Jim Corbett tiger safari
- Private tour
- Private naturalist guide and vehicle throughout
- Zone permits booked in advance on your behalf
- Reply within four hours, 9am–9pm IST
- Wear khaki, olive or other muted colours; avoid white, black and bright prints.
- No flash photography, and keep phones on silent during the drive.
- Established in 1936, Corbett is India's oldest national park, created before Independence and later renamed for Jim Corbett, the hunter who became one of early Indian conservation's most influential voices.
- Other zones — Bijrani, Jhirna, Durga Devi and Sitabani among them — offer shorter drives and different closure schedules, useful when Dhikala is fully booked.
What’s included
- Private naturalist guide
- Private vehicle and driver to the park
- Safari permit for your booked zone and slot
What’s not included
- International flights
- Visa fees
- Personal expenses
- Travel insurance
- The camera fee charged locally at the gate for cameras beyond a phone
Cancellation terms are confirmed with your written quote
- No payment is taken until you approve the itinerary.
Two drives a day
A pre-dawn drive and a late-afternoon drive, timed differently depending on the zone; Dhikala also allows an overnight stay inside the park, a rarity among India's tiger reserves.
Gypsy or canter, by zone
Bijrani, Jhirna and other day-visit zones typically run gypsy safaris; Dhikala uses a mix of canter and gypsy depending on how the permit is arranged.
Permits booked ahead
Zone permits are released through Uttarakhand's forest department booking system, and Dhikala in particular sells out well ahead in peak season; we handle this booking as part of planning your trip.
The drive itself
At Dhikala, wide grassland and river views with regular elephant sightings and a real if unpredictable chance of tiger; at the smaller zones, denser forest tracks and shorter, quicker drives.
Established in 1936, Corbett is India's oldest national park, created before Independence and later renamed for Jim Corbett, the hunter who became one of early Indian conservation's most influential voices. The park sits along the Ramganga river in the Himalayan foothills of Uttarakhand, and its landscape — river floodplain, grassland and sal forest rising to forested hills — is markedly different from the flatter central Indian reserves.
Dhikala, the largest and most famous zone, sits on the Ramganga's floodplain and is known for wide grassland views where sightings of elephant herds, deer and, with luck, tiger, are set against real scenery rather than dense forest alone. Other zones — Bijrani, Jhirna, Durga Devi and Sitabani among them — offer shorter drives and different closure schedules, useful when Dhikala is fully booked.
Good for
Travellers based in or near Delhi who want a genuine wildlife experience without a long flight — Corbett is roughly a five-to-six-hour drive from Delhi, making it workable as a long weekend or an add-on to a Himalayan or Rishikesh trip. It also suits travellers who want scenery alongside wildlife: Dhikala's river and grassland views are a different experience from the denser forest of Bandhavgarh or Kanha.
- Wear khaki, olive or other muted colours; avoid white, black and bright prints.
- No flash photography, and keep phones on silent during the drive.
- Dhikala's closure window is longer than some of Corbett's smaller zones — if you are travelling outside mid-November to mid-June, ask us which zones are open before you fix dates.
- An overnight stay inside Dhikala is possible and genuinely worthwhile if your schedule allows it, though it needs to be booked well ahead.
Best season and starting point
Corbett's zones open on staggered schedules: Dhikala typically runs mid-November to mid-June, while some of the smaller zones stay open for longer stretches of the year. Winter (November to February) is cool and comfortable; April to June is hot but often gives clearer sightlines. Drives begin from the relevant zone's gate, with Ramnagar as the main gateway town where your naturalist meets you.
Why is Corbett significant historically?
It was established in 1936 as India's first national park, later renamed for Jim Corbett, a hunter who became an influential early conservationist. It remains a foundational site in Indian wildlife protection.
Which zone should I choose — Dhikala or Bijrani?
Dhikala is the largest, with grassland and river scenery and an overnight-stay option, but it books out fastest and has a shorter open season. Bijrani and the other day-visit zones are easier to secure and open for longer; we advise based on your dates.
How far is Corbett from Delhi?
Roughly five to six hours by road, making it the most accessible of India's major tiger reserves for a short trip.
Can I stay overnight inside the park?
Yes, at Dhikala's forest rest houses, though this needs to be booked well in advance and is subject to availability.
What might I see besides tigers?
Wild elephant herds are a regular sight, along with various deer species, langurs and a wide range of birdlife along the Ramganga; a tiger sighting is the bonus, not the baseline.
Reviews
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- 4 stars2
- 3 stars1
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What our guests say
Elena F
Couple · Verified trip
5/51 week agoTiming was spot on — we hit the fort in the soft morning light and were back at the hotel before the afternoon heat became unbearable. Clearly a team that has done this many, many times.
via Tripadvisor
Isabella R
Group · Verified trip
5/51 month agoAs a solo female traveller I was slightly nervous, but the driver was professional and respectful throughout, and the office checked in with me each evening. I felt completely looked after.
via Google
Priya S
Couple · Verified trip
3/51 month agoMixed feelings. The sites were spectacular and the driver excellent, but our guide's English was harder to follow than we expected and we missed some of the detail. The office apologised quickly when we mentioned it.
via Tripadvisor
Meera N
Family · Verified trip
5/52 months agoWe have used a lot of tour companies over the years and this was among the best organised. Every hotel was as described, every transfer on time, and one phone call fixed the single hiccup within minutes.
via Tripadvisor
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