VANAMCOVE 
Jim Corbett National Park
India's oldest national park, tiger country
Why this weekend?
The day-by-day plan
- Arrive Ramnagar by train / road
- Evening village walk or Garjiya temple at dusk
- Early dinner — safaris start at dawn
Geography & terrain
Corbett straddles Nainital and Pauri Garhwal districts at the foot of the Kumaon hills, centred on the Ramganga river and the Kosi. Altitude runs 350–1,200 m — sal forest, riverine grassland (chaur) and ravines that the tigers use as highways.
History & culture
The park is named after Jim Corbett, the hunter-turned-conservationist whose 1929 book Man-Eaters of Kumaon made the area famous. The reserve began as Hailey National Park in 1936 and became Project Tiger's first home in 1973.
Where to stay
Things to do
Fees & timings
Eat & drink
- Resort restaurants (Ramnagar belt) — Kumaoni thali, grilled fish, and the famous evening bonfires
- Kumaoni bhojanalayas in Ramnagar — Bhatt ki dal, dubke, gahat soup — local and cheap
Getting there
- Fly
- Pantnagar (45 min) + 1.5 h drive
- Train
- Ramnagar station + park transfers
- By car
- 5–6 h via NH-9 (260 km to Ramnagar)
Practical info
- Connectivity: Good at resorts, nil inside the park
Practical tips
- Core-zone safaris book out 30–60 days ahead online — book with the resort early
- Dhikala lodge requires full advance payment and ID
- Carry binoculars; the guides are excellent, the animals are shy
Frequently asked questions
November–June is the core safari season; summer (Apr–Jun) has the driest grass and best tiger sightings. The park is closed mid-June to mid-November for the monsoon.
Book jeep permits and the Dhikala stay online 90 days in advance — they sell out within hours.
~260 km / 5–6 h drive, or an overnight train to Ramnagar station at the park's gate.
Corbett's mornings are pure theatre: the jeep leaves in the half-dark, the forest is cold and damp, and then the first alarm calls — a chital's sharp bark — ripple through the sal, telling every animal the jeep is coming. The chaurs (grasslands) open out in golden light, deer grazing in herds, and the Ramganga glints between the trees, sometimes carrying a crocodile's unblinking head. The elephant safari is the superior vantage — higher, slower, quieter, and the jungle reads you as less of a threat. When a tiger shows itself, the whole safari stops breathing for thirty seconds. At night, the lodge fires and the jungle's sounds — the saw of a sambar's call — keep the day's drama going. It's the weekend where India's wildest story is told fresh, every single time.
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