Jim Corbett National Park Travel Guide: Zones, Seasons and Places to Visit

The reserve began in 1936 as Hailey National Park and took Jim Corbett's name in 1956. Its habitat runs from sal forest and grassland to the Ramganga river and reservoir. Visitors enter it through eight tourism zones, each with its own character and its own opening dates, and the other sights listed here sit on the roads in and around Ramnagar, the reserve's gateway town. The zone dates below are the reserve's own; check them again on its website before you book.

Dhikala

Dhikala sits on the edge of the Patli Dun valley along the Ramganga river, with the Kanda ridge behind it, and is entered through the Dhangari gate. Its forest rest house dates from the 1890s and was the venue for the launch of Project Tiger in 1973. The zone is open from 15 November to 15 June and closed in the monsoon. Besides jeep safaris it can be explored by canter, and the rest-house complex has walking tracks, watchtowers over the Ramganga riverbed and evening wildlife film shows. Dhikala is the zone where you can stay overnight inside the park.

Bijrani

Bijrani mixes dense sal forest with open grassland and is entered through the Amdanda gate. The reserve calls it the preferred zone for day visits because it lies at a convenient distance from Ramnagar. It is open from mid-November to June and closed from July to early November. Forest rest houses inside the zone take overnight guests who book through the reserve's website.

Jhirna

Jhirna lies on the southern edge of the reserve and is entered through the Dhela gate, about 20 km from Ramnagar. Its deciduous and secondary forest is broken by open grassland, which the reserve says gives good visibility. It is open throughout the year, subject to road and weather conditions, which makes it the usual choice for a safari outside the main season.

Dhela

Dhela is the newest of the eight zones. It welcomed visitors in December 2014 and the reserve describes it as an eco-tourism zone open all year. The reserve calls it a birdwatcher's paradise and lists tigers, leopards, Asiatic elephants, sloth bears and even king cobras among its wildlife. It is entered through the Dhela gate, the same gate Jhirna uses.

Durga Devi

Durga Devi is entered through the Durgadevi gate and is open from 15 October to 15 June; the reserve closes it in the monsoon to preserve its natural beauty. The reserve describes the Ramganga and Mandal rivers here, wild elephants, otters at Domunda Bridge, mahseer in the water and good birdwatching, so the river as well as the tiger is the draw.

Garjiya, Sonanadi and Pakhro

Garjiya is entered through the Ringora gate and combines dense sal forest with open grassland. Sonanadi, entered through the Vatanvasa gate, and Pakhro are both open from 15 October to 15 June and closed in the monsoon. The reserve's Garjiya page gives no opening dates, so confirm them when you book. Do not confuse the Garjiya zone with the Garjiya Devi temple, which is a separate stop on the Kosi river.

Corbett Falls and the Garjiya Devi temple

Corbett Falls is a picnic spot about 25 km from Ramnagar. An elaborate gate marks the entrance, and the falls themselves, a drop of about 20 feet, are roughly 2 km beyond it, a stretch you can walk or drive. Uttarakhand Tourism lists the falls as closed from July to September.

The temple to Garjiya Devi stands on a large rock in the middle of the Kosi river and is reached by a long stepped corridor. It is popular with locals and tourists alike, and it is a separate place from the Garjiya zone.

Corbett Museum, Kaladhungi

Jim Corbett's former home at Kaladhungi, a heritage bungalow built in 1922, is now a museum. It holds his personal belongings, including his guns, letters, photographs, manuscripts, paintings and sketches. The reserve says Kaladhungi is reached from Nainital by way of Khurpatal. Check the museum's page on the reserve's website for opening details before you go, as it was marked as starting soon when we last read it.

Sitabani

Sitabani is a forest about 5 km from Ramnagar that Uttarakhand Tourism describes as a well-known bird-watching spot. Local tradition links it to the Ramayana, and an ancient temple there, said to have been the sage Valmiki's hermitage, is protected by the Archaeological Survey of India. It is not one of the reserve's eight tourism zones, although Uttarakhand Tourism says it can be covered during a jungle safari, so ask your operator how a visit is arranged.

The main activity is the safari, in a jeep or, in some zones, a canter. Away from the safari routes, the museum at Kaladhungi, Corbett Falls, the Garjiya Devi temple and Sitabani fill a free half-day. Every trip we run here, tours and experiences together, is on our Jim Corbett tours and experiences page, our full range of tiger and other wildlife trips is under wildlife safaris, and for the wider state see our Uttarakhand travel guide and Uttarakhand tour packages.

Our Jim Corbett tiger safari includes a private naturalist guide, a private vehicle and driver to the park, and the safari permit for your zone and slot, in a gypsy or a canter. The trip page notes that Dhikala allows an overnight stay and sells out well ahead, and asks you to tell us your dates and whether you want Dhikala or a shorter zone so that we can check permit availability. The same page notes that winter is cool and that April to June is hot, with clearer sightlines.

A jeep takes up to six passengers and a canter up to 16, and each safari lasts about four hours, with two shifts a day. The canter follows a fixed route and timetable, so it gives less flexibility than a jeep. Private vehicles are not allowed for tourism inside the zones; you ride in the reserve's own vehicles or in light vehicles registered with it.

Permits are sold online. The reserve warns that its website, corbettgov.org, is the only official one and publishes a list of unauthorised booking sites, so check the address before you pay anyone. You upload photo identification when you book and it is checked at the gate. Gate timings matter, so arrive early.

Phones may not be used in the core tourism zones: the reserve cites a Supreme Court order that bars mobile phone use within the tourism zones of the core habitat of tiger reserves. Bring a camera instead. Alcohol is a punishable offence, and the reserve asks visitors to keep it a plastic-free zone.