Trailing the Tiger

The seriousness of the Save The Tiger campaign dawned on me only after my weekend trip to Jim Corbett. Jim Corbett is one of India’s finest tiger reserve but the “luck by chance” factor of spotting the stripped cat made me feel otherwise. I am not saying that it is a poor facility but the small number of surviving tigers is what was unsettling.  There are only around 167 (as of December of 2010) of these surviving cats, as told by the locals. 

I have started this entry with the bads of Jim Corbett only so that you can leave my journal with the goods.

The negatives are:

1. The possibility of spotting the feline or any other animal except for the household deer and monkey is as bleak as expecting stability in Microsoft Windows. However, I did have the joy of spotting fresh tiger paw prints. These prints were along the tracks and were everywhere. It made me feel as if the forest officials had them planted.  In one spot, we saw tiger prints intermingled with a different set of prints – the human kind. The forest guide identified them to be those of a bear. I had my imagination running – was the tiger hunting the bear or was the bear hunting the tiger (be cognizant of the fact that the number of tigers is falling)? 
2. 50% of the road is like a roller coaster ride. However of this 50% I am expecting an improvement in only a 50% in the next few months

The positives are:

1. Pine Tree Resort: a boarding with an Indian village theme. It has brick/concrete cottages camouflaged with mud and hay. It serves simple food with a homemade touch. Most suited for foreign tourists as it is devoid of all of those spicy Indian Masalas. 
2. Reserve Landscape: the reserve landscape is beautifully carved. The four wheeled open gypsy, rides you through a variety of terrain. You can find yourself driving over some shallow river streams, thick forests, open rocky fields, tall grass fields, winding up or down hill. The habitat is simply breath taking.    

Overall, it is a go to place for its panoramic beauty. Spotting an animal in the reserve is just an added bonus for a selected few.

Pine Tree Resort
Jim Corbett Residents
Jim Corbett Landscape

© Copyright for all the pictures belong to Atit Shah. Please email me for permissions.

Addendum:

1. The reserve is around 250 kilometers from Noida/Delhi. “Tadka” is a place to pull over for relief and refreshments. Tadka, is famed for its good inexpensive food and for the stopover made by Bollywood celebrity when shooting for a movie titled “Kaal”. This place is adjacent to Mac Donalds. So look for the “M” along the highway.
2. The reserve has 5 zones (listed in the order of personal preference and feel): 
• Dhikala (highly recommended) 
• Jhirna 
• Domunda 
• Sonanadi 
• Bijrani (the tainted one, the one I tracked through)
3. Visit to Dhikala is permitted only if you have made overnight reservation to guesthouses within the zone a few months in advance. 
4. Cost of Safari (as of 2010 for India tourist) is 
• Rs. 100 per head entry fee 
• Rs. 250 for the gypsy 
• No charge for the tour guide (they are provided by the reserve) 
• The locals may lure you in buy a pair of binocular. Don’t give in. 
• The agents who provide you the gypsy will charge you around Rs. 2500 [this cost break will help you negotiate hard]. 
5. There are two timeslots for scheduling the three-three and half hour jungle safari. The morning trip is at 0700hrs and the noon trip is at 1300hrs. For the morning trip you need to get a reservation a day or two in advance and for the noon trip you need to fall in queue at 0500am at the authority office to get a reservation.
6. After this just sit back and feel the pristine Mother Nature.