Jul 31, 2012 05:31 PM
19129 Views
From Haridwar we reached Ramnagar at around 3 am. Contrary to our expectation the place was busy even at 3 am. There were no decent hotels around and we had to book a room above a mithai shop to dump our luggage. After freshening up we proceeded towards the booking counter for Corbett gate which is just a 5 minutes walk from the bus stand.
Believe me Corbett is a big loot. I was informed that to get accommodation inside the park one has to send a fax 4/5 months in advance and accomodations is provided on first-cum-first serve basis. Unfortunately I could fax my request only 2 months earlier so could not get an accomodation at any of the forest guesthouses inside the forest. There are 4 guesthouses inside the jungle out of which only one i.e. Dhikala is in the main forest area and others are in buffer zone. You get an elephant safari only if you stay at Dhikala. The total procedure is a sham as later we came to know that we could get an accomodation in Dhikala same day through an agent including the gypsy and elephant safari but which would cost a bomb as it is 4 to 5 times more than the charges quoted on the Corbett website. On further probing we got an excuse saying those were bookings against cancellations but why are those allotment not being given to people who are already waitlisted, why instead they are given to the agents?
We wanted a booking for gypsy safari inside the Dhikala Zone. But here again we were disappointed as prior to the booking they are not willing to inform you which zone you would be taken to by gypsy saying that they get the trip as per the allotment and that it is difficult for them to know the details before hand. While the truth is at the counter you can only get a canter safari in dhikala zone and all gypsy safaris in that zone is mostly for the people booking/getting accomodation inside Dhikala through agents.
We had to shell out Rs.900/- at the counter towards entry permit for the vehicle and three of us for which we were given an official receipt. Another Rs.300/- was to be paid to the Guide who would accompany us from the Gate which amount was included in the receipt. We were told to pay Rs.1600/- to the driver of the gypsy towards hiring the same for which there was no receipt and one would not know how much of it was official and how much would go down the pocket of the officials. After paying up at the counter we came to know that we were allotted the Durgadevi Gate area for the safari. We were disappointed as we knew that there wasn’t much to see.
We started in the gypsy and proceeded towards the Durgadevi Gate. On the way we saw many barking deers who were grazing early in the morning. On reaching the gate the driver went to fetch the guide after taking Rs.300/- from us but came without the guide as he was not available but the amount is already paid and guide or no guide 300/- is gone and it won’t be refunded. After the gate the track is dusty and uneven and the driver went very slow to see if any animals could be located but besides some white monkeys, few wild boars and 4/5 migratory birds we could not even see the barking deers here. In the month of May the jungle was totally dry as this part is on a hilly area and animals migrate to lower areas where they could find water. We were totally disappointed as the entire journey was wasted and our purpose to come to Ramnagar was not served.
Originally we had planned two days in Ramnagar so that we could take safari from outside twice and enjoy Corbett but after returning from the safari we checked out from the hotel and as per our plan wanted to proceed for Kasauni but there were no direct buses from Ramnagar to Kasauni which is around 6/7 hrs journey. We were advised to go to Haldwani(2/3 hrs) and then take a bus to Kasauni from Haldwani(8 hrs). We dropped the idea and instead took a bus to Ranikhet instead which was around 5 hrs journey.
Would recommend this place only if you are doing a booking through an agent inside the forest that too at Dhikala so that you could enjoy the stay in the jungle including the elephant safari.
