Jim Corbett National Park, the oldest tiger reserve forest in India, is a highly popular destination for wildlife enthusiasts. Thousands of people from all over the world used to visit here to have a tryst with one of the most ruthless predators of the wild forest, the Royal Bengal Tiger. Being a reserved natural habitat for plenty of wild animals, all the tourism activity in the forest is managed by the forest department of the Government of Uttarakhand state.
To make an entry inside the reserve park, you need to obtain an entry permit from the concerned authority. Without the entry permit, you will not be allowed inside the park in any condition. There are two types of tourism services provided by the forest department at Corbett National Park. One is the day safari and the other is accommodation at the Forest Rest House (FRH). The Day Safari Permit can be obtained at the entry gate of the respective zone while the permit for a night halt at different forest rest houses located inside the forest is issued at the reception office of the Corbett reserve park in Ramnagar city. Also, the day safari or accommodation at FRH can be booked online in advance. Once you obtain the permit, neither it is transferable nor refundable.
So, the visit to Jim Corbett National Park is memorable. It remains open from the mid of November to the mid of June. However, there is the Jhirna zone in the park which remains open all year long. The famous Bijrani zone of this park welcomes its visitors from mid of October to mid of June months and the Dhikala zone allows visitors to visit inside from mid of November to mid of June. During the monsoon period, the road of the Dhikala and Bijrani zones gets completely washed away. Moreover, after sunset, the gates of the park are closed and no drive-out is allowed at that time.
The Corbett Tiger Reserve Park is divided into Eight ecotourism zones and each zone has its specific entry gates. Following are the eight ecotourism zones with their respective entry gate:
| Safari Zones | Safari Entry Gate |
|---|---|
| Dhikala | Dhangarhi |
| Bijrani | Amdanda |
| Jhirna | Dhela |
| Durgadevi | Durgadevi |
| Dhela | Dhela |
| Sonanadi | Vatanvasa |
| Garjiya | Garjiya |
| Pakhro | Pakhro |
All the zones have specific beauty and features of their landscape which should be explored to have the complete experience of this national park. Also, different zones have their special attraction due to the wide range of alluring flora and fauna found specifically in that zone. Tourism activities in varied zones are administered by the forest authority of that zone. The permit to enter any zone needs to be obtained from the office of the respective zone authority at the entry gate of that zone.
Except for the Dhikala zone, all zones offer permit for the day visit inside the park for the allotted time period. The permit is given only for the jeep safari and a maximum of 6 adults and 2 children (Up to 11 years of age) are allowed in one jeep. Tourists can enter the reserve forest only through a jeep authorized by the forest administration, not by walking or in any private vehicle. To maintain the ecological balance and to create a tranquil environment for resting animals, there are limited numbers of jeep safari allowed to enter the park at a time. The day safari is allowed in two shifts, one in the morning and one in the afternoon as per the prescribed time. Timings of entry and exit may vary in different zones and with the change of season.
Due to the heavy rush for the wildlife tour in Corbett, it is highly advised that one should book permits in advance for the day tour. Booking is done on a first-come-first-serve basis at the reception office of Corbett tiger reserve, online booking facility is also available for tourists. A registered guide is mandatory with each jeep safari and can also be hired at the entry gate. In short, to enter the park, first, you have to obtain the entry permit, then hire an authorized jeep for the safari, and then hire a registered guide. All these three things are mandatory to get inside the reserve forest.
The jeep safari is an excellent option to explore the wildlife in its natural habitat inside the Corbett tiger reserve in a day. Every eco-tourism zone of the park allows the jeep safari except the Dhikala zone. In the Dhikala zone, jeep safari is available only for tourists who have a prior booking for the night stay in the Dhikala forest rest house. However, the Canter safari is made available in this zone for tourists visiting during the day and is the only option to explore the Dhikala zone if you don't have the booking for the forest house.
Canter Safari is a bus safari with 16 seats in it and operated by the forest authority only in the Dhikala zone. Always book your seat in advance while booking for the canter safari to make sure you will get the seat on the bus when you visit the Corbett Tiger reserve.
Exploring the wilderness of the Corbett forest riding on the elephant's back could be a thrilling experience, especially for the children. Elephant ride is available only in Dhikala and Bijrani zones. However, the elephant ride in the Dhikala zone is available only for the tourists staying at the forest rest house, but in the Bijrani zone, day visitors can enjoy the elephant ride after paying for it at the camp. There are very limited numbers of elephants used for the safari and are available on a first-come-first-serve basis.
Four persons are allowed at a time to sit on an elephant and children up to 5 years of age are complimentary with the adults. There is no elephant safari organized on Mondays as it is the rest day for the elephants.
The jeep safari is an excellent option to explore the wildlife in its natural habitat inside the Corbett tiger reserve in a day. Every eco-tourism zone of the park allows the jeep safari except the Dhikala zone. In the Dhikala zone, jeep safari is available only for tourists who have a prior booking for the night stay in the Dhikala forest rest house. However, the Canter safari is made available in this zone for tourists visiting during the day and is the only option to explore the Dhikala zone if you don't have the booking for the forest house.
Tourists can make the booking minimum for one night and a maximum of three nights only. Some of the other available options where visitors can stay at the Forest Rest Houses are Lohachaur, Rathuadhab, Halduparao, Mundiapani, Morghatti, Sendhikhal, and Dhela.
Prior reservations for accommodation can be made online by remitting the necessary tariffs in advance. Once accommodation is reserved, permits can be collected from the Ramnagar Reception Office before entering the Park. It is advisable to make bookings well in advance as it is almost impossible to obtain permits for accommodation in the FRH on the spot without a prior booking. Indian tourists can make an accommodation booking up to 45 days in advance, while foreign nationals can make bookings up to 90 days in advance.
However, for those who didn't get the permits to stay in forest guest houses can stay in the exotic resorts, star hotels and lodges run privately just outside of the Corbett tiger reserve, and make daily visits to the park as long as they want.
Advance permits for the day visit or the night halts along with the jeep safari and a registered guide can be booked with us. You have to simply fill out the query form and we will get back to you at earliest.
