Kalagarh Tiger Reserve is one of the leading tourist attractions in India. This reserve is a part of the world-renowned Jim Corbett National Park. If you are planning to visit this unique attraction be ready for an experience of a lifetime. Whether this will be your first visit or you are planning to revisit the place you need to get vital travel updates so that as you plan your trip you have all your facts right.
The Kalagarh Tiger reserve can be entered through 4 gates. These are :
For first-timers, it’s important to have some background info about this reserve and what it has to offer. So let’s start with the basics.
Kalagarh Tiger Reserve is renowned for its rich bio-diversity; there are plenty of exciting flora and fauna to see and interact with. From the Sheesham, lush green Sal, semal, tun to other deciduous trees and a wide array of wildlife species that inhabit this region.
As the name of this reserve rightly suggests it is home to a high number of tigers, leopards as well as other species in the cats’ family. But that’s not all you will encounter here. Wildlife enthusiasts and tourists alike can easily spot a lustrous breed of dear – the barking deer, chital, sambar, goral and hog deer many among others. Another common but equally fascinating attraction is the many herds of elephants that roam this jungle.
You will find many other species here including, langurs, porcupines, and yellow-throated martens. Bird lovers are also included in the party; with over 580- species of birds including wagtails, kingfishers, pheasants, forktails, hornbills, vultures and eagles you are sure to have very exciting times in Kalagarh Tiger Reserve.
What of reptiles? Yes, you get a chance to enjoy over 25 species of reptiles such as king cobras, monitor lizards, crocodiles and rock pythons; as well as hundreds of plants and insect species. The list of attractions is inexhaustible; here we are only giving you the tip of the iceberg. So much about the attractions for now; the best way to sample what this reserve has in store for you is to actually visit the place. Now let’s focus on the thrust of our write-up; to how to get there.
Until recently there were no entry points to Kalagarh Tiger Reserve from Pauri Garhwal District. This has been a strange phenomenon since two-thirds of Corbett National Park lies in Pauri Garhwal district yet there have been no gates to the park in Kotdwar which is in this district. Lack of entry points from the Pauri Garhwal District indicated a lack of knowledge on the dynamics of the local economy and travel conveniences of the tourists visiting this reserve.
However, due to the demands of the residents of Kotdwar, the government has of late created two new gates to serve as entry points to this awesome game reserve. The new gates have been opened from Dugadda near Kotdwar; one gate is situated on the Pakhro side while the other gate is at Sendikhal Ratwadhang. Why is this info important to the visitors of Kalagarh Tiger Reserve and residents of Kotdwar?
Accessing this reserve from any of the two gates means you as a visitor will get an opportunity to interact more with the attractions and biodiversity in this part of Corbett National Park. Remember, we said that two-thirds of this park lies here in Pauri Garhwal District.
Secondly, since the gates are located close to New Delhi it means you will save both on traveling time and transport costs from Delhi. Most importantly, you will, directly and indirectly, support the economic growth of Kotdwar and the larger Pauri Garhwal district. We all agree that these two new gates are boon to all the stakeholders.
With this info in mind, you are now well set to have a memorable visit to Kalagarh Tiger Reserve using any of the two new gates near Kotdwar.
Kalagarh Tiger Reserve lies in the Lansdowne region of Pauri Garhwal. You can take a right from Dugadda Bridge which leads to a Forest Trail going towards the Tiger reserve. The nearest railway station is Kotdwara which is 19 Kms away. There are few resorts on the way. Corbett Mist Resort is amongst the best in this region.
By Air: The closest airport is Jolly Grant, Dehradun.
By Rail: Kotdwar is the nearest railway station 19 Kms away
By Road: It’s a mere 6 hour drive from Delhi via Bijnaur.
This reserve, spread over an area of 300 sq km, constitutes the northern part of Jim Corbett National Park. The Park is located along with Lansdowne Forest Division in Uttarakhand a state in Northern part of India.
Kalagarh is an abode for many wildlife species in shivalik mountain range of Pauri Garhwal the name confirms it has a high density of tigers, leopards and other from cats family.
It carries a lustrous breed of deer- chital, barking deer, goral, sambar, and hog deer.
The herd of elephant can be spotted anywhere in the area while on excursion Among others are porcupines, yellow throated martens and langurs.
The park has more than 580 species of birds, which includes kingfisher, wagtails, forktails, pheasants, hornbills, eagles, vultures, and about 50 species of mamamals among with 25 species of reptiles like crocodile, king cobras, rock pythons, and monitor lizards as well as hundreds of species of plants and insects.
The place is home to several species of trees such as sal, sheesham, semal, bakli, haladu, tun, bamboo, etc. Along with medicinal plants.