Trip Report - - Ranthambhore and Corbett National Park

 

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Destination Covers : Delhi –Ranthambore National Park –Delhi- Corbett National Park  

TRAIN RIDE FROM RANTHAMBORE TO DELHI.

First I want to thank God for my blessings. And second I would like to thank Manoj Sharma. He is always looking out for me when I visit India. Without him my trips would not be possible.

He is a great friend, and I look forward to seeing him when we visit the jungles together.
So our train ride was not bad at all. We were able to get some rest and eat a good sandwich with other snacks.
I lost my little pouch that I kept my phone in, but that is O.K.


After the train ride , we were picked up by one of the drivers from his company. The ride was approximately 5to 6 hours long. We had stopped for some ice cream after a few hours and it was very tasty and great. I had vanilla and also butterscotch flavor with chocolate syrup, and nuts. So we had arrived at Infinity resort. Such a beautiful view we had with Corbett Reserve right in front of  the lodge.This place is nestled in between Ramnagar and Bijrhani gates. These are the things I love about Manoj. He always chooses the most relaxed and comfortable lodges for me. I took lots of pictures, fell in love with my room, and sat down by the water for a while soaking in the peacefulness of the forest. Our dinner was amazing. I always get so full from the meals. Very tasteful all the time with the spices and flavors. Inside the restaurant were some statues and informative writings about Jim Corbett. 

Also in the evening I had seen a jackal run down the bank but he was too fast for my camera. I was going to go for a swim but I had  seen some macaques down by the pool and decided to let them enjoy it. I slept like a baby, when my alarm went off at 5:45am. As I headed down to the water to watch the sunrise it seemed the forest is endless here in Corbett. The white rounded rocks, the river, the huge sal trees. Manoj told me it is the last remaining green belt of Great Sal trees. No wonder Jim Corbett loved it so much as a kid and as he grew up. On our way into Dhikala there were some guys who wanted to take a picture of me, but I talked them into having one of all of us. They were also visiting for the first time there. There was another statue of Jim Corbett at the entrance. It is such a beautiful place to drive through. The freshness and intoxicating smells of the forest are so invigorating to me. We had reached an area where we pulled over and ate some lunch. As we looked to the right across the river we could see some gharial basking. There were at least seven of them.

Where we ate lunch was very peaceful, and it was pretty close to the compound. The area where we stayed is surrounded by an electrical fence to protect the people inside from tigers, elephants, leopards, and other dangerous predators. I always felt very safe.
One time I was walking back to my room at noon and I saw two macaques grooming eachother on the cement path. As I was walking towards them the bigger one started coming towards me with anger ,but I stood my ground and walked around them. I think he only wanted my bag.  This area is an original forest rest house and it has been kept up very nicely. The only thing with your mobile phone,is most of the rime we don’t get service. Which is not bad to me. I love my peace and quiet.   One of the new mammals for me to see for the first time was wild elephants. It was amazing, such big herds they have here. And an elephant can surely make you jump in your skin. At one of the roads we saw an elephant family crossing the track with a little baby…. She was adorable. Elephants are very protective of their young at all times.
We drove by the famous Dhikala grasslands, but today it was kinda hot and little hazy. There is a giant tree trunk which was struck by lightning years ago. But today it still stands.
We heard from some other people that there was a tigress in the area, but we missed her.
But if the Lord is willing I will get a chance to see many tigers and animals here.

A morning drive in Dikhala  (Jim Corbett)






It was a beautiful cool, refreshing  morning drive through Corbett reserve …I cannot express how happy this makes me feel when I travel to Indias jungles. We went on a road that we have not travelled on yet. It was opposite of the camp, where we stayed. You can see it from across the Ramganga river. There we saw a ficus tree which had numerous bee hives. It was pretty amazing to hear all the bees buzzing around .Also Manoj showed me where a sloth bear had climbed up to try and reach the bee hives. That is probably one of their sweetest treats to eat.

Who doesn’t love honey? This reserve has so many different trees here. The sal trees here are the last of the green belt and are enormous ….The vibrant green color and mesmerizes me. You can just imagine how many birds live in these trees. Peaceful, tranquil, serenity… when the engine is off you could easily take a nap….

So soothing for the soul definitely. The herd of elephants had made their way back to the water and just loved playing together and cooling off in the river. Too bad we couldn’t join them..
Earlier in the grasslands a tusker was chasing a female around preparing to mount her and mate. But of course when we showed up and quietly turned the engine off he lost interest. Or a while they just watched us watching them, but he did not want us there bothering him so he slowly turned towards us and inconspicuously started heading towards us and suddenly at a very fast pace. Quickly we had to dart our way out of there. Elephants charging are not to be messed with.
Also that same morning I saw my first brown fishing owl sitting in a tree real high up. I tried getting a couple pictures but he got away too quickly. He was such a fluffy cute strong raptor.

There were some pug marks of a male and female tiger, but the couple was being elusive and didn’t care to be seen by us. It was a beautiful day to remember….

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