Jim Corbett National Park Travel Guide

Jim Corbett National Park holds a very special place in Indian wildlife and conservation history. Established in 1936 as Hailey National Park, it was the first national park in India and the first in all of Asia. It was later renamed in honor of Jim Corbett, the legendary British-Indian hunter turned conservationist who spent much of his life in the Kumaon Hills of Uttarakhand hunting man-eating tigers and leopards, and who later became one of the most passionate advocates for wildlife protection in India. The park was also one of the nine original tiger reserves designated under Project Tiger in 1973, India's landmark tiger conservation initiative.

Located in the Nainital and Pauri Garhwal districts of Uttarakhand, Jim Corbett National Park covers about 520 square kilometers of core zone within the larger Corbett Tiger Reserve of about 1,318 square kilometers. The park is set in a stunning landscape of forested ridges, riverine belts, grasslands, and the broad, boulder-strewn banks of the Ramganga River. The river and the Dhikala grasslands at its edge are the heart of the Corbett experience, and a stay at the famous Dhikala Forest Rest House inside the park is considered one of the finest wildlife experiences in India. The park is divided into multiple zones including Dhikala, Bijrani, Jhirna, Durga Devi, and Sonanadi, each with its own character and wildlife. Bengal tigers, leopards, wild elephants, sloth bears, gharials, mugger crocodiles, and over 600 species of birds including the magnificent pallas fish eagle and the rare ibisbill make Corbett one of the most biologically diverse protected areas in the Himalayas.

This Jim Corbett National Park travel guide covers the best time to visit, zone-by-zone information, how to book permits and accommodation, and travel tips for planning a memorable stay in this legendary Indian wildlife reserve.