India (Frommer's, 4th Edition) - Keith Bain [575]
Corbett is divided into four mutually exclusive tourist zones, and you can visit only one zone at a time. If you do not have your own vehicle, hire one in Ramnagar or at Dhangari Gate for around Rs 700 to Rs 900 (jeep and fuel). It’s best to undertake jeep safaris early in the morning; each zone has a separate fee: for half-day excursions entry/vehicle/guide fee for Bijrani and Dhikala is Rs 200/100/250, Jhirna is Rs 100/75/250, and Durga Devi is Rs 100/75/250; full-day fees are double throughout. You also have the option to go for a 6-hour safari in the government-run 18-seater minibus (Rs 1,200). The park is open daily 7am to 5pm in winter, and 6am to 6pm when the days are longer. You are not permitted to enter the park less than 30 minutes before the sun descends, and nighttime driving within Corbett is not allowed. Don’t make the mistake of arriving in Ramnagar too late in the day; you will have to fill out forms, pay for permits and accommodations, and still get to the gate 30 minutes before sunset. Corbett is extremely popular and likely to be fully booked, so don’t arrive unprepared.
Perhaps the most visually attractive area of the park is Jhirna, which is the only section that does not close during the monsoon season (June 15–Nov 15). Try to visit Ramganga Reservoir, where endangered gharial crocodiles bask on the banks and a sign warning against swimming proclaims that SURVIVORS WILL BE PROSECUTED. Surrounded by vast elephant grassland savannas, Dhikala has the greatest selection of accommodations, and substitutes solitude for access to facilities like restaurants and even film screenings. Dhikala is reached via Dhangarhi Gate (16km/10 miles north of Ramnagar), and is only accessible to visitors with accommodations reserved inside this zone; entry to Dhikala costs Rs 450 per person for 3 nights, plus Rs 150 for a car or Jeep and Rs 250 for the guide (4 hr.).
Tip: If you want to plan a flexible itinerary, you’ll need your own vehicle from Delhi or you can hire a vehicle (preferably a jeep) with driver once you arrive; otherwise all accommodations will arrange pickups from Ramnagar Station. If you don’t plan on staying in the park, it’s far easier (particularly if you’re staying at one of the resorts below) to have your hotel management make all your safari arrangements; the bureaucracy and form-filling that go along with acquiring the necessary permits can be exasperating.
Sightings from the Saddle
Saddle up for a 3-day (or 6-day) horse safari in the reserve forest bordering Corbett National Park. Corbett Horse Safari takes you out on thoroughbred horses retired from Mumbai’s racetracks across the Kosi River, up and down ridges and mountains, through thick forests of sal and elephant and tiger country to Kaladungi, where Jim Corbett lived. Trips are professionally led, and horses have accompanying syces (stable-hands). Riders overnight in spartan 19th-century forest rest houses (or tents) along the way. The whole experience is a step back in time. Call 98-1110-9596 or 98-7187-8671; or go to www.corbettriverside.com. Customized trips with accommodation and all meals cost approximately Rs 6,000 per person, per day. Or saddle up for 3 hours for Rs 500.
WHERE TO STAY & DINE
Inside the Park
Although overnighting at one of the official park lodges has many advantages (particularly for your budget), comfort and service are not among them, and you’re best off at Hideaway Lodge (reviewed below). The popular and often crowded Dikhala camp is one of the few places (others are Gairal and Bijrani) where you can get food in the park; it has two vegetarian restaurants (non-vegetarian food and alcohol are forbidden in the park and at park lodges, with the exception of Hideaway River Lodge). Dikhala’s accommodations include cabins and three-bed “hutments” with attached bathrooms, and dorms that sleep 12 and are serviced by a separate washroom. Forest bungalows (rest houses) are scattered throughout the