Jim Corbett tiger reserve and national park

An elephant safari into the grasslands and jungles searching for tiger or a herd of wild elephants is the highlight of any visit to Jim Corbett national park. The best way to see wildlife is on elephant back. An elephant safari allows travel deeper into the wilderness and to get very close to wildlife without scaring the animals away. Commonly observed wildlife includes the spotted deer, wild boars, sambar, barking deer, rhesus macaques, langur monkeys, peacocks and herds of wild elephants. Corbett is a paradise for birdwatcher's, containing over 580 different species of birds.

The primary purpose of the Corbett tiger reserve is to save the animals and plants of the Ramganga river valley, particularly the tiger and the fish eating gharial crocodile. The 2003 census of Corbett tiger reserve indicates that there are close to 150 tigers at Corbett tiger reserve, a spectacular increase since 1976, when 44 tiger were estimated to live inside the reserve. Both the muggar (Indian marsh crocodile, also known as mugger) and gharial, a species of fish-eating crocodile, are present in the park. It is estimated that 16 muggar and 4 gharials were present in the park during 1974. Numbers are increasing with the release of 250 young gharial reared in captivity between 1982 and 1994, and now that the muggar population breeds in the Ramganga reservoir. A 1997 census counted 283 gharials and 301 muggars at Corbett.

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Corbett is famous for the richness and diversity of its wildlife which included over 50 species of mammals and over 580 species of birds. The national park is an important refuge for the tiger, Indian elephant, wild dog, leopard cat, Indian pangolin and hog deer. All of which were once common throughout the terai of Uttar Pradesh but are now rarely seen outside the park. The terai (moist land) is a belt of marshy jungle and grassland stretching between the foothills of the Himalayas and the Indian plains, a large part of the terai is in Nepal. Corbett's avifauna is particularly interesting because of the overlap between the plains and high altitudes. The Ramganga river is a source of attraction to many winter migrant birds. A number of high altitude birds also visit the national park during winter. With altitudes at Corbett ranging from 400 meters to 1,200 meters above sea level, there is a rich variety of habitats. Nearly 73% of the park is covered by dense moist deciduous forest with a predominance of sal trees, accompanied by haldu, pipal, rohini and mango trees. While 10% of the core area is composed of grasslands in the valleys, which offer visitors a better view of Corbett's wildlife.

Photos of Corbett national park, click to enlarge. All photos © Imtiaz Dharssi

Jim Corbett national park is located in the state of Uttaranchal (a new state, formed in 2000, from the northern part of Uttar Pradesh state), India. The park is part of the Corbett tiger reserve which lies in the foothills of the Himalayas within the districts of Nainital, Pauri Garhwal, Almora and Binjore. Corbett tiger reserve covers an area of about 1,300 sq. km including about 500 sq. km of core area and 800 sq. km of buffer area. The core area forms the Corbett national park while the buffer area contains the Sonanadi wildlife sanctuary and reserve forests. Corbett tiger reserve forms the catchment area of the Ramganga, a tributary of the river Ganga.

The park is the oldest national park on the Indian subcontinent, established in August 1936. It was originally called the Hailey national park after the then governor of United Province (Uttar Pradesh), Sir Malcolm Hailey. After independence, in 1947, the park was renamed the Ramganga national park. In 1957, the park was named the Jim Corbett national park in memory of the legendary hunter and conservationist, who was largely responsible for marking out the park boundaries and helped in setting up the park.

Dhikala in Corbett national park has the distinction of being the venue, during 1974, for the inauguration of Project Tiger, India's ambitious conservation program to save the tiger and its habitat. The creation of 9 tiger reserves, including Corbett, was announced. In 1972, India's tiger population had fallen to an all time low of 1,800. A 1993 census suggests that India's tiger population stands at 3,750. There are now 27 declared tiger reserves covering more than 37,700 sq km.

Travel information for visits to Corbett national park

Every year 70,000 people visit Corbett national park from India and abroad. The park is only open from mid November to mid June because monsoon rains wash away the roads during the other times of year. It is only by November that the roads are repaired and can be used again. The headquarters of Corbett tiger reserve is at the town of Ramnagar. The major accommodation inside Corbett national park is located at Dhikala.

