The Golden Tusk at Jim Corbett National Park

For our tenth wedding anniversary and Evelyn’s eighth birthday, we wanted to explore somewhere new. Something that would be memorable for our little family of three. With record-breaking heat waves rolling through India, that left us with few choices. After deliberating for weeks, we settled on Uttarakhand – Jim Corbett National Park, Rishikesh, and Mussoorie.

After searching for decent travel agents, we found one who told us most resorts are far away from Jim Corbett National Park. Since we were planning on six safaris in four days, we wanted as little extra travel as possible. So, our agent suggested we stay at The Golden Tusk, which is very close to Corbett’s Dhela and Jhirna Zones.

We booked a three-night package with all meals included. We even tacked on a fourth night to give ourselves some breathing room. After arriving at Pantnagar airport, we drove for three hours to Village Dhela.

As we approached Dhela, I noticed sprawling fields replacing stocky buildings, and swaying trees and snorting buffalo replacing restaurants and people. Already, I was in love.

Flora surrounded us as soon as we entered the gates of The Golden Tusk. We felt the outside world wave goodbye as we made our way to reception.

Upon entering reception, Ms. Arti greeted us and, for our four-day stay, ensured we had the best stay. A staff member served us burans juice, the traditional welcome drink of Uttarakhand. After traveling in the heat all day, we gulped it down and flopped on the plush reception couches.

Initially, we had booked all our nights in the Nature View Room. But, while we checked-in, Mr. Manoj Bachketi, the resort manager, said he was upgrading us to a Corbett Suite for our entire stay. What a way to celebrate!

Ms. Arti escorted us to our suite. On the way, we admired the low-hanging trees, flowers, and narrow waterways that lined the way. Evelyn was thrilled when a red-wattled lapwing tottered across our path.

Our suite was everything we hoped for: luxurious, clean, and comfortable. The bedroom had sliding doors that opened to a balcony, overlooking the main lawn and the pool. In short, it was the perfect room to relax in after each safari.

We knew our safaris would consume most of our time there. So we explored the property during our first evening and morning. We arrived from our journey in time to enjoy the afternoon tea served in the lawn. The chai and bread pakoras gave us much-needed energy for the evening.

Evelyn begged to go to the kids’ outdoor activities. She tested out the Burma bridge, the commando net, and the trampoline. The resort houses more adventurous activities like wall-climbing, ladder climbing, and zip-lining. All super exciting, but they were a bit too much for our careful daughter. You can also rent bicycles and adventure into the village.

The next morning, I visited The Golden Flower Spa (my Mother’s Day gift) and got a massage. Maya, my massage therapist, prodded the tension out of my joints and muscles, and I felt like a new person after I left.

The Golden Tusk coordinates different events each evening for their guests, which makes it unique. During our stay, they organized a jungle grilling session with live music (cancelled due to a wicked storm that ripped through), a flutist on the main lawn, and a wildlife film for kiddos.

This leads me to the food at The Golden Tusk. We met Mr. Romesh Sethi, head of Food and Beverage. Whatever he is doing to run the restaurants there, I hope he keeps doing it. The variety and taste of the food is fantastic.

For a veg food lover like me, I had countless options of dishes like karela and gobi masalas, gatta curry, veg biryani, and fresh salads. Whereas my purely carnivore husband and daughter monopolized the non-veg section, which had dishes like laal maas, mutton rogan josh, and chicken lababdar. We parked ourselves in front of the live kitchen, where they doled out constant fresh, hot tandoori rotis on request. I’m craving the food even now!

I know I’ve mentioned a few staff members in this post, but every employee at The Golden Tusk deserves recognition. Their friendliness, urgency to solve any issues, and constant hard work are the foundations of this resort. An example of what I mean: Evelyn loves to live in the pool at hotels and resorts. I’m always on the fence about it because I never know how often they’re cleaned. Here, I didn’t have to worry at all. More than once a day, I saw people cleaning out the pools to keep them in top shape.

We only regret not staying at The Golden Tusk for our week-long vacation. I felt sad the day we left. During this trip, we learned that we are not frenetic, fast-paced travelers. We enjoy slow holidays, where we savor each moment for what it is, not worrying about what is coming next. And that’s exactly what this resort offers – an oasis from India’s chaotic urban centers.

As for our safaris at Jim Corbett National Park, there’s a separate blog post in the making. What an experience!