CORBETT / SATTAL / PANGOT - Birder's Dream Destinations :19th Mar to 23rd March,2012

This is one of the most popular Nature India trips :-)

Dates: 19th Mar, 2012 to 23rd Mar, 2012 (Mumbai - Delhi - Ramnagar & Back travel days excluded)The bookings for Corbett National Park and Sattal / Pangot / Nainital Wildlife trip is on…..book your seats NOW before it gets HOUSEFULL (see the details at the end).... The Corbett National Park trip is defined as a complete Wildlife Package trip.

See Last few years trip reports here...
http://natureindia-tours.blogspot.com/2009/07/final-trip-reports.html#corbett

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CORBETT NATIONAL PARK

Imagine a Park with over 550 species of Birds (That’s an astounding 1/3^rd of the total species of birds found in India), more than 50 mammal species including Tiger, Leopard, Bears and Elephants and more than 40 species of reptiles including the rare Gharial …… Where the terai grasslands are surrounded by the tall Sal trees nestled in the foothills of the mighty Himalayas in the rugged “Shivalik hills’ …… It’s a sheer wild poetry in front of you. One of the finest Wildlife reserves in India, Corbett has a distinction of been the country's first National park. Formerly called as “Hailey national Park” it was established in 1936 in consultation with the legendary Hunter / Naturalist Jim Corbett…… it was aptly renamed “Jim Corbett National Park” in 1972.

In 1972, PROJECT TIGER the most prestigious and biggest total environmental conservation project ever was launched in India. The Jim Corbett National Park has another distinction of having been chosen the venue for the inauguration of this project.

With its impressive list of wildlife species and very well managed wildlife tourism, Corbett is renowned as one of the best National Parks in the world. It boosts of a very healthy populations of Tigers, Elephants, Gharials, Otters, Swamp Deers, King Cobras, Birds and variety of vegetation. Just Google the word CorbettNational Park and you will get a hint of its popularity :-)

The park spans across some 920.9 square kms with a core area of about 520 Sq.kms at an altitude of 600 to 1100 metres about the foothills of the western Himalayas in the districts of Nainital and Pauri Garhwal in the state of Uttaranchal (formerly part of Uttar Pradesh). In its eventful 64-year life, it has grown considerably in size and now includes the Sonanadi Wildlife Sanctuary as a part of its 1,319 sq km of reserved forest area. The terrain includes picturesque hilly ridges covered by Sal trees. Lower down are the grasslands and bamboo growth.

Mammal Species to look for: Tiger, Elephants, Leopards, Hog Deer, Sambar, Barking deer, Wild Boar, Yellow throated Martin, Jungle Cat, Fishing Cat, Dhole, Spotted Deers,Otters etc.

Bird Species to look for : Green Magpie, Rosy & Long-tailed Minivets, Red Jungle-fowl, Khaleej Pheasant, Collared Falconet, Hodgson’s Bushchat, Wallcreeper, Great thick-knee, Brown Fish Owl, Tawny fish Owl, Brown Hawk Owl, Great slaty woodpecker, Green-tailed Sunbird, Himalayan Barbet, Woodpeckers (Great Slaty, Himalayan, Grey-headed, Lesser Yellownape, Greater Yellownape, Grey-capped Pigmy) , River Lapwing, Sand Martins, Russet Sparrows, Orange-breasted Green Pigeons, Eagles (Palla’s Fish, Lesser Fish, Rufous-bellied, Mountain Hawk) ,Vultures (Himalayan Griffon, Cinereous, Egyptian, Red-headed Vulture) , Himalayan Griffon Vultures, Bright-headed Cisticola, Siberian & White-tailed Rubythroat, Black francolin,Speckled Piculet, Mallard duck, Red-crested Pochard, Barbets (Himalayan, Lineated, Blue-throated), Oriental Pied & Great Hornbill, Dollar Bird, Crested or Himalayan Kingfisher,Blue-bearded bee-eater, Long-tailed Broadbill, Lesser Coucal, Red-breasted Parakeet,Himalayan Swiftlet, Small Pratincoles, Hen Harrier, Northern Goshawk, Besra, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Great Crested Grebe, Black Stork, Orange-bellied Leafbird, Eurasian Jay, Grey Tree pie, Maroon Oriole, Bar-winged Flycatcher-shrike, Yellow-bellied Fantail, Drongos (Lesser Racket-tailed, Spangled), Brown Dipper, Thrush (Scaly, Dark-throated, Long-billed, Tickel’s, Blue Whistling), Grey-winged Blackbird, Flycatchers (Dark-sided, Rufous-gorgeted, Ultramarine), Small & Rufous-bellied Niltava, Whiskered Yuhina, White-capped Water Redstart, Plumbeous Water Redstart, Forktails, Tree Creepers, Himalayan Bulbuls,Various species of Tits, Nuthaches …….. and an Incredibly Looooonggggg List

