7 Things to Do in Jim Corbett National Park, India's Oldest Tiger Reserve

Jim Corbett National Park was established in 1936 as Hailey National Park, India's first, and was renamed in 1957 after Jim Corbett, the hunter-turned-conservationist whose writing on the region's tigers helped shape early Indian wildlife protection. In 1973 it became the first reserve chosen for Project Tiger, the national programme that remains the backbone of India's tiger conservation effort. Spread across the Kumaon foothills of Uttarakhand along the Ramganga river, the park's mix of sal forest, grassland and river valley still draws visitors first for its tigers, and increasingly for the landscape itself.

1. Take a jeep safari into Dhikala zone

Dhikala, the park's largest and most famous zone, opens onto the Dhikala chaur, a wide grassland along the Ramganga reservoir where sightings of tiger, elephant and deer are recorded most consistently. Access is more restricted than other zones and usually requires an overnight forest rest house booking or an early-morning permit.

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2. Try the more accessible Bijrani or Jhirna zones

Bijrani and Jhirna are open to day-visit jeep safaris without the overnight requirement Dhikala carries, making them the standard choice for a shorter trip; Jhirna in particular stays open through parts of the monsoon closure that shuts most of the park's other zones.

3. Walk the Sitabani buffer forest

Sitabani sits in the park's buffer zone rather than its core, which means it allows walking safaris and a more relaxed pace than the jeep-only core zones. It draws serious birders in particular, with sightings that include several species of hornbill and woodpecker.

4. Visit Jim Corbett's former home at Kaladhungi

Corbett's winter home near Kaladhungi, on the park's southern edge, is preserved as a small museum holding personal items, photographs and accounts connected to the man the park was later renamed for, giving useful context on the shift from colonial-era hunting to conservation that defines the park's early history.

5. Stop at Garjiya Devi Temple

A small Hindu temple built on a rock beside the Kosi river near the park's Ramnagar entrance, Garjiya Devi draws a steady stream of pilgrims as well as travellers passing through en route to the park gates, and is a common short stop for those based in nearby resorts.

6. Raft or wade the Kosi river outside the core zone

The Kosi river, which runs along part of the park's boundary, is lined with resorts offering riverside stays and light rafting or wading in its shallower stretches, a lower-key add-on for travellers not spending every day on safari.

7. Base yourself in Ramnagar

Ramnagar, the park's principal gateway town, holds the main forest department booking office, a railway station with direct trains from Delhi, and the widest range of accommodation and eateries for travellers moving between safari zones.

Traveller tips

• Most of the park's core zones close for the monsoon between mid-June and mid-November; Jhirna and the Sitabani buffer stay open longer than the rest.
• Safari permits are allocated by zone and time slot and are best booked online in advance during peak winter months.
• Ramnagar is roughly a five to six hour drive or train journey from Delhi, making the park a feasible long weekend from the capital.
• Morning safaris are generally colder than expected even in a mild Uttarakhand winter; carry warm layers.