Oldest National Park of India - Corbett

Jim Corbett National Park is a national park in India located in the Nainital district of Uttarakhand state. The first national park in India, it was established in 1936 during the British Raj and named Hailey National Park.In 1956, nearly a decade after India's independence, it was renamed Corbett National Park after the hunter and naturalist Jim Corbett, who had played a leading role in its establishment and had died the year before. The park was the first to come under the Project Tiger initiative.

 

My tryst with this park is very very special. The first visit was in the peak of winters, the weather was freezing cold , but to a photographer's delight the mist and the sunlight creates a mystic environment. Though journey from Mumbai to this park is a bit hectic; first you reach Delhi and then take a train to Ramnagar( 6hrs). We did “Jhirna” gate for the first afternoon and next day proceeded for “Dhikala” gate, here we stayed inside the jungles at the Forest Rest House (FRH). Tigers in Corbett are unique, the coat color is bright orange ( sometimes I had to reduce the hue to balance it ) the whites are dazzling white and they also have a leaner muscle built ( I guess the terrain makes it like that), in one word spectacular . If you have been to Dhikala then Sambar road, Grassland, Paar, Kamar Patta are very very popular where you have sightings. We were no exceptions, 9 tigers in my first Corbett safari was overwhelming. Mother with 4 subadults cubs in the grassland was the highlight of the trip. The mist canopy of Dhikhala and a tiger in the same is a dream frame for lot of photographers. The entire forest lad changes when you visit it in summer. Dhikala turns into Amboseli of India, the elephant her dominates the entire space. The vast grassland and the green forest cover gives ample food and water creating a perfect habitat for the behemoth. I you love jungles, this is a must visit place for all. Some photographs try to capture the beauty of the jungle, but the original beauty is beyond any capture.