Delhi to Ramgarh (via Corbett)
Well, technically, it was Ghaziabad to Ramgarh, so we saved valuable time by not traversing Delhi roads in the morning.
The trip in brief
This trip covers the route from Delhi to Ramnagar via Moradabad, some time in Corbett National Park, route to Ranikhet and Kausani on to Bageshwar, further on to Almora and then, Ramgarh and back via Bhimtal.
Details
We started early (by our standards) at about 6:15 in the morning and were soon zooming on the well-made NH24. after paying a modest toll, we were passing Hapur before we could realise. Hapur has a beatiful bypass road and you really have to control yourself from speeding. Gajraula also passed peacefully. Road from here to Garh is not up to the mark, but not too bad either. Before we knew it, we ran straight into a jam at Brijghat (Garhmukteshwar). It being a solar eclipse at that very moment, the road was absolutely packed with people trying to rinse the ill-effects of the devil trying to devour the Sun.
Road improved again and we hit Moradabad by 9:45. Delayed by about 30 mins due to the traffic at Garh. There are a lot of good eating points en route, lots of mouth-watering stuff in the dhabas, but we decided to relax at Hotel Panchal (UP Tourism). This is about 4km down the main town road (not the bypass).
After a good breakfast and rest, we hit the road again at 11 am towards Kashipur (40-45 km). There is a bad 20-25 km stretch of road on this section. From Kashipur, Ramnagar is only 21 km. We checked in at the Forest Department office there at about 12:30. After some confusion on the safari options avaialble as well as accommodation, we decided to while our time away the whole day and take an ealry morning safari in Corbett. Stayed at KMVN rest house.
Morning Safari in Corbett (Bijrani Zone) was refreshing and interesting. No Tigers for us, unfortunately. But a lot of spotted deer, sambhar, langoor, elephants, etc. A 3 hour safari in Bijrani zone costs about 500 for the vehicle, 30 per person entry and 100 for the guide.
We were on the road again at aroun 12 noon. This time it was proper hill roads. The route from Ramnagar via Mohan, Majhol and Tarikhet to Raniket (100km) is scary at points. Just about a single lane road with no edge breaks and sheer drops of thousands of feet. But Ranikhet was cool and refreshing. It was a bit crowded though. And after lunch, we decided to move on. After a lovely 2 hour drive in the valley, we reached Kausani. We had a booking in the KMNV rest house there, but hello!, Kausani had no water at all. Shuddering at the thought of having to do without water, we decided to take some more pains and reached Bageswar (39km) by nightfall. The KMVN rest house there had both room and water (Phew!). Bageshwar in itself is better known as a town on the crossroads. Temples of Baijnath nearby are also famous. A tiring day was wrapped up with sumptuous dinner and drinks.
After a relaxed breakfast and stretching, we moved on to Almora (75km). The road is much better this time and also has several pituresque spots on the way. Almora was packed with tourists. We just gobbled some snacks, bought local mithai and moved on. At Bhowali (45km), the road Ys towards Nainital and Mukteshwar. We took the latter and reached Ramgarh (14km). Ramgarh, at 6000ft is nested deep in the hills. It is still untouched and doesnt see too much tourist activity. The town is 'talla' (down) while most of the hotels and market is 'malla' (up). We relied once again on the KMVN rest house. Its a quaint little place with some good rooms and tents. The view is fabulous and trek options numerous. The market, about half a km away, stocks all stuff one may need.
Rabindranath Tagore is said to have written atleast part of his Gitanjali on a cottage not far from the KMVN rest house. However, it is reachable only on foot.
Didn't want to but had to leave next noon. Had a brief look at Mukteshwar (27km), further up the hills, on the way to Bhimtal (35km). Then on to Haldwani (27km), Rampur (65km) and Moradabd (25km). From here, it was basically retracing our steps, except the traffic was much sparser this time and also that we stopped at Hotel Rahi (UP tourism) at Garh for evening snacks and drinks.
The Vehicle
Hyundai Santro 1.1 LS Zip Plus
Everyone said it was a city car, but I wish they had tried it on the highways! It was simply a pleasure - quick on accelaration, smooth on cruise, safe and reliable on braking. It took the plain highways with style and the hills with eagerness and ease. It could easily manage 3rd gear on substantially steep gradients. I discovered it was best to engage 3rd/4th downhill and forget about the clutch. Of course, high speed turning is always slightly uncomfortable, but then you should have bought something like an Indica and wondered where the road went back in Delhi !
