Jim Corbett National Park

Corbett was India's first national park and is still one of its most varied, spread over the Himalayan foothills where the Ramganga river cuts through sal forest, grassland and wide shingle beds. The Dhikala zone, deep inside on a plateau above the reservoir, gives the widest views and the best chance of seeing wild elephant herds and tigers crossing open grass; the other zones are shorter day trips from Ramnagar. Beyond the big animals there are gharial and mugger crocodile in the river, otter, fishing eagles and hundreds of bird species along the water. The park is busy with domestic visitors, and permits are allocated by zone under strict daily quotas.

History

Efforts to protect these forests began in the 19th century under Major Ramsay, and in 1868 the British forest department took control of the land and banned cultivation and cattle stations. In the early 1900s E. R. Stevans and E. A. Smythies proposed a national park, and in 1936, under Governor Sir Malcolm Hailey, the Hailey National Park of 323.75 km2 became Asia's first national park; it was renamed Ramganga National Park in 1954-1955 and then Corbett National Park, after the author and naturalist Jim Corbett, who had played a leading role in its creation (Wikipedia, Jim Corbett National Park).

What you'll find

• The Dhikala grasslands - open chaurs above the reservoir where elephant and deer feed.
• The Ramganga river - shingle beds and pools with crocodile, otter and fishing eagles.
• Sal forest - the tall hardwood woodland covering most of the lower zones.
• Tigers and wild elephant - the animals most people come for, seen with luck rather than certainty.

When to go

Zones open roughly from mid-November, with Dhikala running until about mid-June and closing for the monsoon. Winter mornings are cold and misty but pleasant; March to June is hot and the best period for sightings as animals come down to water. Permits, especially for Dhikala, are released online months ahead and go quickly.

What to expect

Corbett is heavily visited and weekends bring convoys of jeeps, loud groups and traffic on the tracks. Accommodation just outside the gates has multiplied and much of it is resort-style rather than quiet. Zone permits are confusing, non-transferable and sell out; Dhikala requires an overnight stay in basic forest rest houses. Tiger sightings are less reliable here than in the central Indian parks.

Nearby

Nainital and the lake towns of Kumaon are two to three hours up into the hills.

Key facts