Hotel Reviews of Corbett River Side

5.44
Kartik, Delhi | 08^th July 2008
Hotel Review of Corbett River Side
Comments: Tyger! Tyger! burning bright, In the forests of the night ..... This lovely poem by William Blake is what possibly draws a lot of foreigners to the enigmatic jungle land of Corbett National Park. For most of us in India, the wonderful book (and movie) with its background setting in the Jungles of India - Jungle Book (by Rudyard Kipling) bewitches many people to travel to this place to catch a glimpse of the much feared pride of the jungle - Sher Khan, the tiger.

People of all ages - kids, men, women, the elderly, are excited at the prospect of meeting the great beast. Kids, who otherwise thrown tantrums for getting up on time for their daily seemingly arduous journey to their schools, are up and ready before 5 a.m. to venture out for the safari to see the tiger (in action they presume). Alas! Most of them overestimate the extent to which Sher Khan shares their enthusiasm for the rendezvous. For the Tiger remains elusive, and is someone you would rarely get to see here. As it is, the Sher Khan population in this region has fallen badly over the years (just like the Sher, sorry, Share Prices these days).

Having been to Corbett many times (the fourth time in April 08), I have been privileged to go on a safari thrice - and each time all I have been able to see are deers, sambhars, some wild fowl, peacocks, wild boars et al. I was fortunate enough only to see some tiger pugmarks - Alas! No tiger.

Despite this setback, Corbett is one place everyone must visit at least once, and also venture out on a safari. The serenity and enigma of the jungle is simply amazing. One can go for a safari of a shorter duration to places such as Bijrani or Jhirna, or for a longer one to Dhikala. Of course, the chances of seeing a tiger (as I am told) increase with the amount of time one spends in the jungle.

The recommended place is Corbett River Side resort. Great place to stay at - located right next to river Kosi with a huge cliff rising in front, and with greenery all around. The rooms have an excellent view (make sure you choose one with a river view), service is good and there are additional facilities such as a swimming pool, table tennis, horse riding, among others. One can experience an elephant ride (a mahout sits with one close to the resort), or just laze around in a hammock.

The Museum dedicated to Jim Corbett, the great hunter and conservationist, is only a few kilometers from this resort, however, there is not much to see there except some tiger skins, elephant tusks and some photos, along with a bust of Jim Corbett.
Best Experience: The water of river Kosi is simply refreshing, and one can immerse oneself in it. The resort has one of the largest river facing areas and is abound in Mahseer fish. The best time to enjoy the river is in Apr-May when the water level is not too high, the flow relatively slow and it is safer to venture inside the river in areas that are not too deep (3-4 feet). At the same time, it is advisable that people exercise caution and kids are always accompanied by adults. The river is the most amazing part of this place. The cliffs rise right in front and it is a great experience to cross the river (through the shallow region) and go for a little trek.

The other great attraction of this resort is the thoroughbred horses. Going on a horse riding trip and especially crossing the river on horseback is one of the best experiences one can have. The horses are well trained and simply fabulous. A word of caution - the horse might at times not be in the best of moods and for first timers (and especially kids), it is best to have the (horses’) groom handle the horses, so that they doesn't take one for a ride (some would say that's the intent!). Before the ride, one should also ask the groom for instructions on how to manage a horse. A much safer option is a buggy ride.
Worst Experience: Well, the only two not-so-good experiences (over 3 holidays spent at the place) were the air conditioner not being very effective on one of our visits and my brother having to jump off one of the horses that had started running away after it had got itself loose. Also, the resort has a dance floor (which was used by a huge group on one of our visits) which somehow I don't appreciate as loud music ruins the peace and quiet of the jungle.

5.33
roamer, Lucknow | 16^th February 2008
Hotel Review of Corbett River Side
We stayed in Corbett River Side resort while on our trip for Corbett National Park. Though the trip to the park itself was a very bad experience as we did not spot a single animal apart from deers and tamed elephants, but our stay in the resort more than made up for the entire trip. The location is just perfect with River flowing just besides the resort and mountain on the other side of the river. It was absolutely beautiful....

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