We had an approx. sightings of 200 + species on average in our last 7 visits each in 5 days:-)

Reptile Species: Gharial and Marsh Crocodile, Indian Monitor Lizard, Rock Agama, King Cobra etc….

Flora: Corbett National Park is rich in vegetation. The lower reaches of the Park, where the land is flat compared to the upper reaches, consists of tall and slender Sal (Shorea robusta) trees. Shisham (Dalbergia sissoo) and Khair (Acacia katechu) trees are found in the middle reaches, while the upper reaches of the mountains are full of bakli (Anogeissus latifolia), chir (Pinus roxburghii), gurail (Bauhinia racemosa) and bamboo trees. The Park is dotted with lantana shrubs, a species that is a great cause for concern. In Park also boosts of over 33 species of bamboo and grass that are mostly found in chours, or meadows.

Click here to get a detailed information of Corbett National Park…..

http://www.corbettnationalpark.com/about-corbett-park.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Corbett_National_Park

You can also view Some of the wonderful trip reports by our participants who came last year to Corbett.

http://www.math.iitb.ac.in/~krishnan/corbett-pics/

http://abhayastravelogue.blogspot.com/2011/04/trip-to-jim-corbett.html

http://birdingdiary.blogspot.com/2011/03/corbett-national-park-batch-1-07th-to.html

Some wonderful experiences by Nature India trip participants

http://natureindia-tours.blogspot.com/2009/07/trip-experiences-by-nature-india-tours.html

SATTAL/NAINITAL/PANGOT

About 70 kms northeast of Ramnagar in the Kumaon Himalayas lies the Nainital Lake Valley (29° 22' 60N and 79° 27' 0E) and adjacent hill resorts. The Pangot area (1900m) lies 15 kilometers past Nainital and is on the road to Vinayak past Kilbury. While the Sattal area (800m) lies 20 kms to the south east of Nainital. This area and its surrounding hills has a record of 200+ Himalayan bird species, with a great altitudnal variation.

Mixed forests dominated by thick ban-oak, pine and rhododendron cover most of the area and surrounding hills. A large part of the landscape is characterized by dense vegetation. Numerous perennial creeks and streams crisscross the area along with various lakes (Sattal, Nainital, Bhimtal, Nakuchiatal) that dot this region.

District Nainital (Kumaon) covers the tropical, subtropical, temperate, sub alpine and alpine zones. The terai & bhabhar belt presents the climate of the plains while the deep valleys with elevation upto 1000 Mts. play host to flora and fauna typical of hills as well as plains. The middle Himalayan ranges to 2000 Mts and the sub alpine region upto 2500 Mts complete the eco-zones. (Source: www.kolkatabirds.com)

Pangot, a beautiful hamlet in the Kumaon hills, surrounded by thick forests. It offers bird watchers and nature lovers a truly rewarding experience. Pangot is just 15 km away from Nainital and population a mere hundred.

The peace and solitude one experiences in this clean and fresh place is unmatched. Birding in Sattal/Pangot is an amazing experience….this place is so rich in birds that once visited you will yearn to go there again and again. Most of the birding can be done one the way and you can expect loads of mixed hunting parties of Nuthatches, Flycatchers, Minla’s, Laughing Thrushes, Shrike-babblers, Yuhina’s, Sibia’s, green-tailed Sunbird, Fire-breasted Flowerpecker’s, a variety of woodpeckers or even a Lammergier soaring overhead. Some of the birds that are easily seen here are Eurasian & Black-headed Jay, Whiskered Yuhina, Hill Prinia, Slaty-headed Parakeets, Forktail’s, Crimson Sunbird, Rufous-bellied Woodpecker, Blue-winged Minla, White-tailed Nuthatch, Rufous Sibia, Verditer & Ultramarine flycatchers, Red-billed Blue Magpie and so many others….

