Swim in Sattal... Cycle to Mukteshwar... gaze at the peaks from a quite farm in Ranikhet...watch the sunset at Pauri...hurtle down the choppy waters of the Tons, the Yamuna, the mighty Ganga...
RAJAJI NATIONAL PARK
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| RAJAJI NATIONAL PARK |
Distance 208 Km North of Delhi, Journey Time By Road 4hrs By rail 3 1/2hrs+ 1/2hrs by road. Location Rajaji covers an area of 820 Sq. Km. of the Shivalik Foothills of the Himalayas, 9 Km from Haridwar in Uttaranchal.
Route: NH58 to Haridwar via Meerut, Muzaffarnagar and Roorkee; state road to Chilla, the main entrances of Rajaji.
Compared to its up-country neighbor Corbett, Rajaji National Park comes off rather unfairly, as it’s poor cousin. Most pilgrims flocking to Haridwar, or trekkers keen on higher altitudes, bypass this undiscovered gem. But there are side benefits too being forgotten, and the light human traffic in Rajaji has meant that the wilderness has blossomed unmolested.
Corbett is India’s oldest National Parks, Whereas Rajaji is a mere youngster that was created just 20 years ago, out of the three adjoining wild life sanctuaries of Chilla, Rajaji and Motichur. Covered in beautiful rambling forests of Sal and Amaltas and bisected by the Ganga and its multitude of tributaries, the Park is home to over 500 wild elephants, as well as chital, barking deer, wild boar, jackals and even leopards and bears. The wild, flat river valley which runs through the park is an ideal place to spot animals and they come down to the water’s edge to drink, or gather at dusk at thire favorite salt lick. Sometimes, the dump ground near the river’s edge is transformed into a shimmering carpet of thousands of butterflies gather to drink.
THINGS TO SEE AND DO.
There’s no better way to see the forest wildlife than by taking an elephant safari. Be sure to turn up early or book in advance as there are only these two gentle giants to cater to visitors and they trek out only twice a day. Even then, a notice clearly warns that if the elephants are needed for official forest patrols, then their safari will be cancelled even if you’ve pre-booked the elephant safaris last for 2 hours and depart from the check post at 9 am and 3 pm during winter months, and 5.30 am and 5 Pm in summer.
Cost of Safari : Indians Rp 100, foreigner Rp 200
If your elephant is otherwise engaged or if you prefer to roam a little further afield, jeep safaris are the best options. Each jeep- infact, every vehicle entering the park, whether privately owned or not has to be accompanied by a guide, who will charge around Rp 100 for a 2 hr trip there’s an additional Rp 600 for jeep hire.
Vehicle enter fee : Rp 100 per car, Rp 500 for bus, plus Rp 40 per Indian and Rp 350 per foreigner
Bird Viewing.
Take your binoculars for this is a bird watcher’s paradise. Different species like chestnut-headed bee-eaters, to pied hornbills, yellow and pied wagtails, to a spectacular booted eagle perched regally on a dead tree branch Rajaji is especially rich during winter, providing a resting place for migrants.
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| Rope Way |
To join the heavenly and the earthly realms is no easy matter, but the managers of the Chandi Devi Mandir atop Neel Parvat, on the edges of the Rajaji National Park, have decided that there’s an easy route to upliftment: They have built a chair car. Even if you’re none to keen on the noisy temple complex at the top, with its blaring devotional songs and belligerent monkeys, the ride up, high over the whispering treetops, is a delight. From the top, you get a great view of the temple, Mansa Devi, with it’s own matching ropeway far across on the opposite peak. The mandir is on the edge of the park, approx. 1 km before the main gate. Ropeway Fee Rp 50 per head Timings 8:30 to 6 pm.
PLACE TO STAY
The GMVN Tourist Guest House (Tel 01382-266697-8; Tariff Rp 650-1400) is close to the main entrance to the park, surrounded by pretty lawns where deer often graze at night. The decidedly un-picturesque hydroelectric plant is nearby but, happily, it’s not very visible from the guest house itself. The accommodation is the main building is fairly standard government fare- clean, un-pretentious, non-fussy rooms with or without a/c. However it also has six ‘huts’ in the ground outside, which are altogether more fun-as well as being cheaper.
PLACE TO EAT
The only place to get food inside the park outside of your hotel is at the GMVN Guest House at Chilla. The food is standard government guest house fare – with a preponderance of black pepper in any ting purporting to be ‘Continental’. There’s nothing ‘fancy’ about it, but a hard day’s trekking around in the great outdoors gives you an appetite that adds piquancy to the blandest dish.
For the millions of Hindus who revere the Ganga and flock to it to be rejuvenated by its waters, going to Haridwar is like fulfilling a life's ambition. It was here at Har-Ki-Pauri, it is believed, that Lord Vishnu left his footprint on a rock, and where Prince Bhagirath performed penance, in response to which Lord Shiva sent forth the Ganga cascading from his knotted locks. 
Haridwar's Main attraction is Har-Ki-Pauri, its main ghat. Soak in the Ganga here, literally and figuratively. The evening aarti at this ghat should not be missed. One of the experiences of a lifetime is to stand at the Har-Ki-Pauri ghat and watch the lights of thousands of Divyas floating on the river, carring with them the hopes and aspiration of millions.
