The writings of Jim Corbett have brought immortal fame to the forests of Uttar Pradesh. Inspired by his writings I wanted to see this region of Himalayas. These thickly forested foothills of the Himalayas, in the state of Uttar Pradesh, are generally referred to as the Terai. There are two splendid protected habitats here that provide an unforgettable wildlife experience.

Raniket Express train took us to Corbett from Delhi. We started at 11 PM and reached there early in the morning. We has already booked rooms in one of the jungle resorts and immediately after reaching there we jumped on our beds to have some rest. During our stay we explored Corbett Park, Dudhwa National Park.

Corbett National Park extends over an area of 520.82sq.km. Varied topography and vegetation gives Corbett a rich diversity in habitats and natural beauty. There are over 110 varieties of trees, 51 species of shrubs and over 33 kinds of bamboos and grasses in this area. Corbett has the highest density of tiger in the country - approximately one every 5 sq.km. Besides the tiger, Corbett is a haven for 50 mammals, 580 kinds of birds and 25 reptile species. The Park has elephants, the Himalayan black bear in the higher elevations, sloth bear, varieties of lesser cats, dhole -the wild dog and an entire spectrum of colourful birds including water birds, pheasants, jungle fowl and the Indian hornbill.

We also visited Dudhwa National Park. Covering an area of 498.29 sq km, the park has fine sal forests and extensive grasslands. Swampy depressions and lakes characterize the wetlands of the Park. These are the habitat of large numbers of barasingha, the magnificent swamp deer, noted for their multi-fined antlers. Though the Park has a fair population of tigers, they are rarely seen owing to the nature of the forest cover.