Nature India has organized a meticulously planned and exciting wildlife trip to this paradise from 19th March - 23rd March 2012 (excluding travel from Mumbai - Delhi - Ramnagar & Back). We shall cover the prime spots in Corbett including 2 full Days in Dhikala (the place of action), Sarpduli, Gairal, Garjia, Sambar Road, Champion Road, Sattal, Pangot, Nainital… That completes most of the prime locations here. What more, the renowned birder of the region Mr.Manoj Sharma has agreed to take time from his busy schedule to join us.

Please note, that the places selected are the hot spots and there is a high rush to get permits to these places, but we have managed to get this for your maximum gains.

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Tour Itinerary & Other Details: (Ramnagar to Ramnagar) participants need to make their own travel arrangements from Delhi to Ramnagar & Back.

Day 1 (18th Mar'12) : Board 5013 Jim Corbett Park Link Exp from old Delhi station leaving 22.40 hrs.

Day 2 (19th Mar'12) : Reach Ramnagar railway station at 5.30 am, freshnup on the way – Breakfast and proceed to Dhikala camp via Gairal & Crocodile pool in open gypsies– Lunch and Evening safari through the chaurs (Terai grasslands)– Night stay in Dhikala forest camp.

Day 3 (20th Mar’12) : Full day game drive in open gypsies & birding in Dhikala region covering Sarpdauli, Champion Road, Thandi Sadak & High Bank, full day game-drive at Dhikala-Night stay in Dhikala forest camp

Day 4 (21st Mar’12) : Morning Game drive / Birding in Dhikala and inside Corbett N.P in open gypsies - Lunch - proceed to Nainital while birding along the way- Night Stay at Sattal

Day 5 (22nd Mar’12) : Full day birding in Nainital / Pangot / Bhimtal / Sattal - Night stay at Sattal.

Day 6 (23rd Mar’12) : Full day birding & Wildlifing in Nainital / Pangot / Bhimtal / Sat Tal & Proceed to Kathgodam station to board train for Delhi (at 10.00 pm)

Day 7 (24th Mar’12) : Arrive in Delhi at 5.00 am

Trip charges : Rs.18400/- (Includes Non- A/C room stay on Triple Sharing Basis in Dhikala FRH and on Twin Sharing basis in comfortable hotel in Sattal, Local travel by 4x4 jeeps in Corbett and Tavera's in Sattal, Veg. meals, Breakfast, Fruits, Park Permits, Park entry charges, Photography charges, Guide charges, Information articles & on board snacks and mineral water)…….

This does not include Travel charges from Mumbai - Delhi - Ramnagar and Back or any charges other than the above. Participants will have to make their own travel arrangements till Ramnagar & Back.

Note:

Nature India can assist you for your train travel bookings from Delhi to Ramnagar if required (train travel charges extra).

Registration: You can register by sending a confirmatory mail to natureindiatours@gmail.com and by paying a non-refundable advance of Rs.7000/- after getting registration mail by us (The seats will only be confirmed after receiving the advance amount) …..the remaining amount will be collected during the trip....... Kindly register soon to avoid the rush for train bookings……….

Group Size: Max 13 Pax only

Stay Arrangement: Dhikala Forest Camp (It is actually a resort) inside Corbett N.P. on Triple sharing basis and a comfortable Hotel in Sattal on twin sharing basis. …….
(see below image)

Resource Persons: Mr.Manoj Sharma, Mr.Adesh Shivkar

Mode of Payment: You can either

1) Transfer the advance money directly to my HDFC A/c (Please send a mail/call for details).. please mention your name, date and other details….OR
2) Courier a cheque of Rs.7000/- as advance amount to the following address

Name: Mr.Adesh Shivkar

Address: D/8, The Adi Janata Society, Behind HP Petrolpump, Opp. Hotel Shangrila, Sion(East), Mumbai-400022

Please Note:
1) Once registered, the advance amount of Rs. 7000/- is strictly non-refundable
2) Alcohol & Smoking is strictly prohibited on all Nature India Tours

3) Nest photography or any collection of specimens is prohibited

Please revert on natureindiatours@gmail.com ID, in case you need any clarification ….

For any other queries we are available on 9869071091 (Adesh) and 9930318665 or 9967518665 (Mandar)

Thanks for your patience.

Looking forward for a very rewarding trip with you all !!

Warm Regards,

Adesh Shivkar & Mandar Khadilkar
Nature India
Appreciate, Respect and Conserve