Camp Forktail, Corbett National Park

Ritish Suri and Minakshi Pandey

We are a small jungle camp (only one in the, area with no electricity) on the north-eastern periphery of Corbett Tiger Reserve.

Only 10 per cent of the total land has elevated tents or mud huts on it, the rest is a bush with forest trees, a great place for regular sightings of smaller mammals and a varied species of birds.

We have heard leopards roaring from our campfire area or the shrill call of the spot-bellied eagle owl; deer and primate alarm calls around the forest during different times of the day. An Indian Civet visits our bird feed and a tusker graces camp ever so often.

Each unit is well away from the other, providing extreme privacy and a distinct feel of being in the forest.

We have tried to steer away from normal corporate conferences and the like and have stuck to provide quality birding and game viewing. The camp is equipped with a some very knowledgeable naturalists and trackers.

Our forte really would be our wildlife-related activities and the simple yet personalised service we provide.

We feel very strongly about our camp, our environment, the people and how things function around us. Our employees are all locals from neighbouring villages. Raw materials are all sourced locally; water, electricity and other such resources are managed and either used sparingly or not at all.

We educate the people staying with us, be it guests or employees and try to make this a better world to be in where animals roam freely and man respects and learns more about them.

Extremely professional and knowledgeable guides, trackers and naturalists; a true jungle camp, kept simple, basic yet elegant; escorted hikes into the forests; multi-day elephant back safaris inside the National Park; overnight trips to forest rest houses in Kumaon.

The camp came about when we felt the need for a place which feels more natural without any concrete structures and lots of bush where wild animals and birds can visit without fear.

We make sure we have minimum or zero impact on the land and areas around. We have, so far, in our seven years managed to retain much of why and how we wanted our camp. Forests around us are protected against poaching and are full of the much-wanted Sal tree and we definitely feel a sense of fulfilment at the end of the day.

Since we live here through the year, we have seen a lot – the famous birds of Corbett and areas around; tigers, leopards, elephants, deer, crocodile, gharial, smaller cats, civet, the list is joyfully long.

Hopefully, future neighbours will maintain the peace and solitude and do more for the flora and fauna.