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 floods at Corbett (towards Khinanauli) |
This dam is the largest earthen dam in Asia. The creation of this dam gave birth to the famous Dhikala lake or as it is officially known, the Ramganga reservoir. Although this reservoir, which covers an area of around 80 sq km, took away a lot of the prime habitat of the animals, has on the other hand lead to an increase in the population of the gharial, crocs and birds. Due to the closure of this dam in late 1998 the lake expanded to many times it's normal size and gave an almost sea like appearance. The waters receded back to their original proportions by late 1999. Not much is yet known about the effects of this temporary "flood" on the resident wildlife. The Ramganga covers a distance of approximately 40 km through the park, before exiting on the other side of the Kalagarh dam. | |
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Corbett park is formed mainly by three ridges running parallel to each other and in the east-west direction. The northern most ridge is the highest of the three and houses the Kanda Forest Rest House, located at it's maximum altitude of 1085 meters above sea level. This northern most and the central ridge are bifurcated by the Ramganga river. This central ridge is the most popular and also the most visited part of the park. It houses the famous rest houses of Dhikala, Khinanauli, Sarapduli, Gairal and Sultan. Dhikala is located at the parks lowest altitude of 385 meters. |
Kanda Forest Rest House |
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It is possible to gain entry to these two ridges only if you have overnight bookings at one of these rest houses. One other way of seeing the central ridge area is by taking the conducted tour organized by the park authorities. This tour begins from the park reception office at Ramnagar. The southern most ridge, houses the Bijrani and Malani forest rest houses. If one goes down the northern side of the northern ridge, you will come upon a forest road running through the reserve forest area. This area houses the rest houses of Lohachaur, Rathuadab and Mundiapani, This forest road stretches from the Vatanvasa gate at the western extreme to the Durgadevi gate between Mohan and Marchula in the east. |  Malani Forest Rest House |
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Biking through Corbett |
Depending on the accessibility and the conditions of the bridges enroute, these rest houses are open through most of the year. Due to the location of some villages along this road, it also allows the unique and thrilling option of using transport of the two-wheeled type. Motorcycles are an ideal choice. Although, it is a worrying proposition coming across a tusker, or an angry tiger, while on a bike. The bookings for the Forest Rest Houses here are done at Kotdwar, which is located outside the western extremities of the park. These three ridges, that form the park, are also criss-crossed by rainwater streams, which run perpendicular to them. These are locally known as sots. One of the most famous and steep sots is the Gorkha Sot. The bridge crossing this sot, which offers an amazing view of the valley below and it's residents, also has a dark side to it. During every monsoon, the water comes down in such a powerful deluge that it totally washes away the bridge and also the entire road. This not only proves an undesirable expenditure for the park authorities every year, it also becomes a nuisance for the park staff living within the forest at this time. The Ramganga river has three tributaries which help in keeping it from drying up in the summers. These are the rivers Mandal, Sonanadi and Palain. While Sonanadi and Palain meet up with the Ramganga at the Dhikala reservoir, the Mandal joins up at the Domunda bridge. This area also houses an excellent fresh water spring. One of the many in the park. | |
