It was a party night at MBD Radisson, Noida as we were celebrating the Golden Jubilee Marriage Anniversary of the parents of of our Managing Director on 19th Septemebr’2008. I had come from Chail (Himachal Pradesh) to join the celebration. We had enjoyed a lot and next day morning my M.D. called me and asked that the Resort at Corbett is at the edge of completion. So if you wish you can take charge of the resort. I was very happy to take the new challenge & promotion. The date of my transfer has finalized and i reached Corbett national park on 17th January’2009. That was my first visit and i reached Ramnagar at 8 : 30 P.M and while coming to the site i saw many deers roaming on the roadside. It was really exciting.
But from next day morning, though the project was not over i became so busy in the work could not able to move any where. Finally the Resort was inaugurated in the month of June’2010. Even after inauguration i have planned so many times to visit the Park but could not be able to do so. It was march’2010 when our company had Annual Meeting at Corbett. Though visiting to the Park was not in the itinerary of meeting but my colleagues from NCR sales insisted to plan Morning Safari. Yes it was 27th March we had booked Day Safari Visit to Bijrani.
We got up at 5 in the morning and according to plan we left our Resort at 6 A.M. and reached Amdanda Gate (Entry point to Bijrani Range) there was a queue of other Gypsys. We had crossed the entry gate at 6:30 A.M , the view of sunrise from the jungle was awesome. We stopped near the FRH in Bijrani had a tea break and moved further. The track was beautiful and we were lost in the lap and beauty of nature. We were moving in the jungle and saw many spotted deers, hog & barking deers.
The first wild encounter was with a Male Tusker and when the Tusker saw us he got angry and trying to scare us.
It was wonderful experience but till that time we could not see “Tiger”, all of us were searching for it. Finally we saw pug mark of Tiger and the Guide told us that there is chances of sighting of Tiger cause the pug mark on the road seems that the tiger has crossed the road recently.
The Driver & guide took us on the another side of the road and we were shocked. At the first sight we could not understand what to do. Wow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! such a beautiful creature of God. We scared as the tiger was just aprox 20 ft away from our Gypsy but he was calm and not in hurry. He crossed the road very slowly and went inside the jungle. By that time there were rush of Gypsys to have a glimpse of the Tiger.
All of us were so happy and excited to see the Tiger a wonderful & memorable trip which will remain in our heart for ever.
Ranjit
Dear Ranjit,
I have been to Jim Corbett two times but I was not lucky as you.
Thanks for sharing your experience with us.
As you are the Manager of a Resort in Corbett, looking forward to see some more interesting experiences from you.
Sir,
Thanks for reading the post. I used to travel a lot coz our company has resort at Chail, Corbett, (operational) Mohan, Goa, noida, Shirdi, Hrishikesh, Dharamshala (Under construction) but it is the 2nd time i have posted my story. Actually i came to know about ghumakkar.com a month back only. Definitely i will share my experience with Ghumakkar People as the comments encourages me a lot.
Regards
Ranjit
As Mahesh has remarked you are one of the few lucky persons who sighted Mr. Tiger on the first visit.
Being placed at Corbett, you have the whole Kumaon region within easy reach and would expect more stories from you.
May be one of these days we visit Corbett and bump into you.
Welcome on board Ranjit. I am starting my day with the glimpses of the big and beautiful cat. Thanks for sharing your experience.
You were indeed lucky for both encountering the wild cat and the tusker in your first ever trip to Corbett.
Congratulations Ranjit for your promotion and being lucky enough to be able to get a glimpse of the elusive tiger on your first safari. I have been there twice but never got that lucky.
Yes one should be congratulated on seeing the beauty of Tiger in woods.
Your story of being threatened by tusker reminded me of mine in Nagarhole where our Qualis was threatened by a big male and that time I was out on the ground enjoying drizzling. I had to run and catch the vehicle, it all happened in fraction of seconds and the giant beautiful mammal vanished in big elephant grass after scaring everything out of me.
I still remember those big ears erected in anger and telling us go away from my family.
Dear All,
Thanks for reading the post.
Dear All,
Sorry, the resort inaugurated in June’2009, by mistake it has posted June’2010.
