Homestay: Camp Corbett
If it’s more than tigers you’re seeking at Corbett, if you’re looking for a sense of its history and ethos, this is where you should go. Run by Ome Anand and his wife, Suman, this camp is located off the Kaladhungi-Nainital road. The rough-hewn structures are plastered with mud and cow-dung, at least one meal daily is made the traditional Kumaoni way and you get served organic food. Tariff: From Rs 3,200; Contact: 1-800-4252737, mahindrahomestays.com
Eco-friendly: Camp Forktail Creek
There are many resorts and camps in the Corbett area but few garner praise like Forktail does. With eight mud huts, this is a small establishment but an exceptional one. Run by Minakshi and Ritesh and located 23km north of Ramnagar, Forktail employs solar energy for basic requirements, furniture is made from waste wood and vegetation in the five-acre camp has been diligently developed. Tariff: Rs 6,500; Contact: 05947-287804, campforktailcreek.com
Scenic: Camp Riverwild
On the eastern fringe of Corbett, Riverwild offers professional management, hospitality tinged with warmth and that crucial ingredient — location. The six plush log huts all overlook the Kosi river, and the view, with hills rising all around, is lovely. The implied ‘roughing out‘ is a bit make-believe as you’ll find all the mod cons here but you’ll get your own private lookout to birdwatch, so you won’t complain. Tariff: From Rs 5,200; Contact: 287886, camp-riverwild.com
Budget: Dhikala Forest Lodge
There are scores of stay options outside Corbett but if you want to stay within the core area of the park, this is the answer. Run by the forest department, the place is 30km from the Dhangadi gate and enjoys an unrivalled position from which to view the park. As you’d expect, Dhikala is basic. Stay is possible in dorms; rooms are housed across a few wings, old and new. Tariff: Rs 250 per bed (dorms), from Rs 1,000 (rooms); Contact: 251489, corbettnationalpark.in
Resort: Corbett Leela Vilas
Only 10 minutes from Corbett’s Bijrani gate is this pretty-looking resort, which offers 12 luxury cottages — each a generous 800 sq ft that comes with a living room, a private sit-out and a courtyard. A useful retreat if you like the forest but only because you can come back from a dusty safari, fling your pith helmet aside and delve into the pleasures of TV, pool, mini-bars and the choice of multiple cuisines. Tariff: From Rs 8,999; Contact: 284330, corbettleelavilas.com
Old world: Jim’s Jungle Retreat
Located outside the reserve’s south eastern boundary, this is a 15-acre space that brings back a whiff of the manner in which the sahibs experienced the jungle. These are tented accommodations but when you picture it, remember to include ACs, fine linen, period lithographs and plates of the shikaar. Tariff: 2N/3D From Rs 20,000; includes safaris, walking trips, biking, birding sorties, meals and taxes; Contact: 9899989508, jimsjungleretreat.com