Originally called Hailey National Park, Corbett opened in 1936 and is India's oldest tiger park. Chances of seeing tigers here are actually quite slim, but if you do you can feel smug in the fact that you've seen one that wasn't baited or tracked. In other parks, tiger sightings can sometimes feel stage-managed. Not here. And if you don't see a tiger, there may well be a great big consolation prize: Corbett is also one of the few parks in northern India with wild elephants, and chances of seeing them here are very good indeed.

The park has sub-Himalayan belt geographical and ecological characteristics. An ecotourism destination, it contains 488 different species of plants and a diverse variety of fauna. The increase in tourist activities, among other problems, continues to present a serious challenge to the park's ecological balance.

Corbett has been a haunt for tourists and wildlife lovers for a long time. Tourism activity is only allowed in selected areas of Corbett Tiger Reserve so that people get an opportunity to see its splendid landscape and the diverse wildlife. In recent years the number of people coming here has increased dramatically. Presently, every season more than 70,000 visitors come to the park from India and other countries.

 

Some areas of the park were formerly part of the princely state of Tehri Garhwal. The forests were cleared to make the area less vulnerable to Rohilla invaders. The Raja of Tehri formally ceded a part of his princely state to the East India Company in return for their assistance in ousting the Gurkhas from his domain. The Boksas—a tribe from the Terai—settled on the land and began growing crops, but in the early 1860s they were evicted with the advent of British rule.

Efforts to save the forests of the region began in the 19th century under Major Ramsay, the British Officer who was in-charge of the area during those times. The first step in the protection of the area began in 1868 when the British forest department established control over the land and prohibited cultivation and the operation of cattle stations. In 1879 these forests were constituted into a Reserve Forest where restricted felling was permitted

The weather in the park is temperate compared to most other protected areas of India.The temperature may vary from 5 °C (41 °F) to 30 °C (86 °F) during the winter and some mornings are foggy. Summer temperatures normally do not rise above 40 °C (104 °F). Rainfall ranges from light during the dry season to heavy during the monsoons.

 

Location- Nanital, Uttarakhand, India.

Nearest city- Ramnagar.

Altitude- elevation ranges from 1400 ft to 4000 ft.

Activities to do- Wildlife safari.

Best time to visit- November to June.

 

1) By Air- Jim Corbett National Park doesn’t have an airport. If one wants to go by air, Phoolbagh in Pantnagar is the nearest airport. It is located 50 km away from Jim Corbett. Pantnagar airport is well connected with major cities in India, so one can easily reach there. Delhi which is 300 km away is the nearest international airport for the people travelling from abroad. Flights from Lucknow and New Delhi travel to Pantnagar twice a week, so one can arrange accordingly. One can easily find taxi from Pantnagar to Jim Corbett.

 

2) By Road- Jim Corbett is well connected to major cities of India. This national park is around 25 kms from Ramnagar, from Lucknow, the National Park is 433 kms via Bareilly and from New Delhi its 300 kms away.

 

3) By Rail- Ramnagar railhead is the nearest railway station to Jim Corbett Wildlife Sanctuary. This railway station is connected to major cities of India, the nearest being New Delhi railway station. Ranikhet Express is one of the trains that operate from New Delhi railway station to Kathgodam railway station. This train runs daily between the two places. Bus or taxi are easily available that will take you to Jim Corbett. Also, trains are available from Moradabad railway station.