TimesView : CORBETT SAFARI: My Diary

Avian Media Offsite

The alarm shrilled at 5:00 a.m. I groaned as the destroyer of sleep pinged me at the preset time. The chill of the dark pre-dawn tempted me to struggle deeper into the quilt. With a sigh, I remembered that I was at Corbett Park and colleagues from Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Chennai branches would be waiting to start our company off-site experience.

Five open back Maruti Gypsies arrived at Infinity Resort where we had been camping the previous night, ready to take us to experience the adrenaline rush of thrilling wild safari!

Armed with cameras, telephoto lens and binoculars, Avianites boarded the off-roaders and headed into the wilderness of Corbett National Park.

The scenery was undeniably picturesque, especially the sun rays penetrating through the majestic Oak, Sal and Eucalyptus trees into the deep woods. Exotic wild flowers and shrubs with
floating dew drops created a

heavenly rainbow-effect with the misty ambiance as a backdrop. It was quite magical to watch the jungle come alive.

Corbett National Park, located close to Ramnagar, is the first official national park of India. Hordes of adventure aficionados and wildlife lovers plan tours for witnessing the natural wealth of the park.

Home to over 488 different species of plants, 585 species of resident migratory birds, 33 species of reptiles, 37 species of dragonflies and 7 species of amphibians and fishes, Corbett National Park is undoubtedly a heaven for tourists.

I was seated in the back and at times standing up to get best possible view of the woods. It was tough to secure the camera and other equipment since the moving vehicle on a rough terrain causes violent jerks.

Many ventured into the riverside playing in the crystal clear water while others took turns posing for photographs.

When all other jeeps passed we stopped for few minutes at a nondescript hamlet to sip steaming cups of tea. Here we could listen to the sound of silence that filled our hearts with peace and bliss. We were the last of the fleet of jeeps, trying our best to spot some wildlife.

Our young guide and driver, Sher Bahadur suddenly slowed down and gradually brought the vehicle to a halt. He pointed out a herd of spotted deer crossing a rivulet far away. Within seconds they disappeared into the thick green bushes.

We were all optimistic to spot the king of jungle, but, the closest we got to see a tiger were some claw marks on a tree and a tiger poop!

Tiger paw marks

Our guide, led us few steps ahead towards a muddy surface which had paw marks. With his experience he carefully examined the trail of impressions and then revealed that the tiger had just passed this way less than an hour ago to quench its thirst!

At Sitavani, an ancient temple protected by the Archeological Survey of India we spotted two type of simians. The temple holds mythological importance to the Hindus. It is believed to be the place where Sita spent her years in exile and raised her children.

On our way back while coasting down in neutral, we noticed sudden violent movements of the bushes. Here we stopped once again for a while keeping our fingers crossed hopping to see what it was. After moving few steps towards edge of the road we spotted a couple of small deer racing to catch up with the herd.

The adventure at Corbett offsite has surely created a deeper bond with colleagues across branches, colleagues who have moved on to other organizations, yet in touch – thus leaving an everlasting impression in our minds.

Check on to the stills and video clips below which will take you all down through-the-memory lane. Do put on your headphones or connect to external speakers for sound effects!