ELEPHANT SAFARI
Elephant safari is an exclusive safari on elephant back through
the famous corbett national park,india. India's first and one of its finest
tiger reserve. Elephant safari helps the visitor to travel through such difficult terrains where even jeeps cannot venture. And why not, riding an elephant takes you back to the royal era, when only the kings use to ride on these majestic beasts, since nothing can even compare with the majesty of the Pachyderm.
The elephant moves slowly and steadily, that's why this type of safari is ideal in and around the wild regions or within the vicinity of the wildlife sanctuaries, where riding the elephant can give you an easy excess for viewing the wildlife. More of all a elephant safari tour in the tropical wildlife sanctuaries of India gets you up, close and personal with these majestic animals.
During your elephant tour ride, you can watch the wild elephants taking bath in the water ponds. The photographers can easily take pictures of the wilds while riding and as a souvenir of the amazing journey into the wilds, take one with the elephant too.
The elephant back safari tour is a great combination of elephant and jeep safari to observe wildlife, the main attraction
being riding the Pachyderm for a whole week. The elephant safari in corbett tiger reserve starts from the Durgadevi gate of the corbett park and continuous along the northern boundary ending at halduparao on the
northwestern boundary of the corbett tiger reserve. Besides traveling on the elephant back, the tour plan
includes various activities including jeep safaris into the corbett national park
and bird watching hikes, village visits, visits to various tribes in the
area, learning to ride the elephant, elephant baths to name a few.
The elephant safari tour begins as we enter the ramganga valley and onwards crossing
over to the mandal valley, covering some varied tracts of forest and
ending in the beautiful forest rest house of halduparao in the palain
valley. The wildlife observed on the elephant tour also varies as we pass through
different terriens and some mammal species that can be sighted are elephant, spotted deer, barking deer, sambar, ghoral
(mountain goat), rhesus & langur monkey, wild boar, jackal, civets, porcupine, etc. The
rare ones include the bengal tiger, leopard and a variety of lesser cats,
hog deer, sloth & himalayan black bear. The mugger or fresh water
crocodile, gharial, otters, turtles and a variety of fishes (mahseer,
goonch, trout, etc.) are seen in and around the ramganga river. Reptile
species igclude monitor lizard, king cobra, python, etc.
Corbett is also a bird watchers paradise and some of the Avian attractions include a Varity of Woodpeckers, Kingfishers, Hornbills Parakeets, Shrikes, Barbets,
Drongos, Minivets, Storks, Partridge and various Birds of Prey.
Sample Tour Plan
[Nine Days and Eight Nights- Nov to April]
Day
One [Arrive at
Corbett Camp]
Depart
Delhi early morning. Arrive at the Corbett Camp by lunch. Evening
walk to the surrounding forest and riverside to observe the flora and fauna of
the area. Back to camp by sundown for campfire barbecue. Dinner and
overnight at Camp.
Day
Two [Corbett Camp to Lohachaur]
Early morning game drive by jeep from Camp to the Durgadevi gate and
enter the tiger reserve on the Elephants. The journey takes you
through a stretch of about 16 Kms through the Ramganga valley to
Lohachaur - an Old forest rest house built in the early 1900’s.
Enroute you shall pass through some excellent patches of fern laden
moist sub tropical jungles and would hope to encounter a variety of
wildlife. Lunch is served at Domunda - The confluence point of the
Ramganga and Mandal rivers. Post lunch we trudge up the Mandal
valley where we visit the ‘chunars’ - a Hill tribe who carve
pots out of wood. Arrive at Lohachaur by evening. Overnight in the
forest rest house / tents.
Day
Three [Lohachaur to Kanda]
Depart early morning upstream along the Mandal River towards
maidavan chowki. The Mandal River forms a part of the northern
boundary of the tiger reserve. Breakfast enroute. Post breakfast
travel on through small hamlets and patches of thick Sal forest to
arrive at Maidavan chowki. Lunch is served at Maidavan and post
lunch we drive in jeeps to Kanda the Highest forest rest house in
the Tiger reserve. Kanda located atop a ridge on the Shivalik ranges
is at an altitude of about 1100 mtrs and commands a breathtaking
view of the Dhikala chaur and the Ramganga reservoir. Overnight in
the forest rest house/tents.
Day
Four [Kanda to Dhikala and back]
Early morning game drives into the national park with packed
breakfast. Lunch at Dhikala and evening game drive back to Kanda.
Overnight in the forest rest house/ tents
Day
Five [Kanda to Mundiapani]
Early morning depart by jeeps to Rathuadhab forest rest house where
we meet the Elephants and the Mahouts. Breakfast at Rathuadhab and
onward we travel on the elephant to Mundiapani Forest Rest house.
Overnight in the forest rest house/tents.
Day
Six [Mundiapani to Gujjar Dera ( Palain Valley)]
Early morning ride the Elephants towards the Palain valley.
Breakfast at Vatanvasa gate. After breakfast we carry on upstream
along the Palain River. Arrive at the Gujjar dera by lunch. The rest
of the afternoon is spent with the Gujjars - a semi nomadic tribe
that is also the most prominent tribe in the area. Overnight at the
Gujjar dera in tents.
Day
Seven [Gujjar Dera to Haldupardao]
Early morning ride the Elephants downstream on the Palain
River towards Haldupardao Forest rest house. This is pure Elephant
country and one can expect to see Elephant herds besides other
wildlife enroute. Arrive at the Haldupardao Forest rest house by
noon. Post lunch a game drive into the Sonanadi wildlife sanctuary -
a buffer sanctuary to the Corbett National Park. Overnight in the
forest rest house and tents.
Day
Eight [Depart for Delhi]
Wakeup at leisure. Bid goodbye to the Elephants, Mahouts, Naturalist and the rest of
the team and depart for Delhi after breakfast. Packed lunch enroute.
Arrive at Delhi via Kotdwar by evening.
Cost
of the package:
USd 120 per pax /per day on a twin share.
Single supplement rates on request.
NOTE: This is combination trip including game drives by 4X4 jeeps, elephant rides and nature hikes. The whole trip would be escorted with our
resident naturalist, kitchen staff and camp staff. The costs include all boarding
and lodging as mentioned and all activities as mentioned in the tour plan.
Mineral water and alcoholic beverages are not included in the cost.
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