Ramnagar by the banks of Kosi
Ramnagar is a small town in Nainital district of the ‘Kumaon’ region of Uttarakhand. It is the main administrative center for Jim Corbett National Park and Project Tiger. Ramnagar is the commencement point of Kumaon hills and comes under the Terai region of Uttarakhand. It captures a distinctive hilly surrounding. Ramnagar is alluring being the gateway to the celebrated and famous Jim Corbett National Park with close proximity to Nainital.
We started from Kaushambi Bus Station on Sunday, 23rd December at 8:30 am by UPSRTC bus. I had booked the tickets in advance from their UPSRTC online portal in advance. Ramnagar is around 260 km from Kaushambi Bus Station. It is a 6 hour journey by state transport bus in clear visibility condition. Nevertheless, since it was last week of December, there was dense fog and visibility was low. The visibility was very poor between Pilkhuwa & Moradabad. Due to the poor driving conditions we arrived at Ramnagar bus stand around 3:45 pm instead of 2:35 pm.
New Everest Hotel
I generally plan trips 2-3 month in advance. Consequently, I get enough time to study the destination and plan our itinerary. I had booked our room at New Everest Hotel at Painth Parao, Ranikhet Road less than 200 mts. from Ramnagar bus stand. Mr. Gayur Alam runs this budget hotel. He along with his friend and owner of Exotic India Vacations Mr. Prashant operate corbett tours. We arrived at the hotel and after formalities checked in to our room. After freshening up we called for some refreshment and tea.
Tiwari Bhojanalay
After settling in our room and straightening our back we went out for a walk around the hotel. On the way we came across Tiwari Bhojanalay, a small Vaishno Dhaba just opposite to the New Everest Hotel at the juncture of Painth Parao road with Ranikhet Road. Although small, it was neat and clean. Consequently, we marked the place for our today’s dinner and moved ahead to explore the surroundings.
On the way back we stopped by at Tiwari Bhojanalay and had our dinner. We also packed some snacks, cola and bottle of water. At hotel we retired to bed earlier than usual as we were tired from the bus journey.
Next morning it was leisurely. We woke up around 7. I called my sister as it was her birthday. Then we freshened up and went out for breakfast. After that we checked on our itinerary.
Our Bucket List for Ramnagar
- Kosi River
- Corbett Museum, Choti Haldwani
- Corbett Falls, Nayagaon Julfikar
- Barati Rau Waterfall, Sandini Chaur
- Centre for Ecotourism and Sustainable Livelihood (CESL), Chunakhan
- Dhangari Museum
- Garjiya Temple
- Vairatpattana Ancient Shiva Temple, Dhikuli
- Eco Cave Gardens, Nainital
- Naina Devi Temple
- Naini Lake
- Nainital Zoo
- Valmiki Luv Kush Sitabani Ashram
Afterwards we had our lunch and headed for Kosi Barrage.
Walk along Kosi Barrage
Kosi is a perennial river that originates from Dharpani Dhar, perched at 2,500 metres in Baramandal region of Almora district. This pristine river graciously flows through the verdant valleys and towns of Ramnagar, Uttarakhand, thereafter entering the Tarai regions of Uttar Pradesh, where it joins Ramganga River.
Kosi Barrage serves as a stoppage point which is important for the migratory birds which arrive here from early November onward. Meanwhile, birds keep arriving till December and return during the spring season. These birds from Siberia and Central Asia use wetlands as their transitory camps, which play a vital role in sustaining a large population of the breeding birds. The birds fly from Siberia and Ladakh. Siberian birds begin their annual flight from Siberia, travel through Afghanistan and Central Asia and arrive here for the entire season.
After a truly spectacular afternoon we strolled around the banks of the river for a while, silently appreciating the rippling music. An occasional flutter of wings a distant whistle of a bird would add up at times. Eventually we could not get along any further on foot so we started back towards the hotel after a while.
