Corbett Summer

 

Typical of the standard rant these days, the pandemic is to blame for throwing normal life out of whack, causing mayhem in our lives. After multiple false starts, a couple of postponements and a last minute cancellation, we finally made it to the seat in the Aircraft.

Trepidation still in the back of our minds considering the uncertain situation at Delhi, the gang went ahead and made it to Delhi without further incident. Bags collected and as we stepped out of the Airport, we gasped in the heat... Thankfully it was still morning, hence it was not that bad and soon enough we boarded the Cab and settled in for the drive to Ramnagar.

For the monetarily curious, the costs have gone up nearly 20% with service providers across the board scrambling to make most of the spurt in travel. 

With the roadwork mostly completed, the drive was smooth and after a mandatory refreshment stop at the Shiva Dhaba (Mamaji) we made it to Ramnagar by late afternoon and checked into the Corbett Machan resort for the overnight stay.

With a bit of the day still left, we stepped out for a short walk in the sorrounding area and came across a few birds. Summer heat meant that the walk had to be short, but it was a decent experience. Pretty sure the walk would be fantastic during cooler weather, with a lot more birds.

Changes in the timings of entry at the Dhangari gate, meant that you were allowed in at 10:00am or later, instead of early morning as was the case in the past. With such a change, it makes sense to either take the overnight train from Delhi and spend a few hours at Ramnagar refreshing and shopping before driving down to the Dhangari gate or alternately take a late night flight into Delhi and drive down from Delhi to Ramnagar through the wee hours of the morning, braving the heavy commercial traffic on the highway and arrive bleary eyed at Corbett, or the best option being what we did; stay overnight at Ramnagar and drive to Corbett after breakfast.

The overnight rest and breakfast in the morning really help! 

At Dhangari gate, Murphy's law came into play.....our permits were forgotten, causing a few moments of anxiety, while the permits were scanned and sent to the drivers and more fortuitously, the officials at the gate allowed for the scanned images to be printed and soon, we were on our way to Dhikala.

About an hour and a half later of driving through some pristine jungle, with a small herd of elephants halting us for a brief while and providing us with a glimpse of what lie ahead, we reached Dhikala.

With rooms allocated shortly, we had a quick refresh, dropped into the restaurant for a quick lunch and soon ready for our first venture into the forest....and what a trip it was.....

The next 3 days just flew in a blur of amazing scenes of successful and failed hunts, charging elephants, clouds of dust mingling with the pungent odour of naturally growing Bhaang plants. Videos will be available on our YouTube channel, meanwhile here is a short collection of images.

Kaziranga - A Tryst with the Unicorn

Tryst: A meeting is when people get together for any reason. But when they are sneaking to meet, notably as secret lovers, it's called a tryst.

The current Pandemic situation has put paid to many a livelihood, not to mention numerous plans to travel! When the family was getting completely restless, we tried doing local trips within the city. However access to the favourite location was cutoff due to a dispute between the Forest Department and the Municipal Body.

Come 2021, we were hoping for an improvement in the situation and they did. Trains and Planes started to operate and places were begining to open up to visitors. The inherent fear of the situation still created enough uncertainities that a couple of travel plans had to be dropped.

Finally a chance conversation with Kesava and Santhosh of Birdwing https://www.birdwing.in threw up the opportunity for a trip to the NorthEastern part of India, more specifically - Kaziranga.

TRIP TIP:With no clear information available on the Covid protocols across states, we decided to get ourselves tested at home and carry the test results with us during the travel. The test report proved to be a huge bonus, with us breezing through the exit process at Guwahati Airport, while those who did not have the report had to go through a series of sessions, including filling out a form, having themselves examined before they could go out of the Airport - A process that took upwards of 30 minutes in most cases.

With the cabs being pre-arranged, we settled in for the ride to Kaziranga. With a quick stop for lunch, we reached well in time to go on the afternoon Safari ride; our first of the trip. The cabs went away after dropping off the luggage at the resort, while we were inside the Park.

An Introduction to Kaziranga: The park is spread across three districts in the Indian state of Assam—the Kaliabor subdivision of Nagaon district, Bokajan sub division of Karbi Anglong and the Bokakhat subdivision of Golaghat district. The park is approximately 40 km (25 mi) in length from east to west, and 13 km (8 mi) in breadth from north to south. Kaziranga covers an area of 378 km2 (146 sq mi), with approximately 51.14 km2 (20 sq mi) lost to erosion. A total addition of 429 km2 (166 sq mi) along the present boundary of the park has been made and designated with separate national park status to provide extended habitat for increasing the population of wildlife or, as a corridor for safe movement of animals to Karbi Anglong Hills. Elevation ranges from 40 m (131 ft) to 80 m (262 ft). The park area is circumscribed by the Brahmaputra River, which forms the northern and eastern boundaries, and the Mora Diphlu, which forms the southern boundary. Other notable rivers within the park are the Diphlu and Mora Dhansiri.

Four main types of vegetation exist in this park; alluvial inundated grasslands, alluvial savanna woodlands, tropical moist mixed deciduous forests, and tropical semi-evergreen forests. Approximate coverage by vegetation is: tall grasses 41%, short grasses 11%, open jungle 29%, swamps 4%, rivers and water bodies 8%, and sand 6%.

