Posted by Shivam Singh
on 5th Mar, 2020
Visited during 15-16th Feb, 2020
From having early morning Dahi-Jalebi to playing cricket at resort, from splashing in the cold waters of swimming pool to 7 kms of jungle walk, from evening bonfire to madness of playing dumb-charades, from early morning jeep safari in deep jungles to river bath at a beautiful temple, all this were part of the memorable trip to the Jim Corbett on 15-16th Feb, 2020 with my office team, planned and executed by Tripवाणी.
Jim Corbett National Park is the oldest national park in India and was established in 1936 as Hailey National Park to protect the endangered Bengal tiger. It is located in Nainital district of Uttarakhand and was named after Jim Corbett, a well known hunter and naturalist.
The park was the first to come under the Project Tiger initiative. This park is 250 Kms from New Delhi.
Permit for Jim Corbett Park Safari
Jim Corbett National Park is a wildlife protected area. Although you can come and stay at any hotel/resort outside forest area but you need a valid entry permit to enter the park for safari in any of the 6 different zones available currently.
Permit can be booked online in advance from Government website: https://www.corbettonline.uk.gov.in/
You can book a maximum of 6 people and 2 children on each permit (1 permit = 1 Jeep). It costs flat INR 1080 for each permit, even if number of people is 1 or 6 (except Dhikala zone permit which is costly as it is the core of the jungle).
You need a valid ID number for each traveler during booking and the same is required to be shown at the gate.
You can also contact your hotel for permit and safari bookings but I strongly recommend to book permit yourself well in advance (if you are planning to book hotel at later stage). You can book Safari Jeep from hotel even on the same day, it costs around INR 3000 (without permit). There are 2 shifts for Safari entry at each zone and only 30 Safari Jeeps are allowed in each shift for each zone. You can also check availability for each zone/shift on the above URL.
During peak season, it is very difficult to get permits at the last moment.
Each zone has its own charm. Dhikala is considered to be the best as it is the core of the jungle, followed by Bijrani and Jhirna.
Zones and Timings For Jim Corbett Park Safari
Dhikala Zone: Dhikala Zone is known for its splendid natural beauty and also for offering a sight of many exotic animals and birds. If you are a hard-core wildlife lover, then it is recommended that you go for a night stay in this zone for better sighting opportunities. The ideal time to visit this place is from 15th of November to 15h of June, every year. Animals to be spotted are Bengal Tiger, Elephants, Cheetahs and several species of birds.
Bijrani Zone: Bijrani Zone in Corbett Park is known for its richness in natural beauty and the vast grasslands. Mixed type of topography can be seen here. Tiger spotting is almost a certain activity in this zone compared to other places in Corbett Park. The best time for visiting this zone is from Mid October to June.
Jhirna Zone: Jhirna Zone is a popular tourist area in Jim Corbett National Park. It is blessed with abundant scenic beauty and is also popular because it remains open for visitors throughout the year. Wild bears can be spotted in this area along with the other animals.
Durgadevi Zone: Durga Devi Zone in the Corbett National Park is located at a high altitude. It gives a difficult yet a very adventurous trekking trail to the visitors. Situated on the northeastern side of the Corbett National Park, this is an amazing place for bird spotters. Besides bird spotting and trekking, tourists can indulge in the sheer joy of angling in this zone. This place is open to visitors from mid-November to mid-June.
Dhela Zone: The Dhela Zone is newer as compared to other zones in the Corbett Park. It was opened in 2014 ,during the winters. This zone is abundant with varieties of rich flora and fauna. Similar to Jhirna, this zone is also open to tourists throughout the year.
Sonandi: Sonandi Zone also welcomes tourists with open arms throughout the year. A lot of animals such as tigers, elephants, jackals, etc. can be spotted in this natural zone.
Safari Rides are safe and are supervised under expert guidance, as directed according to the government safety protocols. While going on a safari, it is requested to the tourists that they shouldn’t disturb the natural habitats of the animals or make the place dirty.
Winters
Morning Safari: 6:30 Am to 9:30 Am
Evening Safari: 2:00 Pm to 5:00 pm
Summers
Morning Safari: 6:00 Am to 9:00 Am
Evening Safari: 2:30 Pm to 5:30 pm
2 Days Itinerary in Jim Corbett
Jim Corbett is a weekend destination from New Delhi and 1 Night-2 Days is enough for this area.
We decided to gather at the office premises of Noida Sector 144 on 14th Feb night and everyone was so punctual and excited that we were able to start our journey at the planned time 02:00 AM in our 20 seater tempo traveler. We booked the traveler in INR 21 /km.