Thanks for sharing your experience. I too ran into a large herd of elephants at Corbett during my first visit, and a beautiful leopard. My subsequent visits resulted in seeing many other animals and birds. Viewing Mr. Stripes is always a thrilling experience.
By the way, what’s the name of your resort, and where is it located? Is it close to the Claridges?
Regards,
Jerry
Jerry A. Jaleel F.R.G.S.
The Jim Corbett Foundation (Canada)
Hi Jerry,
Thanks for reading. The name of the Resort is Tarikas Jungal park and it is the first resort on Ranikeht NH adjacent to Infinity Resort. Yes it is really thrilling but you know on 4th February Mr. stripes attacked on three young man on the NH, it was just in front of our resort and one of the boy was employee of our resort, they were on their morning walk. It was really their good luck as right at that time the first bus heading towards Ranikhet was arrived and they were survived. But even then they were injured and one of them was injured badly and been hospitalized for a long time at Haldwani.
Thanks & warm regards
Ranjit
That sounds Ghastly. I am glad they survived. Was Mr. Stripes outside the park area?
Vibha,
The boundries are only meant for human being. Mr. Tiger does not about the park area, buffer zone and reserve forest for him he is the king wherever he move.
Ranjit
Good Ranjeet Da…. Good….
Lovely man. I was in Corbett two years back and we got a glimpse of Corbetts king from about 2-3 kms away – worth it though.
u r lucky.if i am not wrong our ex.prime minister late sri rajiv gandhi once waited for a long time,but couldn’t get a glimpse of the king of jungle ,which u saw from such a close distance.
congrats man.keep travelling
oh! I thought a national park was an enclosed area to prevent poachers from gaining an entry. Anyways I am glad to hear of any sightings of Mr. Stripes (love the name given by Jerry). Its a kind of reassurance that the king is still prowling!
I think a lone tusker roams near the Forest Rest House. I had a chance to spot a tusker similar to the one in the photo in 2007 (March). It looks quite fierce. We took about a couple of photographs and movd on.
Ranjit,
lucky you.
Hi Ranjit
I envy you man :)
I wasn’t lucky enough when I visited Corbett in November last year. Incidentally, I stayed in Tarika Jungal Park only. Anyway, I’ll hope to spot Mr. Tiger when I visit Corbett next. By the way, can you plz brief me a little on Tadoba? I’ll be really thankful……..
Cheers
Excellent Ranjit. I have been to Jim Corbett 3 times, recently in April, but have never sighted the Tiger.
Pictures are really cool, looks like King gave you enough time to capture himself.
Wow !!
What a sight.
Been to Corbett, probably more than 10 times :-) , no sightings. Later on our numerous on-top-of-elephant hushed talks we would claim that Tiger is a Myth.
Welcome again and hoping to read more from you Ranjeet.
Lucky you!
I have seen tiger a few times in the wild but I still remember the first time I saw it clearly in Corbett.. you have give a very vivid account that made me see the tiger in the jungle once again…
Great Prasad, Many thanks.
Dear Rajit, congratulations for sighting the king, I have been to Corbett but was not lucky enough to be graced by the King.
It is almost six years since you posted this episode in Ghumakkar. Hope, still you are posted there, it is likely that you have had a promotion in the mean time and proceeded to another place.
Anyway, it is almost 28 years that my family and me visited ‘Corbett’ (May 1988) and stayed in Tourist Hutment, Dhikala for two full days. The view across the Ramganga was breathtaking. We crossed the river and moved about a little and also went atop the watch tower and had a jeep safari. Experienced a severe Gail storm in the night. It was such a frightful one! Lights went out. That night one Mr. Wounded Stripes tried to take away an employee of the Forest Department, who was sleeping in the open veranda of his hut. Perhaps for the first time and may be last also in the Reserve, Mr. Stripes was killed there to save the man. I still remember the tribulation of the Forest Officer-in-Charge for this illegal act of killing a kith of the ‘King’ in side his jurisdiction.
At that time there was not a single construction along the highway from Ramnagar to Dhikala. Now I hear about the mushrooming of Resorts along this rout. Although this is not good for the denizens of the forest but who cares. Even the denizens of human race are not looked after well now a days.
Forgive me for this sentimental ending. Wish for more of this type of encounters in ‘Ghumakkar’.
Subhendu
And it reminds me of my first trip to Corbett, in 1998. Time flies.