The trip to Mukteshwar was born out of our strong desire to go somewhere. Anywhere. We started with a plan for Dharamshala, moved to Rafting in Rishikesh, and, at last, zeroed in on Mukteshwar. Main reasons for choosing Mukteshwar were:
1) Relative nearness to Delhi (10 hrs drive in a Qualis)
2) The fact that none of the group members had been there
3) It sounded peaceful
So after basic planning (booking hotel rooms and a cab), we started on Friday Night at 11:00 PM. The road from Delhi to Kathgodam is pretty bad so it definitely wasn’t a smooth ride. The journey till Kathgodam was uneventful and many of us (esp. the ones in the middle seat) spent it catching up on their sleeps. As for the front rider and the unfortunate fellows sitting at the back, they spent their time trying to keep others awake.
The drive from Kathgodam to Mukteshwar is very scenic with breathtaking views of Bhimtaal and lush green valleys. The end of spring and a sunny morning also meant vividly colored trees and the sweet fragrance of flowers blooming in the morning. In spite of having hardly slept during the night, we were wide awake during this drive. Except some people in the middle seat who were sound asleep all through.
We had booked our rooms in Krishna Orchard Resort which is about 5km from the 0 milestone of Mukteshwar. I would like to specifically mention here that the resort is reasonable, location is good, rooms are comfortable with excellent views, and the staff is extremely helpful. I will gladly recommend this resort to anyone who goes there with family or friends.
Well, for my last post on this trip. This piece is for those people who are interested in making the trip to Corbett and intends to make life a little bit easier for them. Hope you like it and is as informative as I intended.
As I informed you all earlier, Corbett is divided into 4 main tourist zones – Dhikala, Bijrani, Jirna and Durgadevi in the order of preference by tourists. Dhikala and Bijrani have perennial water sources and hence the chances of sighting the tiger are more. Jirna, on the other hand has water during the monsoon while dry during the summer. Durgadevi has both hilly terrain and is far and hence is least preferred by both tourists and gypsy drivers alike. Bijrani is nearest to Ramnagar town while Durgadevi is farthest.Entry to the Dhikala zone is through the Dhangadi gate which also houses a pretty good museum. Day Safaris are allowed at all zones except the Dhikala zone. A conducted day tour by a canter van is allowed to the Dhikala zone. Alternatively safaris and private vehicles are allowed into this zone only if one has overnight stay bookings/permits for the forest rest houses in the park.
My trip to Madhya Pradesh’s Panna Tiger Reserve began on a bad note. I nearly missed the train (Taj Express from Delhi’s Hazrat Nizamuddin station); the compartment was stinking and the food awful. The resident rats of the train had worked on the carpets diligently (the designs were a little abstract though) and the seat covers, it seemed, had not been washed for years. And to top it all, the train reached Jhansi three hours late.
My luck started improving, thereafter. The four-hour drive from Jhansi (UP) to Panna (MP) was smooth and pleasant and it was nearly 7.30 pm when I reached Panna. I had booked a room at the Ken River Lodge, a charming getaway on the bank of river Ken, next to the reserve. It was pitch dark and when the driver took the dust-tracks (with wild grasses all around) to reach the hotel, I seriously thought that I was in trouble.
“Hotel yaha hain?” I asked the driver sternly. “Jungle hain aas pass, thoda ped poudhe to hoga hi,” he replied. I gathered he understood that I was tensed.
