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A Bengal tiger walking towards the camera along a sandy forest track beside tall grass
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Photo: Rito1987 · CC BY-SA 4.0
park26 min from Ramnagar

Jim Corbett National Park — India's first national park

Jim Corbett National Park near Ramnagar: India's first national park, about 260 tigers, the Dhikala and Bijrani zones, the season and the permit rule.

What it is

Jim Corbett National Park was established in 1936 as India's first national park and is named for the naturalist Jim Corbett, who helped to set it up. It lies in Nainital district between the Lesser Himalaya and the Siwalik Hills, along the Ramganga river, and has an area of 520.8 square kilometres; the whole tiger reserve, with its buffer, covers about 1,288. Wikipedia says it was the first reserve to come under Project Tiger.

Photos: Join2manish (CC BY-SA 4.0) — via Wikimedia Commons, resized.

Wildlife

Wikipedia lists the Bengal tiger, the Asian elephant and the leopard among about 50 mammal species, and counts more than 580 birds. The 2022 census found about 260 tigers, and about 1,100 elephants were counted in 2019. Marsh crocodiles and gharials have been released into the Ramganga.

The zones

Wikivoyage names the Dhikala, Bijrani, Jhirna, Durga Devi and Dhela zones, and says only a few parts of the reserve are open to visitors. Dhikala, on the Patli Dun valley's edge, has a forest rest house. The Dhangarhi gate, about 26 minutes from Ramnagar on our routing, is one entrance.

Permits and the season

Permits are issued at the reception office in Ramnagar, and visitors hire permitted vehicles. Wikivoyage says the Dhikala and Bijrani zones close from 16 June to 14 November for the monsoon; check the reserve's own notice. We have no verified fees, safari hours or booking rules.

Combine it with

The Garjiya Devi Temple is on the Kosi nearby, and Kaladhungi has Jim Corbett's house. Read things to do in Ramnagar and when to visit.

Plans that include this

All Ramnagar itineraries →
The clear Kosi river running over rounded stones below forested foothills near Ramnagar
One day from Ramnagar — the park gate and the Garjiya Devi Temple
Day plan · nature lovers · nature
A one-day plan from Ramnagar: a morning at the Dhangarhi gate of Jim Corbett National Park, then the Garjiya Devi Temple on its rock in the Kosi river.
Best Jan–Jun · Nov–Dec
See the plan →
A waterfall dropping over a moss-covered rock wall into a green pool among thick forest
One day from Ramnagar — Corbett Falls and Kaladhungi
Day plan · families · Temples & heritage
A one-day plan from Ramnagar: Corbett Falls, a 20 m forest waterfall by the highway, then Kaladhungi, the foothill town where Jim Corbett lived.
Best Jan–Mar · Oct–Dec
See the plan →

Nearby places

All of Ramnagar →
Garjiya Devi Temple — the shrine on a rock in the Kosi
Garjiya Devi Temple — the shrine on a rock in the Kosi
temple · 26 km away
Corbett Falls — the forest waterfall on the Kaladhungi road
Corbett Falls — the forest waterfall on the Kaladhungi road
viewpoint · 52 km away
Kaladhungi — the foothill town where Jim Corbett lived
Kaladhungi — the foothill town where Jim Corbett lived
town · 55 km away

Nearby destinations

All destinations →
A wide panorama of forested ridges below a long line of snow-capped Himalayan peaks seen from Ranikhet
Ranikhet
54 km away · 2 itineraries · 3 places
Rows of boats with red cushioned seats moored on Nainital Lake, with forested hills across the water
Nainital
59 km away · 2 itineraries · 5 places
The town of Almora spread across a terraced ridge under a blue sky with clouds
Almora
74 km away · 2 itineraries · 4 places
A long line of snow-capped Himalayan peaks rising above layered blue ridges and green hills seen from Kausani
Kausani
76 km away · 1 itineraries · 2 places
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Questions people ask

What is Jim Corbett National Park?

India's first national park, established in 1936 in Nainital district and named for the naturalist Jim Corbett. Wikipedia says it was the first to come under Project Tiger, has an area of 520.8 square kilometres, and lies between the Lesser Himalaya and the Siwalik Hills along the Ramganga river.

Can you see tigers at Corbett?

Wikipedia counts about 260 tigers in the park in the 2022 census, but sightings are never promised. Wikivoyage advises more than one safari, and a stay near the core zone raises the odds. Wikipedia's own source says the dry months, from April to mid-June, give the best chances.

Do you need a permit?

Yes. Wikipedia says permits are necessary to enter the reserve and are issued at the reception office in Ramnagar, and that visitors cannot drive their own cars inside but hire permitted vehicles at the gates. We have no verified fees or booking rules, so ask the office.