There is a difference in altitude between the eastern and western areas of the park, with the western side being at a lower altitude. The western reaches of the park are dominated by grasslands. Tall elephant grass is found on higher ground, while short grasses cover the lower grounds surrounding the beels or flood-created ponds. Annual flooding, grazing by herbivores, and controlled burning maintain and fertilize the grasslands and reeds. Common tall grasses are sugarcanes, spear grass, elephant grass, and the common reed. Amidst the grasses, providing cover and shade are scattered trees—dominant species including kumbhi, Indian gooseberry, the cotton tree (in savanna woodlands), and elephant apple (in inundated grasslands).

Kaziranga contains significant breeding populations of 35 mammalian species. The park has the distinction of being home to the world's largest population of the Greater One-Horned Rhinoceros , wild Asiatic water buffalo and eastern swamp deer. Significant populations of large herbivores include indian elephants, gaur and sambar. Small herbivores include the Indian muntjac, wild boar, and hog deer. The One-Horned rhinoceros, Royal Bengal Tiger, Asian elephant, wild water buffalo and swamp deer are collectively known as 'Big Five' of Kaziranga.

Safaris at Kaziranga do not have the element of mad rush (at least this trip had none!!) No racing across the park in search of a tiger! All the vehicles in the park were running at a sedate pace and this in itself was remarkable. So all you tiger fanatics, it would do you good to keep this in mind. 

In any case if you do get a tiger sighting, consider yourself extremely lucky!! With the grass still green this year, the usual practice of burning the undergrowth did not happen and as a result despite having close quarter alarm calls, we did not even get a glimpse of a predator.

Having said this, the Park is by no means a dull affair. Every turn, every corner seem to have some activity or the other, whether it is a Gray Headed Fishing Eagle on its kill or running into a Tusker at a Watch Tower or a Monitor Lizard crossing the road. Take a look at the pics and enjoy a glimpse of what we experienced over a 4 day period at a piece of heaven called Kaziranga National Park.

Like all vacations, this one did have its own downsides as well. This time it was the resort. Blame it on the Pandemic if you will, but the resort although old and quaint was poorly maintained. 

Absence of proper staff meant that food; although tasty, was a homely affair and rarely on time. However for the serious wildlifers, this should not be a hurdle at all. Afterall we only look for a safe and relatively clean place to rest while we ponder over the just completed trip and anticipate next one into the Park.

All in all, a wonderful time spent with some new and some old pals with hilarious anecdotes over cups  of the local brew.

When its time to return back to your routine, do remember to pack some of the local Chai patti (Tea Leaves). I did and I'm enjoying a cuppa while I write this blog. Signing off until the next time!! 

Ciao!! Stay safe and stay healthy!! Keeping a safe distance from fellow humans and wild critters will ensure that Safety element. Do remember to wear your mask even if you see no one else wearing it. It is for your own safety.

Thanks for your time!! God Bless!! 

Be back soon with the next episode!!

The Silent Corbett

Visits to the Corbett National Park usually mean that extra batteries and memory cards for your cameras are di-rigeur, since every drive through the park pathways brings up something.

IF you think this is another of those odes to Tigers, you are mistaken. Every National Park has a huge life support system comprising flora and fauna, which are essential for the Tiger; which is an apex Predator to survive. Many of us make the mistake of running after the "glamour" species and end up missing experiences which could leave us with a lifetime of memories. Here is one such trip.

Filled with prime real-estate which will leave you slackjawed and filled with awe.

Despite being a repeat visitor, the landscape leaves me hungry for more, every single time. The Sal forest overhangs with the trees competing with each other for the sunlight, making for tall and slim trees or at another location, where the trees have more space resulting in thicker tree trunks and spreadout foliage.

Step out in the early morning to catch the mist (unlike the smog in our cities!!) rising up from the Ramganga waters, the crisp sunlight warming your cockles as the mist and the breeze do their best to keep you chilled.

Watching the jungle dwellers waft out of the mist like apparitions is a sight to behold, here are some pictures....

Island in the Sky....thats what this shrub looks like in the thick river fog

Nature's way of telling you...no matter how big you are, you will still be brought to your knees. This is the remains of a huge Sal Tree that was stuck by lighting that all but destroyed it. The base of the trunk is easily over 10 feet around, so you can imagine how large this tree would have been.

 As far as the hardcore Big Cat fans, yes we did get to see them too, a tigress and a Leopard...here you go....

The other forest dwellers that gave us an opportunity to say hello....

Black Necked Stork - Male

Changeable Hawk Eagle Pair Basking in the morning Sun.

Common Bushchat

Crested Kingfisher 

Pallas Fish Eagle bringing home the catch

River Terns 

Great Thicknee

Asian Elephant - Male

Water Pipit

Lesser Coucal

Fulvous Breasted Woodpecker

Scarlet Minivet

Siberian Lesser Whitethroat

If you have reached here...you deserve to get a look at the highlight of the trip - A mini tussle between two Tuskers...

See the Video here...Tusker Tussle

Looking forward to getting back to Corbett Soon for another set of memories, but thats for another day.... Sayonara!!