• Location of Corbett national park: Corbett is situated about 290 km northeast of Delhi, in Uttaranchal province. The nearest railway station is at the town of Ramnagar. Most of the accommodation within Corbett is at Dhikala, located about 40 km northwest of Ramnagar.
  
  
• Getting to Corbett national park: Overnight trains connect Delhi to the town of Ramnagar, trains also connect Varanasi via Lucknow to Ramnagar. Visitors can hire jeeps at Ramnagar to transport them into the park and Dhikala.
  
  

  Train: 5013 Ranikhet Express - Delhi to Ramnagar

  Train No.	Train Name	Origin	Dep.Time	Destination	Arr.Time	Days Of Run
  						M	T	W	T	F	S	S
  5013	RANIKHET EXP	DELHI	22:45	RAMNAGAR	05:00	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y

  
  

  Train timetable - 5013 Ranikhet Express

  SNo	Station Name	Arrival Time	Dep. Time	Distance (km)
  2	DELHI	-	22:45	5
  4	GHAZIABAD	23:25	23:27	25
  5	HAPUR	00:05	00:08	62
  6	MORADABAD	02:15	03:05	166
  7	KASHIPUR	04:16	04:28	217
  9	RAMNAGAR	05:00	-	245

  
  
• Access to Corbett national park:
  • This park is only open from November 15th to June 15th. It is closed at other times because of the heavy monsoon rains.
  • To stay overnight inside Corbett, a permit is required from the park headquarters at Ramnagar. The permit allows visitors to stay for two nights. No permits are issued if the park is too busy.
  • Elephant safaris are arranged two times a day, starting from Dhikala, at dawn and again in the late afternoon. Frequently there are too many visitors so you are very unlikely to get on an elephant safari on the first day of arrival. There are observation posts and a watch tower at Dhikala for watching wildlife, bring binoculars to get a good view.
  • The crocodiles lurking in the Ramganga river means that it is very dangerous for visitors to go swimming. Signboards proclaim that "Survivors will be prosecuted".
  • Jeeps can be hired at Ramnagar to explore Corbett. But day trips to Dhikala are not allowed so visitors can't go on elephant safari if they choose to stay at accommodation in Ramnagar. Visitors are not permitted to go walking alone into Corbett.
• Accommodation: The only accommodation likely to be available at Dhikala are basic dormitories, unless you pre-book well in advance. Ramnagar offers a number of budget guesthouses and hotels.
• Food: At both Ramnagar and Dhikala the food is simple but good.
• Costs: I revisited Corbett national park in February 2000 and the official prices for foreign tourists are shown below:
  

  Entry fee valid for 2 nights	350 Rupees per person
  Entry fee for each extra day	175 Rupees per person
  Jeep Entry fee	100 Rupees
  Movie Camera	5,000 Rupees
  Still Camera	free
  Nature Guide for Jeep for up to 4 hours	100 Rupees
  Elephant safari at Dhikala lasting about 2 hours	100 Rupees per person
  Dormitory accommodation at Dhikala	Rs 100 per night

  No public buses were running from Ramnagar to Dhikala when I visited so I had to make my own arrangements. There was a conducted bus trip from Ramnagar to Dhikala, leaving at 7am in the morning. But the prices for the bus trip was very high so no one was using the service. Much better value are the Jeeps for hire at Ramnagar. I met some follow travellers and we rented a Jeep for one full day for Rs 1200, the cost shared between us. The jeep drove us from Ramnagar to Dhikala and waited there overnight. The next morning the Jeep returned us back to Ramnagar. The Jeep driver had also promised to take us on an afternoon Jeep safari if we were unable to get an elephant safari. Fortunately, we did manage to go on an afternoon elephant ride. There were many Indian tourists at Dhikala so an elephant safari may not be possible on the first day of arrival at Dhikala.

Links to other information on Corbett national park

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