Jungle Fever With Corbett Riverside Resort

When people ask me about bucket lists and my top places to visit I find it strange. The world is vast with so many different places to explore and cultures to understand, not to mention so many different types of food to eat how is one suppose to just pick a bunch of favourites? More than anything there are always different types of experiences to be had and one of the very best kind of experiences is a safari in a jungle. A very special person took me on my very first safari way back in 2010 and it has really never been the same for me since. My first trip was to Kanha in Madhya Pradesh and since then I’ve revisited Kanha, visited Pench which is a nearby jungle and then had the trip of a lifetime in South Africa. I’ve now decided to tick off as many national parks as I can and this month I decided to visit Jim Corbett National Park.

I’ve heard plenty about Corbett and how there are hardly any animals left. I’ve heard how some enthusiastic safari folk have just about seen a deer and nothing else in the jungle and despite all their stories I felt an urge to visit. Over Christmas and New Year a very close friend went to Corbett with a bunch of folks including two little babies and stayed there for nearly a week. All his photographs and videos just cemented my feelings about visiting Corbett and thanks to Corbett Riverside Resort ( the same place this friend visited ) I had the opportunity to experience Mother Nature at her finest.

If you’ve been following my website and my travels you will know I’m what people call a travel princess and enjoy luxury especially when it comes to hotels. Corbett has no shiny five star hotels ( perhaps a good thing ) but they have lovely hotels and the Corbett Riverside Resort is one of their finest. The biggest USP of this property is that they have the Kosi River running through their property so not only can you sit by the river banks or enjoy a beautiful view you can have river view facing rooms ! I’m told they are the only hotel that has rooms at a 50 yard distance from the river in all of Corbett. It’s also a huge plus point to have a river naturally flow through your hotel property because it makes for some very romantic meals when you can eat by the river  🙂

While I would have loved those rooms, I was with two other jungle cats and opted for a room with our own little private pool. While I had great hopes of taking a dip I spent all my time on safari or by the bonfire every night that sadly I forgot about the pool but it’s still gorgeous to wake up and have it right next to you.

Apart from beautifully comfortable rooms ( always a big plus when plug points are next to me bed ! ) the resort has plenty to offer as I discovered between my safari trips.

If you enjoy horses then you can feed them at the stables or go horse back riding through the property and along the river. They also make you cross the river and it’s a beautiful way to explore.

For folks like me that are too chicken to get on the horse there is always indoor sports like carrom and pool or books you can borrow from their library.

A walk through their gardens towards the main dining room is pretty as you pass their Organic Farming strip. It’s always good to know that the people you stay with care about the environment and are feeding you fresh produce. That’s another thing, the food here is the most delicious in its simplistic form. Don’t expect  world cuisine or high tea and snacks but ask them for whole some daal, rice, rotis, chicken curry, mutton dishes and sabzi from the garden and you’ll be induced into what can only be described as a food coma. I learnt very quickly to keep my lunches light and dinners heavy or I’d snooze in the safari jeep!

A lot of folks don’t care much for the jungle the way I do so it’s nice to see that the hotel has plenty to offer even if you can’t be bothered to wake up early and get on the jeep. I was pleasantly surprised to see they have their own little spa service on the property as well. It’s not what you might normally expect I’m told they are still experimenting and trying out various services but I will tell you this – the masseuse is a genius and post bouncing about in a jeep for four hours at a stretch its god sent to have someone work out all the kinks in your body.

I spent my days waking up early for Safari, coming back to wolf down breakfast or lunch and then back on the safari till dusk. The nights were spent enjoying some fine whiskey and tandoori snacks by a massive bonfire pre dinner along with robust company.

For those who kept asking about the jungle, thankfully I saw plenty more than just a deer but more about that in my next post. If you’re looking for a weekend getaway or a holiday where you can rest relax and enjoy yourself away from the hustle and bustle of city life, Corbett Riverside Resort might just be what you need.