In the state of Uttaranchal lies India's largest national park, and its most famous, named after the legendary Jim Corbett. It was the first reserve selected for Project Tiger. Jim Corbett was an extraordinary man who between 1906 and 1941, hunted down at least a dozen man-eaters. It is estimated that the combined total of men, women and children those 12 animals are thought to have killed, before he stopped them, was more than 1,500. His very first man-eater, the Champawat tiger, alone was responsible for 436 documented deaths. 

In the 1920s, Corbett became appalled at the ever-increasing number of hunters, British and Indian, in the forests. He was concerned about the view of the jungles as a source of profit from timber rather than a sanctuary for wildlife. He began speaking to groups of schoolchildren about their natural heritage - electrifying students by concluding his speech with the full-throated roar of a tiger. He helped create the Association for the Preservation of Game in the United Provinces, and the All-India Conference for the Preservation of Wild Life, and he established India's first national park, inaugurated in 1934, in the Kumaon Hills.

Corbett is a haven for tigers with its plentiful prey - four kinds of deer, wild boar and lesser animals. Leopards are found in the hilly areas of the park but often do not cross paths with tigers in their territories. Some nocturnal cats found here are the leopard cat, jungle cat and fishing cat. Sloth bear is found in the lower regions of the park while the Himalayan black bear is seen in the higher hills only. The dole (wild dog), though rare, can be seen in the southern areas of the park along with the jackal. Some of the smaller residents of the park are Himalayan palm civet, Indian gray mongoose, common otter, blacknaped hare and porcupine. Elephants (solitary bulls and breeding herds) are one of the main attractions of Corbett. Along the Ramganga River shores, one can spot the long-snouted, fish-eating gharial crocodile and the mugger crocodile

A trip to the park will tie in well on the way to Himalayan Village (mentioned in the section Himalayan Tales) located 3 hours away. Typically, we suggest that travellers spend two nights in Corbett and three nights at the Himalayan Village.

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