* The back seat of the traveler was full of bags, food items and of course lots of drinks
* Water…What???? We forgot to keep water in traveler. Stopped after 4 Kms at a 24/7 store to purchase water
* Roads were empty and it took us around 30-40 minutes to hit the NH24
* Being 03:00 AM in night, we were almost in half sleep, but the enthusiasm was still high
* We kept on talking when suddenly at around 04:00 AM we heard the shout “Stop” from within us. It was the guy who already finished two beers and had to relieve himself. It was very cold outside.
* Since there were many female colleagues with us, we stopped at a Dhaba at around 04:30 AM, had hot tea and then left within 30 mins after lots and lots of fun filled moments and jokes
* There were total 3 toll plazas enroute costing INR 355 (200+90+65)
* We entered Uttarakhand in morning around 06:30 AM and took state permit of INR 2560 for our traveler
* When we reached Ramnagar at around 08:30 AM, almost everyone of us was hungry and we decided to have our breakfast
* Stopped at a small food joint, and had poori-sabzi, tea and dahi-jalebi
* Reached our resort at 10:00 AM, no early check-in provided since no free rooms available (of course we went during valentine’s weekend). Though one room was provided for using washrooms
* We decided to play cricket, in the meantime, at the resort premises. They provided bat and ball along with Welcome Drinks. Trust me it was fun playing.
* At 12:00 PM, we got our 7 rooms. We took 1 hour to freshen up and then straight to our pre-booked buffet lunch in order to cater our taste buds.
* By 2:30 PM, after lunch we were thinking to take some rest in our rooms when suddenly two girls from the group jumped into the cold waters of swimming pool.
* Within 30 minutes, almost all of us were in the swimming pool despite cold weather. Resort was having a small souvenir shop which provided us costumes on rent.
* Few of our hydrophobic colleagues played Table Tennis that time
* By 4:00, we were ready for our next adventure which was Guided Jungle Trek
* 10 of us decided to go on this jungle trek, other 4 decided to give their body some rest and sleep. They definitely missed the fun
* We walked for almost 7 kms passing through bushes, the only advice our guide gave was to walk in group in order to be safe in jungle. We saw deer, big group of langoors during walk. It was dangerous and extreme fun. The scenic beauty of the jungle was simply mesmerizing.
* After almost 90 mins, we were back in our resort by 5:30 PM. All of us had tea with cookies
* Resort staff started preparing for the evening bonfire and arranging snacks while we got engaged in Badminton and Table Tennis
* By 7:00 PM, bonfire was lit up and veg/non-veg snacks served
* Now was the time for boozers to jump into the pool of alcohol. There were sounds of can/bottle openings everywhere
* Soon we started playing dumb-charades which was an ultimate fun. This went on for next 2 hours
* Although we were full with snacks but still had pre-booked buffet dinner
* Next day, Sunday we had to wake up at 5:30 AM since we booked and early morning safari and they asked us to be ready by 7:00 AM. Safari Jeep provides hotel pickup and drop
* And yes here we are, each and everyone of us was ready the next day by 6:45 AM for Jungle Safari
* We booked 3 Jeeps as we were 14 people. Our permit was of one of the best and most beautiful zone “Bijrani”, entry for which is from Amdanda Gate. It was 12-14 Kms from our resort.
* We were at the entry gate within 20-25 mins, where our IDs were checked. One of us forgot to bring the id, he had to look for it at a nearby Internet Cafe
* We had tea and bun-butter at the gate, few of us purchased Corbett caps and hats
* Then at around 7:50 AM, started one of the most fascinating part of the trip, Jungle Safari. We were awestruck by the natural jungle view. The view of the sunlight filtering through trees was amazing.
* There were 3 river crossings which we crossed on our Jeep (reason why this zone is closed during monsoon)
* Unfortunately, we didn’t saw any tiger but we did saw many deers, sambhar deer, barking deer, swamp (barahsingha) deer
* We were back to our resort at 10:00 AM, and had our pre-booked buffet breakfast immediately as we were hungry
* After that, did check-out from hotel at around 11:30 AM
* Next destination was beautiful Garjiya Temple, 25 Kms away from hotel. It took us around 50 mins to reach the temple parking
* The temple is located at a height over a big rock where one has to go via stairs, the whole surrounding is very beautiful due to the Kosi river flowing next to it
* This temple is a sacred Shakti shrine where Garjiya Devi is the presiding deity
* We did Temple Darshan and later had fun in the river waters followed by tea
* Left for Delhi at around 3:00 PM, had evening snacks enroute (prefer any Dhaba at Gajraula). You will have huge number of food options in Gajraula
* While returning it took us an extra 90 minutes on 3 toll plazas, due to which we reached Noida at around 10:30 PM
* Overall it was great fun and each and everyone enjoyed the trip to the fullest. You can plan accordingly, if you do not want late night travel, travel early morning and reach hotel by 12:00 PM. Follow the rest itinerary as it is
* You can also do Jungle Safari in afternoon same day (up to you or depends on permit availability as well)
Let me know for any help required with anything there.
Have a Great Time. Cheers….
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