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Corbett National Park

Corbett had the proud distinction of being the chosenvenue for the inauguration of Project Tiger in India. The rich bio-diversity of the Reserve is partly attributed to the variety of habitat found here. Due to thelocation of the Reserve in the foothills of the Central Himalayas, both Himalayan and peninsular flora and fauna is found in the Reserve. The grasslands, locally known as Chaurs, are limited. The largest grasslamnd is the Dhikala Chaur.

Some of the best grasslands including the famous BuxorChaur and the Beri Chaur were submerged in the Ramganga reservoir in 1974. The areas made available as a result of the relocation of the villages, Dhara, Jhirna and Kothirau in 1994 are being developed into grasslands through habitat management.

The Corbett Wildlife Sanctuary is an excellent and largelyinviolate specimen of the rich sal and mixed woodland that spans the outer Himalayas. Because of its rich biogeographic diversity, the Park is a natural haven for the flora and fauna of the plains, the sub mountainous regions and high altitude areas. At the lower level are winding strips of alluvial grasslands or chaurs crossed by numerous water courses.

The lifeline of the Park is the sparkling Ramgangariver which provides safe harbour to mahaseer fish, crocodile and otter. Stately stands of sal and diverse mixed forest cover hills and valleys, fodder and foliage for large herds of elephants. Sharp spurs in the terrain make it an idyllic habitat for shy species like the tiger.

Lower down are the grasslands and bamboo growth. A list of species reported from Corbett included 582 species of birds, 26 species of reptiles, 7 species of amphibians and 50 species of mammals. The floraldiversity is also extremely varied. The Park is named after the famous hunter and naturalist, Jim Corbett, who popularised this land and its animals in his book "The Man-Eaters of Kumaon". Corbett recounts many fascinating tales of hunting down man-eating tigers. Always a nature lover, he helped set up a sanctuary called Hailey Park in 1936. Eventually, an all India initiative for the protection of the Tiger was launched from here. The park has a high density of tiger population.

Take an early dawn elephant back safari with an authorized mahout guide. Jeeprides can be arranged at the Tourist Centre. Although jeeps penetrate deeper into the forest than elephants, they cannot get nearly as close to the wild animals.

Best time to visit
As with the rest of the country, there are three well-defined seasons at the CorbettNational Park-winter from November to February, summer from March to June and the rainy season the rest of the year. Corbett is closed for public from June 15 to November 15.

How to reach

• Air
  The nearest airport to Corbett National Park is Phoolbagh, Pantnagar which is at a distance of 50 km. The nearest international airport is at Delhi which is at a distance of 300 km from Corbett.
• Rail
  The nearest railway station is at Ramnagar from where road transport options have to be availed to reach the park.
• Road
  Dhikala is 300 km from Delhi, 145 km from Lucknow and 51 km from Ramnagar. The route from Delhi spans Hapur-Murababad-Ramnagar. The turn off is some 7 km beyond Muradabad to the left, marked by a small board. The route from Lucknow spans Bareilly-Kichha-Rudrapur-Doraha-Kashipur.
  
  
  

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