Introduction

Corbett national park is part of Corbett tiger reserve, spread over Nainital and Pauri Garhwal districts of Uttarakhand state in north India. It is the oldest national park in India, established in 1936 with the name of Hailey National Park. Ater gaining independence from British colonial government, it was renamed in 1954-55 on the name of local river as Ramganga national park. This river enters into the park from south-west direction and flows towards north-west direction and again takes turn from Dhikala rest house towards south-west direction. In subsequent year 1955-56, it was again renamed as Corbett national park in honor of the work done by hunter and naturalist Jim Corbett. This forest is spread over Shivalik Himalayas and Terai region thus during Corbett jungle safari, we will notice hilly regions, mountain rivers, marshy depressions, ravines, grasslands. Due to cold temperature and sufficient availability of water, vegetation is dense and green. This national park is popular for its 50 species of mammals, more than 500 species of birds and 25 species of reptiles. It is a heaven for wildlife enthusiasts. Corbett national park was among first 9 national parks, selected for Project tiger thus it is indeed a prestigious national park in all manner.

History

Corbett national park forest is spread over the foothills of mighty Himalayas in Terai region. Due to cold weather and sufficient availability of water, forest is moist decideous type thus its wildlife is rich with large variety of mammals, birds and reptiles. This forest was mainly under the princely state of Tehri Garhwal. This state was under threat from Gurkhas of Nepal kingdom in north and Rohilla invaders of Saharanpur region in south. In order to tackle these threats, Tehri ruler ceded some part of kingdom to East India Company and took assurance of military assistance, in case of any attack on princely state of Tehri Garhwal. When colonial India rule transferred from East India Company to British Crown, after 1857 revolt, officers were reschuffled. From here fate of this forest changed with new initiatives to evict local tribes from forest land in 1860. In 1879, it was declared as reserve forest. In 1907, British administration considered the possibility of converting this forest into thier game reserve. It demarcation work beginned in 1930 and Hailey national park was created in 1936, during the governership of Sir Malcolm Hailey. In those days, he was governor of United Province. Poaching was totally banned, after declaration of national park. Its name was changed to Ramganga national park in 1954-55. In next year, management once again changed the name to Corbett national park.. With the launch of Project tiger, Corbett national park was included in it and thus concept of Corbett tiger reserve came into existence. With the passage of time, management increased the park area by adding Buffer area and Sonanadi wildlife sanctuary.

Specialty

Corbett national park is known for its scenic beauty. Being spread on Terai region with presence of mountains, rivers, plains, dense forest it offers some best nature photography opportunity. Here tiger density is high due to high tiger population. At the same time more than 500 birds species are present in this forest which makes it special. Thus jungle safaris in Corbett national park will be worth. Tourists will enjoy every moment of safari either by enjoying the scenic beauty of forest, topography of national park or through tiger sighting and bird watching.

Safari Timing

Para

Jungle Safari

Jungle safaris in Corbett national park is operated from 15th November to 15th June. So we can visit this national park in this period. In order to explore Corbett national park, tourists mainly uses jeep drives and canter (open bus) safaris. Due to challenging geographical conditions, here 4x4 wheel driven vehicle is required for visiting forest area thus jeep safaris are most successfull way to explore this magnificent forest. Till few years back, elephant safaris were also operated in Corbett national park but now it is closed for tourism purpose. Apart from regular safaris, tourists have option to do some nature walk also in pre-decided track, in company of guide. As it is a dense forest with high tiger density thus nature walks are allowed in some decided tracks only. Nature walks are very good for doing birding, insects and vegetation sighting. Here we can find 8 safari zone in which popular zones are Dhikala, Bujrani, Jhirna and Dhela. 
 

Flora & Fauna

Corbett national park is nature paradise for wildlife enthusiasts. It is home of more than 50 mammal species, 500 bird species, 25 reptile species and 100 tree species. Doing jungle safaris in such natural paradise is an honor. Here we have shared a checklist of some of the prominently seen trees, mammals, birds and reptiles. This composition will help us to know what we can see and experience during Corbett jungle safaris.

How to reach

Read how to reach Corbett national park from near by railway stations, airport and tourist destinations.
 

Best time to visit

Corbett national park is open for tourists from 15th November to 15th June. Majority of safaris are done in this period. For bird-watching, period of November to February is best to do jungle safaris. Variety of rare bird species can be seen and photographed during this period. If your interest is on tiger safaris then prefer the period from February to April. This is summer period and it is believed to be the best time for tiger safaris. High temperature makes high probability of tiger sighting near river belts in early morning and late evening hours. WIldlife photographers prefer this period to visit Corbett national park.

How to Plan

Planning for Corbett national park will depend upon the your purpose for visit. If you are planning for a leisure family trip or friends trip then November to January period is good. Majority of Indian festivals falls in this period thus surrounding destination crowd visit Corbett in these holiday dates. Due to huge tourists, we must do our safari permits booking in advance (60-100 days). This period is also good for bird watching but for this avoid holiday dates so that you can enjoy safaris peacefully. If your interest is to do jungle safari in Dhikala zone, which is very popular among tourists, must do your booking in 2-3 months advance. Those who will have rooms in Dhikala forest rest house, can do safari in this zone, elso it is not possible. You need to note that Dhikala forest rest house rooms are not air-conditioned so avoid summers to visit this zone. If your interest is on tiger photography then try Dhikala zone or other safari zones like Bujrani, Jhirna, Dhela zone. For this confirm your plan till December and visit in period  of February to April. Taveling with 3-6 person is ideal for cost effective trip as cost gets distributed among visitors. 

Accommodation

Corbett national park have accommodation facility for all category of visitors i.e. budget visitors, standard tourists, photographers, luxury tourists etc. Here we can find majority of hotels in urban look with all modern facilities. At the same time, we can find some uniquely located eco-friendly luxury safari lodges offering true experience of staying in lap of nature. One important thing you must consider while finalizing your tour plan is to check which safari zone/gate is close to your hotel or which hotel is close to your desired safari zone/gate and accordingly take decision, otherwise you may face distance problem.

Nearby Corbett National Park

Corbett national park is located at south-west of Uttarakhand state and south-east of Delhi. Along with Corbett national park, tourists can visit many other destinations like Nainital, Delhi, Rajaji National Park, Sattal, Haridwar, Dehradun city etc.