Roadtrip to the jungle: Delhi-Corbett long drive handbook

It’s often said that a road trip strengthens your bonds with loved ones. The crux of a road trip lies in spontaneity. But that being said, a well-planned road trip works the best because most of your doubts sorted beforehand.

One fine Friday morning, we pushed the gas pedal and landed at Jim Corbett National Park. The oldest national park in India lies six and a half hours away from Delhi. While Google Map says it’s merely a five hour ride, the road condition and stop overs will easily make this trip six hours one way. Besides there are a few points where you will definitely encounter a slow traffic, which may increase the driving hour.

Corbett has become a second home for me. If you ask me where do you see yourself in next 10 years. Well, settling in Corbett doesn’t seem an odd response.

Starting at the right time

It was early February and the infamous winter fog of North India has bid farewell, which gave us enough confidence to start early. We started from Noida at 5:30 in the morning. The target was to start by 5AM, but when seven people decide to go together there ought to be a delay. Thankfully ours was just half an hour.

Zeroing in on the car

When it comes to Corbett, prefer a car that has greater ground clearance. While Corbett itself might not be an off roadish destination, there are a few resorts and places around it that needs a car that can withstand sudden slope and crude road condition.

We took a Volvo XC 40 Petrol R-Design on this trip. If you are an auto enthusiast, you know it well that XC40 has been in the scene for quite sometime as a diesel only variant. It’s late last year, Volvo introduced a refined beast in the game.

XC 40 produces 190 hp of power and 300 Nm of torque. The introvert 8-speed automatic gearbox performs well in lower revs. There are four drive modes- all power-packed for a great highway drive.

Route travelled

There are three ways to reach Jim Corbett National Park from Delhi. The distances are of 282 kilometres, 274 kilometres and 253 kilometres respectively. We had decided to take the last route, which takes much lesser time not because of less distance but also this route consists mostly of highways. This route runs through Ghaziabad, Dasna, Chaituli, Sikhera, Garhmukteswar, Gajraula, Joya, Moradabad, Kashipur, Basai, Ramnagar before reaching Jim Corbett area. Every morning there is a terrific traffic jam at Hapur, thanks to its wholesale market where truckers park on the road. However this route bypasses Hapur.

Total toll fee from Delhi to Corbett – Rs 185 approx.

On the way

It was still dark when we maneuvered through Ghaziabad and hit the highway. The stretch till Hapur through NH 9 has some construction going on and you can’t drive above 50 km/h no matter how light the traffic is. Once you reach the Hapur Bypass road, you will suddenly see the road getting wider and you can push the throttle hard. And this is where we traced the first streak of sunlight on the eastern sky. There is a speed limit of 60km/h on this road. At exactly 110 kilometres after starting we were at Gajraula on NH 24 where we found a great range of options for breakfast. There were Bikanervala, McDonalds, Burger King, Haveli and many more. All these places have hygienic toilet facilities. So this should be your first stop. However you won’t find any roadside dhaba till Moradabad if you want the yesteryears charm. Don’t rush when you eat your breakfast. This is a part of the journey and relax as much as you can.

I prefer the new Burger King

I have been a Bikanervala loyal until recently when I found a Burger King right next to it. While food is something we can debate upon, a clean toilet in long drives are a must and this one takes the cake. And to be honest, I never tried coffee at Burger King before. Trust me, it tastes the best after hours of driving.

Remember the Turn to Corbett

After Zoya, the highway becomes a two way lane and you need to stay cautious. The stretch from Kashipur to Ramnagar isn’t a very smooth ride. Earlier it used to be really bad, but it’s better now. And as we reached Ramnagar, the traffic jam began. To reach Jim Corbett you won’t be driving in Ramnagar for long, but the narrow lanes will eat your time. As you cross Ramnagar and proceed towards your stay, you would suddenly encounter serpentine roads leading to the hills.

Stay attentive, you might be able to see a deer or wolf by the road. Luckier ones can trace tiger as well! Kidding! There are lot of deer that can be traced but nothing else. If you are driving in the monsoon, be cautious, a lot of times rain in the Himalayas come down on the road as small stream.

The next food stop

Your next stop should be Peerumadar after Kashipur, where you will find roadside eateries. These are again good options to take a break. There are a few tea stalls with charpai where you can have tea and relax. This area is just at the beginning of Uttarakhand and you can smell the jungle already.

Pitstops

In case you need to refuel your car, you would gas stations every 20 -30 kilometres. However at some points these are located at an interval of 10 kilometres as well. In case you have other car issues, it’s a bit difficult since there are not many repair shops on the way. You would find decent workshops at Hapur, Gajraula, Garmukteswar, Moradabad and Kashipur only. For toiler breaks, gas stations are the best.

Photographic stretches

Your journeys should be Instagram friendly. For that I guide you through the scenic stretches that would help you to click at the perfect location. On this route there are a couple of but all starts right after you enter Uttarakhand. Once you have crossed the city centre of Ramnagar, the road gets into a serpentine hill approach. Just for the fun, I would activate the Sports drive mode.

In this stretch you will find multiple streams crossing the highway. In monsoon, you have to be extra cautious about the rush of the water. But most these are the places where you pull over on the left, turn on your emergency lights, ensure a safe distance from the road and disembark from the left except for the driver.

As we stopped beside one such stream, the teal water with moss seemed rugged. I couldn’t stop to appreciate the beauty that carried us this long. With a terrific road presence, bold colours, and a Scandinavian design aesthetics, XC 40 has everything to turn heads. What’s interesting to note is the shape of the car. Standing on the 18-inch alloy wheels, the car has a lot of black elements around. The roof is blacked out towards the rear as the lines merge. The

Staying options

Jim Corbett is quite touristy for stay matter. There are tons of options from motel to five star resort. We opted for one at Dhikuli region, which is near to most forest gates. Try staying near to the Kosi river. You would find Namah, Riverview Retreat, Taj Safari Resorts along this stretch, which would are premium options. I would soon write another post on the Dhela side of Corbett as well.

Things to note

The trip cost us: Rs 8000 for two people in twin sharing accommodation including food. We ate non vegetarian for breakfast, lunch and dinner and only had packaged drinking water.

Toll fee: Rs 185 one way.

Petrol cost was Rs 4400.

Safari cost: Rs 4000 for a guided tour of three hours in a gypsy.

Ensure you fuel up before leaving Delhi and refuel with two bars remaining. And checking tyre pressure every fortnight should be a regular practice to help you keep savings in check.