Spotting a Tiger is Difficult. Says Who?
A view of the forest during a jeep safari at Jim Corbett National Park. Photo via Wikimedia Commons by netlancer2006.
What can I tell you about Corbett that Google can’t? If that’s the first thought on your mind, that makes two of us. Well, Google didn’t spend two nights and three days in the core of Corbett—and spot a tiger on the safari. I’m guessing I can help there.
“It’s impossible to spot a tiger.” That’s the first thing I heard when I decided to go to Corbett. But the idea wasn’t to spot a tiger—it was to experience all that Jim Corbett had magnificently narrated through his writing.
After a couple hours drive from Ramnagar, I reached the forest premises of Dhikala. The silence, the beauty around me dissipated my exhaustion from the journey. I have always been an animal lover—that explains my weakness for forests.
Dhikala is a guest house inside the forest. Bookings are hard to get but worth the wait. I was lucky enough to get a room facing the forest. The ambiance inside the place was so beautiful and calm that I almost felt like I was living inside the forest. Well, except for the electric fence. I didn’t want to slow down my beautiful journey, so I dropped my bag and quickly rushed for the evening jeep safari. As my jeep went deep inside the forest, my eyes kept wandering here and there for animals.
To my surprise, my guide stopped the jeep in the middle of the forest with huge grass everywhere. He signaled the rest of the jeeps to stop immediately, and soon there was a long queue. He took a pair of binoculars out of his pocket and gave it to me. I stood up on the jeep and saw the most breathtaking sight of my life. I had spotted a tiger! I have never seen so many people staring at something so quietly. Other tourists were busy recording and clicking snaps, but I couldn’t move my eyes for a minute. I stared right into the giant creature. There he was, in front of me. The king of the jungle. I was barely 6 steps away from him.
Asian elephants at Corbett National Park, Dhikala. Photo via Wikimedia Commons by Vikram Gupchup.
How many times did I imagine this moment in my head? I didn’t feel, I was so numb. I froze. I stood there staring until the king made his way back into the green. The jeeps slowly moved away but my mind wouldn’t stop thinking about this moment. It kept replaying in my mind.
We also spotted an elephant, a crocodile, and a few other animals. But the king had already numbed me. I made my way back into Dhikala. At evening snack time, when everyone was sharing photos and footage, I could not stop thinking about that moment. I had two jeep safaris the following day. I spotted a few deer, a beautiful sunrise, and a tiny stream. But nothing was as breathtaking as that moment.
I’ll probably always remember Corbett as the most amazing moment of my life. Even if you are not a forest lover like me, after two nights in Corbett, you will fall in love with the beauty of the place. So, if you think you’ve already seen enough of the forest, you might want to rethink it. Try Corbett.
