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To me too. I mean to return to Corbett next trip.   Fantastic tigers. Awful crowds, From the splendid to the mundan. Have you considered Black-eared Kite for your 'Black'?

Thanks for sharing your Corbett photos, what great memories these have brought back to me.   I'd forgotten about the low wooden bridge, and like you I enjoyed Dhikala. Really enjoying your TR.

It is interesting, it looks like they (Machaba Safaris) don't have the camps full. I even know your guide from Hwange. We met him a few times there and once even had a cup of coffee together. Once we were the first once who found the lions and shared the information and he shared the coffee and cookies   He had two guests (who were not against us to have a company during the coffee break) and he told us that there were not many guests in the camp, however it was a high season. In Mana Pools when I saw Machaba Safaris there were also not many guests in the car. It is good to know what camp to choose  when you want more privacy ;-) Your guide was extremely nice guy, by the way  

When you started this TR, I was just starting on my trip. Just as well, as I now can read three pages of it in one go. I'm going to steal your itinerary and recommendations if and when we decide to return to India. It was with horror I saw that photo lined up with dozens of cars, but with relief that JayP was steeled to drive through it. well done on his part and yes a guide we want too! absolutely no waiting or rushing around for the orange striped cat anymore.  

Thanks for sharing @kittykat23uk, this report has really moved Namibia up on my list of places to go! 

@xelaswe thought he was a really good guide and were pleased to have him for this and the remainder of the trip   @madaboutcheetaha good question and difficult to answer   We only did two drives in Jhirna so didn't see as much of it. In Dhikala we did four drives.   I think Dhikala has more variety in the environments you can visit, including grassland, riverside cliffs as well as woodland. This gave it more variety for birding. I think there were more open areas which made Tiger viewing a bit easier (but that might also be luck!). We enjoyed the visits to both areas, both were beautiful.   Dhikala was busier when we were there, but when we went over the river there were few other vehicles (as not a strong Tiger area)   We are glad we went to both areas (and of course there are other areas as well)   Dhikala is thought to be better for Tiger sightings, but it is hard for us to know how accurate that is (though we did see Tigers each day here)

@ElenaH    In Deteema Springs we had to share the safari car just during an afternoon game drive. One day there was another couple in the camp but we did not share the car.

That is the guide I like!

One more question @TonyQdid you think the Dhikala zone was superior in anyway ? In terms of terrain , landscape and sightings ? 

After this we crossed a small bridge over the river into a very quiet part of the park where we concentrated on birds the bridge White-capped Redstart Red headed Vulture Siberian Stonechat Stork-billed Kingfisher View of the river Crested Kingfisher Grey Bushchat Rufous-bellied Eagle overhead Another point on the river And for us a really exciting sighting a male Black Francolin - tricky in the grass, but really beautiful   We then returned to the Forest Resthouse after a very enjoyable and varied first drive in Dhikala.    

JayP said the Tiger had 3 youngsters, and he thought we might see them a bit further on.   Yet again, he knew what he was talking about! Young Tiger relaxing (5 to 6 month old) and washing   As used in the intro   It gets up and wanders off - looking very fluffy as youngsters do     A really beautiful young cat. So the start of the sightings was a worry, but it actually turned out really well. I must say that the other jeeps and drivers were very well behaved.    

We started with some birding Lesser Racket-tailed Drongo       And a stunning Black Stork - the colours in the sunlight were amazing! So we moved steadily on   Well  we knew what they had stopped for! The first part of the road from the Rest House has no side branches, so everyone leaving had stopped here. We laughed, but also thought we would be waiting a long time to get through (just the situation we hoped to avoid)   However we learned something new about JayP. All of the other guides and drivers knew him well. He seemed to be very well respected. He asked (or told) the other vehicles to move out of the way to let us through, and they did!. We were amazed.   We stopped briefly at the main cause of this Tiger hiding in long grass          

The Forest Rest House is quite a large collection of buildings with a variety of types of accomodation for tourist, staff and guides. Our room was simple but comfortable enough. There was a shower with hot water, but probably too hot. We used the bucket shower system (there is a large plastic bucket to put the water in and a jug to pour water over oneself) as the temperature was more reliable.   The Rest House overlooks a river, and from this viewpoint was a good view of Elephants below       After a brief look around the grounds we met JayP for lunch. We enjoyed the food here. Simple vegetarian food.   After lunch we set out for the afternoon safari at 14.00

So JayP and our new driver, Irfan, picked us up and headed towards Dhikala. The drive to the gate was about 1 1/2 hours through small towns and villages. We checked in at the gate Map of Dhikala Zone - we would drive from Dhangari Gate to Dhikala FRH (Forest Rest House) Someone else waiting in a jeep 19 Statue of Jim Corbett I was surprised how highly regarded Jim Corbett is in this area, despite being a colonial figure. He was valued for killing man-eating Tigers, but also for setting up the large protected area and then donating it. The park was named after him in 1955/56.   With formalities completed, it was a fairly log drive (about two hours) to reach the Forest Rest House. Parts of this were through dense forest. We were delighted to see a Tawny Fish Owl Some parts were more open with views over a river     As we got closer to the Forest Rest House, we passed through a beautiful bit of forest with trees forming arches over us before finally reaching the Rest House This is the section we stayed in  

@Galana@michael-ibk@Atravelynn@xelas@KaliCA@John M. thank you @offshorebirderthank you for your kind comments. I suspect some other Big Year entrants will get much higher scores, but we enjoy the game! @madaboutcheetahthank you. We really enjoyed Corbett. I don't really know how difficult it is to get into Dhikala. We booked our trip early, so I presume our company booked it as soon as possible. We only wanted 2  nights and that is what we got. We met a group that had booked a trip with our company who had booked fairly late and they couldn't get in.   Onwards to Dhikala As I mentioned, we were very pleased with the Golden Tusk Hotel. A really good location for Jhirna Zone, excellent food, lovely grounds and really helpful staff.   On the day we were due to travel to Dhikala we were to picked up at 9.30, so we had time for some birding in the grounds and for a very good breakfast. A few of the many birds seen in the grounds: Greater Coucal Black Kite Verditer Flycatcher White-throated Fantail and an Oriental White-eye feeding on a spectacular flower