About Jim Corbett Legacy Trail in , Nainital

1. Registration: Visitors can register themselves at Central Reservation Center of KMVN, Tallital and other designated places for registration. Registrations will be open one day prior to departure date.

2. Points of Trail:
a.Bandstand: On the Flats at the head of the Tal, where many gathered in the evenings and where the European played polo from time to time, Jim paid for the construction of a bandstand on the water’s edge. For this, he gave to the town the sum of seven thousand three hundred rupees. The bandstand remains to this day as a very incongruous-looking structure indeed. This place will be the gathering point for the group.

b.The Swiss Hotel: During the twenties Jim Corbett established a brokerage business in Nainital and was reputedly involved in setting up a local bank in Nainital for which he provided the land upon which the building was erected. This fact has never been substantiated; it failed and, after some years this building was used as a private residence, became a boarding house and subsequently The Swiss Hotel.

c.Gurney House: Situated in the picturesque Ayarpatta slopes of Nainital, minutes away from Naini Lake, Gurney House was the residence of Jim Corbett. Decades after Corbett’s departure, Gurney House maintains its colonial character and old-world charm. Still housing many of Corbett’s furniture and possessions, the house brings Corbett’s writings alive. A visit to Gurney House is a journey back in time. Upon his departure from India in 1947, Corbett sold the house to Mr. Sharda Prasad Varma and it is now owned by his granddaughter, Nilanjana Dalmia.

d.Pony Trail: After discovery of Nainital, the only approach to reach this beautiful place was from Kaladhungi. A pony trail was there to hike up from base camp Kaladhungi. Jim Corbett used to walk on this trail while commuting between Nainital and Kaladhungi. Encounter with a leopard or tiger or bear was a normal thing on this trail. Jim Corbett has written a number of stories in his books about his experiences on this trail. Parts of the trail still exist and one can enjoy walking on this beautiful trek while coming down from Nainital.

e.Ghatgarh: Ghatgarh is a small village on Nainital-Kaladhungi highway. Jim Corbett used to take rest under a mango tree at this place while commuting between Nainital and Kaladhungi. That mango tree is still there. Visitors will have a break here for lunch and a documentary/power point presentation on Jim Corbett’s life will be shown to the visitors at Camp Milieu- A Birding Paradise. This camp is owned by Milieu Hospitality.

f.Kaladhungi: There are several points related to Jim Corbett in Kaladhungi. We’ll cover some of these places during this trail:

i.Arundel, Baur Canal and Jim Corbett’s Farm Yard: Jim Corbett’s father C. W. Corbett had close relations with Sir Henry Ramsay, the district commissioner for Kumaon, a taciturn but generous and fair minded man. He suggested Corbetts that they seek to obtain a second home down on the plains, to which to withdraw in the winters. He arranged for a grant of land to be deeded in the name of C. W. Corbett, the plot being just outside the small village of Chhoti Haldwani at Kaladhungi. C. W. Corbett built a house there and named it as “Arundel”. This was adjacent to a canal which was to carry water for Iron Foundries. This canal is known as Baur Canal now. Jim Corbett wrote various stories about this canal in his books.

Jim’s first jungle was his own backyard- across Baur canal from Arundel there was a triangular section of jungle bounded on two sides by watercourses. He nicknamed this forest as “The Farm Yard”.

ii.Jim Corbett Museum: It was in the village Chhoti Haldwani that Jim constructed his own winter home for himself in 1922; as his parents had quit Nainital in the cold months for Arundel, so he moved to this new house. Built as a single storey bungalow, it is a big house, set in a large garden, with an orchard to one side and tropical fruit trees standing elsewhere. This house is now converted to museum.

iii. Corbett Fall: This is natural water fall amidst dense forest and a popular tourist attraction in this area. This water fall is managed and run by Department of Forest, Uttarakhand. Jim Corbett mentioned about “Dhunigar canebrake” in his books where he used to saw maximum number of tigers. This water fall draws water from same Dhunigar stream. This waterfall remains closed from 1st July to 30th September.

iv. Tea Break at Kaladhungi, TRH: After finishing Corbett Fall visitors will have tea with cookies at Kaladhungi TRH of KMVN and fill up feedback form here. This will be the last stoppage of the trail.

Entry Fee: Rs. 950.00 per visitor (For Indian Only)

Departure Time from Band Stand: 09:00 am
Arrival Time at Flats: 05:30 pm