Ramnagar (Uttarakhand), Dec. 31 : Several tourists from different parts of the country have arrived at the Jim Corbett Wildlife Sanctuary in Uttarakhand to celebrate New Year amidst the wildlife.

Most of them said that they are mainly driven by a strong inclination to enjoy the experience of seeing wildlife in their natural habitat.

"We had our booking done almost 15 days back. We are here basically to watch the animals. Being nature lovers, we wanted to see the natural habitat and that''s why we have come here with our children," said Jaydeep Dutta, a tourist from Mumbai, which was recently attacked by terrorists.

Security arrangements at the park have been strengthened to prevent any untoward incident here. Tourists have been clearly instructed not to leave their respective safaris until their permits are checked thoroughly.

"This time the park is all jam-packed. Because of these Mumbai attacks, the foreign tourists may have cancelled their bookings. But the local tourists have thronged the park completely. The rush is still on," said Dheeraj Joshi, a tour operator.

Although there are other popular parks in the country like Dudhwa, Bandhavgarh and Ranthambhor, the Jim Corbett National Park is clearly the favourite.

Tourist operators have expressed their delight over the tourist inflow at the year-end.

"This year, the number of tourists has increased manifold. All the rooms of our resorts are full. Besides, bookings for the safari jeeps are still on," said D. S Rawat, Sub-divisional Officer, the Corbett National Park, Ramnagar.

According to Rawat, the increase in the tiger population inside the park may be a reason for the greater tourist inflow. The Corbett National Park is pread over an area of 520.82 square kilometers. If the neighbouring Sonanadi Wildlife Sanctuary is included, the length of the park is 1318 square kilometers.

It is about 280 kilometers from national capital New Delhi and can be reached by train and bus.

The main animal attractions are elephants, tigers, chital, mugger, crocodile and migratory birds etc.

The park also includes a crocodile pool, the Dhikala Machaan, the Getheryo Library (Dhikala), the Corbett Museum (Dhangadi gate), the Corbett Fall, the Garjia Temple and the house in which Jim Corbett lived.

The Corbett National Park is majorly divided in three zones for public wildlife sighting. They are the Jhirna Range, which remains open round the year, the Bijrani Range, which remains open between October 1 and June 30 each year and the Dhikala Range, which remains open from November 15 to June 15 each year.

In winter (September - March), the days are clear and pleasant, Nights get cold. Great time for bird-watching and tiger sighting.

In summer (April to June), the days are hot with pleasant nights. It is an ideal time for sighting animals, especially elephants and tigers.

In the monsoon (July - August), the days and nights are humid. It is a great time for walks and trekking.(ANI)