Jim Corbett Tiger Reserve, the national park which marks the beginning of tiger conservation in India. Every year, lakhs of people visit this park in Ramnagar. Jim Corbett is known for its tigers, scenic beauty, and mesmerizing views.
First, let's understand how many zones are there in Jim Corbett National Park. In total, there are eight zones in the park. There is no clear segregation of core and buffer zones, but those who visit frequently know which zones are better than the others for tiger sighting.
Let's start with the best zone first. Undoubtedly, the best zone in Jim Corbett is Dhikala Ecotourism Zone. This is located around 49 kilometers from the city of Ramnagar. The only way to do a jeep safari in this zone is by booking a night stay at one of the Forest Rest House of Dhikala.
There are four different forest rest houses between Dhangari Museum and Dhikala. The best one is Dhikala, and it has around 20 rooms available per night. A maximum of 3 people can stay per room. Dhikala also has a dormitory which 12 people share.
The other forest rest houses are Sarpduli, Gairal, and Sultan, a little away from Dhikala. If you cannot find a night stay booking availability in Dhikala, the second-best is Sarpduli. Sultan and Gairal can be booked too, but we don't suggest those.
Let us tell you the reason why. For example, if you book Sultan to do a safari, you will have to drive around 23 kilometers to reach Dhikala grasslands and then drive back before the safari time gets over.
2.5 out of 4 hours will get wasted in this, and you will not enjoy the safari much. A good alternative if you don't find booking is to book a night stay for other good zones of the park. Just for information, Sarpdulli has two rooms, Gairal has four, and Sultan has 2.
Apart from a night stay, there is one more way to do a safari in Dhikala. Canter ride. Dhikala is the only zone in Jim Corbett where Canter safari happens. There are two slots for Canter safaris. One early morning at around 6 am and one at noon. Each safari takes about 5.5 to 6 hours.
The problem with the canter is the noise and its slowness. But for a family picnic, if you want to see Dhikala, this is a good option. The cost per person is Rs. 1,000.
After Dhikala, the following two prime zones of Jim Corbett are the Jhirna Zone and the Dhela Zone.
These two zones have the same entrance gate and are located at one end of the park. Even though the sightings are not as frequent as Dhikala, these zones have frequent sightings. Jhirna, for example, is super good for sighting sloth bears.
And Dhela, on the other hand, has grasslands, where you can find elephants. When you enter these two zones, there is a stretch of 5 km road. Almost every evening, tigers have been seen crossing from one end to another on this road. There are two rooms in Dhela and two in the Jhirna zone.
After these two zones, let's move on to the zones near Aamdanda gate and the city of Ramnagar. One of the most famous tigresses from Jim Corbett was Sharmili. And she was the queen of the Bijrani zone. Previously, the Bijrani zone was better than Jhirna and Dhela, but now, it has less frequent sightings.
In Bijrani, there are four rooms in the forest rest house. There is another rest house in this zone called Mailani, which has two rooms. The zone is beautiful and should be visited at least once for the experience.
Another zone closer to Bijrani is Garjiya. This zone opened up recently and is again an okayish zone for sighting. There have been some great sightings here, but the zone will need some time to gain the attention of wildlifers. There are no forest rest houses yet in this zone.
Even though both Bijrani and Garjiya have less frequent sightings than Jhirna and Dhela, whenever you try to book this zone, the seats are never available. Why do you think that is the case when the sightings are not frequent?
The reason is that most of the hotels are near Bijrani and Garjiya zone, and when tourists book their safari through the hotel, they purposely book these zones to avoid driving to Jhirna and Dhela zones.
So be mindful if you book through hotels as to which zone you are getting. You can also self-book the zone of your choice directly from the official website.
Apart from these five zones discussed above, there are three more. Now, these three are the buffer zones of Jim Corbett. Sightings are not impossible but are extremely rare. These are Durgadevi, Sonanadi, and Pakharo.
Thank you for watching and keep discovering wild paws.
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