Places of Tourist Interest
Places of interest abound in within close proximity of the
Corbett National Park. These locales are chiefly renowned for
the adventurous activities they offer, besides being an abode
of nature and forming the habitat of wildlife vanishing
species in India. Given below are some of the places of
tourist interest in Corbett.
Bijrani:
The area in and around Bijrani once formed
part of a shooting block. During the British period, it was much
famed for the quality of game hunting that it offered to
shikaris. In comparison to Dhikala, the terrain at Bijrani is
drier and also has more diverse vegetation.
Jhirna:
Jhirna was a farming village until 1994 when
it was successfully relocated under Project Tiger. The abandoned
farmland is gradually reverting to a wild state and is being
managed to develop grassland habitat. The nearby terrain
consists of numerous sots and narrow gorges running typically
through the Shiwalik landscape. The hills to the north of Jhirna
are covered with dense patches of bamboo. Apart from being a
good habitat for tiger, leopard and deer, the place hosts other
interesting mammals like sloth bear and wild boar. The place is
also ideal to enjoy a panoramic sight of some interesting birds
in India.
Durga Devi:
Durga Devi is a tourism zone within the
Corbett National Park. It is a virgin area used only for long
elephant safaris and has access to the Ramganga River for the
purpose of fishing. Leisure hotels has got the opportunity to
have the first private lodge inside the park and will be
providing angling facilities at the Jamun camp in the private
untouched pool in the Ramganga river.
This is on the north-eastern boundary of the Park. The entrance
gate is about 20 Km away from Corbett Hideaway. The Mandal range
of Corbett Tiger Reserve through Durgadevi entrance involve
challenging birding species to lookout for include the grey
headed fishing eagle, crested laughing thrush, black chinned
Yuhina, maroon orile, slaty blue flycatcher, long tailed
broadbill, little forktail, and bar tailed tree creeper.
Lohachaur forest area is known for wild elephants all round the
year and the undulating terrain provides excellent opportunity
to see the leopards as well as tigers.
Dhikala:
Dhikala is the most well known tourist
destinations in Corbett. It is located at the edge of the broad
Patli Dun valley through which the Ramganga flows in numerous
channels. Dhikala offers an awesome unhindered view of the
valley, with the Kanda ridge in the backdrop.
Sitavani:
Sitavani is located about 35 km. from The
Corbett Hideaway & The River View Retreat and within the
reserve forest area of Ramnagar Forest Division. It boasts of
beautiful dense forests of sal and mixed vegetation with open
grasslands and riverbeds. The safari takes one to the ancient
temple of Goddess Sita. According to a legend, this is the place
where Goddess Sita disappeared into the earth.
Sitavani is a part of Corbett buffer zone and there is a gated
entrance but does not require any special permits to venture
inside.
The forest offers ample birding opportunities in the
surrounding thick sal and mixed forest. Preferably early morning
drive is the best to view wildlife like tiger, sambar, barking
deer, porcupine, King cobra and lots more.
Sitavani is well known to have visiting wild elephants and
tiger all round the year as both the animals frequently visit
river kosi for water and get across to raid the crops and lift
the domestic animals from the village.
Garjia Temple:
14 kms from Ramnagar, on the way to
Ranikhet, is a huge rock in the midst of river Kosi. This place
has been named Garjia Devi after the deity. The temple is
visited by thousands of devotees from different parts of the
state. A large fair is held here on Kartik Poornima.
Corbett Wildlife Museum:
The Corbett Museum at
Dhangarhi houses the belongings of Mr. Jim Corbett, with some of
the animals at Corbett National Park.
Corbett Village Heritage Trail
Choti haldwani and its residents are vividly described in
the book written by Jim Corbett called “My India”.
The trail takes you along the Bour River through the Choti
Haldwani village in Kaladhungi, which was settled by Jim
Corbett. The trail offers glimpses into the typical kumauni
village culture and also provides bird watching opportunities.
The trail ends with a visit to Jim Corbett’s home. Today
this unique home, is a comprehensive museum housing souvenirs,
relics, momentos related to Jim Corbett and his famous
exploits.
Along the trail one can see the boundary wall which was
constructed by Jim Corbett to protect crops from the wildlife.
There is also the house which Jim Corbett built for his
associate Moti. One can see a gun gifted to a village man Sher
Singh by Jim Corbett.
Place of Interest in & Around Corbett National Park
Tapkeshwar Temple
It is an ancient temple believed to
have been built by the Pandavas. This place comes under the
Archaeological Survey of India. It is located at a distance of 2
km. from the hotel.
Dhangari Museum
Eight kilometres from the hotel, this
museum is located at the Dhangari gate which is the entry to the
Dhikala tourism zone. It is an interpretation center where one
can see stuffed animals which died due to natural causes and
territorial fights inside as well as in the periphery of the
Corbett National Park.
Ramgarh
Lying in the Gagar range(the chief mountain
range) 15 km from Bhowali, is the picturesque Ramgarh in the
midst of snow-clad mountains. Situated at a height of 2080
metres, it is known for its luscious apple orchards. It is here
at the khabrar Orchard (at an elevation of 2,438 metres) that
the Nobel Laureate, Rabindranath Tagore wrote the ‘Sandhya
Geet’ and completed the Gitanjali. The Aurobindo Ashram is
another place worth a visit. From the hotel it is at a distance
of about 110 kms.
Leisure Hotels has its own chain of hotel here by the name of ‘Himalayan
View Retreat'.
Marchula
Thirty kilometres from the hotel, Marchula is
known as the tip of Corbett National Park and is situated on the
banks of the Ramganga river. It is surrounded by mountains and
dense forests and is famous for its wildlife, particularly the
Mahaseer.
Nainital
The hill station of Nainital gets its name
from the Goddess Naina Devi. Unmatched in climatic comforts,
physical setting, mountain scenery, service infrastructure,
landscape perception, fun and sports and a heavenly refuge from
the enervating plains, Nainital is Uttarakhand’s super
resort and the only lake city in the state. Boating and yatching
are very popular sports in Nainital. The seven peaks that
surround the lake provide excellent hiking routes with
breath-taking views. Tourist attractions include the high
altitude zoo, Hanuman Garhi, cave gardens, the state observatory
among others. Nainital is located at a distance of 70 kms. from
the hotel.
Leisure Hotels has a heritage property there by the name of ‘The
Naini Retreat’.
