommended as a Day safari becomes quite impractical at Corbett, for it is 32 km to Dhikala, and by the time one reaches this zone, at the heart of the core areas, it is time to come back, as you need to be out of the park by sunset.
There are nearly a 100 species of trees, about 550 species of birds, including some rare ones and of the animals, about 50.
Corbett becomes all the more fascinating if you have the Man-eaters of Kumaon in your home library!
Happy travels!

 

[GDB]

Yes, I totally agree. I have been going on about the parks in Madhyar Pradesh and Maharashtra, but of course there are wonderful places like Corbett. We stayed there in the park in Spring this year, and as you say it is the only practical way to do a game drive/safari now. The big bonus is that there are truly wild elephants to see here and it is a joy to watch them come down to the river and behave naturally.
However, I am not sure we are totally as one on the subject of tourism. Being a foreigner, UK resident, I have mixed views myself, but I am a conservationist and am convinced that responsible tourism is a major reason why we have seen tiger numbers increase over the past few years.

 

[VP Singh]

Quite right. I too am talking about irresponsible tourists who use our National Parks as picnic spots rather than a wildlife preserve.
Our favourite was the Sarpdulli FRH, some 15 miles short of Dhikala and right on the banks of the river Ramganga. From here one could enter the various trails and work ones movement up to Dhikala and Kalagarh reservoir, to watch the elephant herds bathing on a warm day. The grasslands held enormous amount of game. On one such occasion we saw a rare leopard cat.
One needs to carry rations along for there is no canteen at Sarpdulli FRH. However, the old forest guard will cook delightful meals for a small consideration. How we loved dining under candle light and a crackling fire to keep out the chill, after a days hard work spotting!
On several occasions we have seen tigers on the road itself but unlike the Central India parks, they are very cautious and one could get only a fleeting glimpse before they glided off like a phantom, silently. I have also seen experienced foresters losing composure in utter excitement in close proximity of a tiger...though it is an everyday affair for them!
The Forest dept is sprucing up the Kanda FRH, from where some of the best views of the Park can be enjoyed. This is bear country, accessible by a very steep jeep able road. There was a small library at the FRH and many years ago held books gifted by visiting officers, including one by FW Champion, the doyen of tiger photography! I am told the library is now shifted to the Dhikala office.
The next time you are around, do not forget to visit the Kath-ka-naula village and the forest hut, now in ruins, where Corbett stayed on one of his expeditions. The views of the countryside are excellent from that spot.
Happy hunting with camera!

 

[GDB]

Thank you very much for your input on this thread. It is abundantly clear that you know this area very well. I/we only know the Dhikala area, but I will now research all the other places you have named. And, I will speak to my friend Sharad Vats who runs a small touring company out of Delhi; we arrange all our trips through him. Of course, a number of places you mention are probably not for the first time or 'one-off' wildlifers, as it is difficult to adjust to some of the basic amenities when you are used to three, four or five star hotels. Our view is that a clean bed and access to some decent food is the main criteria.
Tigers are the main lure for most people, but as you are well aware, just to be there in the forests and grasslands and experience all the sounds and sights of the wild... is just magical. To see a leopard cat is a once in a lifetime sighting for most of us.
My main aim in opening this thread was not to show off my photos particularly, but simply to entice people to go to India and experience really wild animals. I am sure that your input has greatly assisted.

 

[VP Singh]

Indeed there are destinations that will excite the imagination of a British tourist, apart from the destinations very kindly alluded to, in your posts. Of the wildlife, one could go to Bera (Rajasthan) for a peek at the leopards. These aren’t regular forests but revenue lands, which hold a sizeable number leopards in the rocky outcrops. There are several good hotels to suit all budgets in this area. The Sujan Leopard camp, and the Castle Bera, run by the ex-feudatory polo playing family of Bera, are very good options. The snow leopards can be watched at Ulley village some 3 hours drive, north-west of Leh, where you can stay with a local family, a homestay. The Dudhwa NP is coming up in a big way with the beautiful Jaagir Lodge to stay in for a few days…expensive! Your royals have already spent a few days at Kaziranga NP, Diphlu River lodge.
There is plenty to see in India and we shall keep that discussion for another day!
Many thanks.