Jaagar: A perfect place for holiday where birds are a long-time resident

A  streak of blinding yellow flies under my nose as I step out of the car, shaking off Delhi’s grime. Could it possibly be the Black Hooded Oriole, the bird that I’ve spent many fruitless mornings trying to get a better look at? Once, we heard its distinctive call from behind a thicket of ficus in the forests of Corbett Tiger Reserve, and a birder friend briefly lured it in the open by mimicking its call. No such artifice is needed today; the bird is a long-time resident at Jaagar — the wonderful guesthouse with eight cottages in seven acres of prime orchard outside Ramnagar. It circles overhead as Anoop Bisht, the affable manager of the place welcomes us in. “It lives right outside the cottage you will be staying in,” says he. “You’ll probably catch it peeping through your window.” And, just like that, I shed my city skin and give in to the languorous magic of Jaagar.  

The golden oriole on our window

The air is heady with the fragrance of Calliandra, Kanak Champa and curry leaf trees in full bloom. Tiny lychees and mangoes hang in heavy clusters in the orchard. Jaagar is on the boundary of one of Corbett National Park’s forest ranges, Ampokhra. “We’ll go for a walk there this evening,” Bisht says. “But in the meantime, why don’t you relax in your room?” Jaagar is so verdantly abuzz with life that being indoors is a waste. It is perfect for a relaxed holiday, its cottages built on the lines of old forest bungalows. We wander around, pausing at the apiary under the lychee trees, the old-fashioned splash pool and the orchard rich with the promise of a fruitful bounty and a diversity of birds, bees and butterflies. Purple Sunbirds hover over the blossoms while a Blue Breasted Bee Eater calls overhead.

A butterfly sits on chlorodendron flowers

The Ampokhra forest proves to be even richer in flora and fauna. Jungle fowl call their raucous, demented call and Grey Francolins scrabble amongst flowering Chlorodendron. On a tall ficus, a pair of Grey Hornbills repose. Smaller and more common than the Great Hornbill, they’re nevertheless an imposing sight with their dinosaur-like beak and hooked neck. Bright orange flowers float down lazily as we watch a large herd of Langur atop one of the last remaining flowering Dhaks (Flame of the Forest). Recent pug marks of a tiger and leopard tell us that the big cats are very much present here. Flattened bushes and broken branches attest to the fact that elephants pass through regularly. In fact this jungle used to be known as haathi dagar, elephant corridor.

We return to a splendid dinner served on the verandah as Vijay, the chef, regales us with stories of living so close to nature. “I’ve often run into tigers while coming here on my bike,” he tells us. We discover he’s as skilled in making Kumaoni cuisine as he is baking fresh buns for breakfast — an unexpected treat.Hungry after another morning walk to Ampokhra, we wolf these down with dollops of butter and fresh honey from the orchard. 

A langur among flowering dhaks

In sharp contrast to our regular deskbound city lives, we spend all our time outdoors here, strolling in the orchard and roaming the Ampokhra forest. A nearby cooperative mills us some fresh flour to carry back. Suddenly, it seems as if our long weekend isn’t long enough. On a final trip to the forest, Bisht narrates how a tiger mauled a young fellow near here last week. Apparently, his brother and he were collecting honey in the forest when the tiger attacked. The brother scared off the tiger with a stick. But when he was carrying the unconscious boy to safety, the tiger attacked again. The brother again forced the animal to retreat. A road roller breaks the peace of the jungle, obscuring animal pugmarks as we watch. While one of the greatest advantages of being in a lesser-known forest range is the luxury of solitude within, the disadvantage is that when a road is sanctioned inside, there’s nobody to raise their voice against this violation of a natural habitat. “The animals would have retreated deeper into the forest with all this disturbance,” says Bisht. We turn back. At least temporarily, we have Jaagar in all its verdant glory to return to — a soothing balm to the heedless human activity outside. 

Jaagar is about 245 km from New Delhi. Located right on the milestone, Ramnagar 10. 

The tariff for a two-night/three-day package is Rs 13,500 for a couple and includes all meals

A small water body near Jaagar