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Safari

Safaris are the ideal way of exploring the Indian land. In fact, jungle safari tours have added excitement and fun to the journey. There are number of ways to cover the Jim Corbett National Park. The Jim Corbett National Park endorses Jeep Safari, Horse Safari, Bird Safari, Elephant Safari, Fishing safari and the Nature walk.

You can explore the flora and fauna in Jim Corbett National Park with the Jeep Safari and Elephant Safari, which unfolds the beauty of the Jim Corbett Park in India. Wildlife Safari of this park is a delight for adventure lovers and wildlife photographers.

Park Safari Timings

The park normally opens at 0600 hrs in the morning and is open till about 1100 hrs in the morning. However tourists who are booked for full day safari spend the time from 1130 Hrs – 1300 Hrs at any of the rest houses inside the forest and do bird watching. In the afternoon the park timings usually are from 1430 to 1730. However depending on the season the timings change locally which the forest authorities of Corbett notify.

Choosing the Seasons

Winter (September - March): Days are clear and pleasant, Nights get cold. Great time for bird-watching and Tiger sighting.

Summer (April to June): Hot days with pleasant nights. Ideal time for sighting animals, especially elephants and Tigers.

Monsoon (July - August): Humid days and nights. Great time for walks and trekking. Because of less crowd and rush probability of sighting animals. Good for observing flora.

Booking Procedure

All the Safari’s are booked by the Forest Department from Ramnagar Forest Office. And it is completely at the discretion of the forest department . There are restriction of number of vehicles which can enter in each zone and it is strictly followed . The vehicle restrictions are

Zone	Restriction During Morning	Restrictions during Afternoon
Bijrani	30	30
Jhirna	25	25
Sitavani	No restriction	No restriction
Durgadevi	15	15

Advance Booking of Jeep Safari – Advance booking of Jeep Safari in Corbett National Park is available for morning Safari’s in Bijrani, Jhirna and Durgadevi Zones. The Booking is on first cum first serve basis and a non refundable advance need to be deposited with complete details of the members going for safari. We request you to send the details well in advance for avoiding the hassle of visit into the park as there is a limitation of number of vehicles permitted. You have to carry the given id at the time of safari.For advance booking a photo id for Indian Nationals and Passport Details of Foreign Nationals is mandatory

Photo Id – Driving License/ Voter Id / Pan card is required. One can send us the id number,date of birth, full name and gender, date of expiry of the ID for booking .While travelling the guest will have to carry the same ID.

Passport Details –Passport Number , Full Name & Gender, Date of Issue and expiry, date of Birth, Nationality is required for Advance Bookings of Morning jeep safari

Advance booking of Safari can be done one month in advance for foreign national and 7 days in advance for Indian Nationals. However it is advisable to place the application to the forest department the moment you decide about the safari for better chances of confirmation.

Booking of Afternoon Jeep Safari – It cannot be booked in advance and permits are issued same day to the guests only It is strictly on first cum first serve basis and guest has to personally travel to Ramnagar Forest Office to book the safari.

Leisure Hotels advises all its guests to book morning Safari in Advance and for afternoon opt for Elephant Safari or various other activities which are listed below

Various Zones of The Corbett National Park for Jeep Safari

Durga Devi
Durga Devi is a tourism zone within the Corbett National Park. It is a virgin area used only for long elephant safaris and has access to the Ramganga River for the purpose of fishing. Leisure hotels has got the opportunity to have the first private lodge inside the park and will be providing angling facilities at the Jamun camp in the private untouched pool in the Ramganga river.

The Durgadevi tourism zone is open from the 1st October to 30th June. During monsoon it is closed because of the poor roads in the forest

This is on the north-eastern boundary of the Park. The entrance gate is about 20 Km away from The River View Retreat. The Mandal range of Corbett Tiger Reserve through Durgadevi entrance involve challenging birding species to lookout for include the grey headed fishing eagle, crested laughing thrush, black chinned Yuhina, maroon orile, slaty blue flycatcher, long tailed broadbill, little forktail, and bar tailed tree creeper.

Lohachaur forest area is known for wild elephants all round the year and the undulating terrain provides excellent opportunity to see the leopards as well as tigers.

Bijrani Zone
For Bijrani Zone entry is through Amdanda Gate which is 4 Kms from The The River View Retreat & The River View Retreat. Bijrani has mixed topography with thick sal forests interspersed with grasslands. There are a large number of stream beds which are mainly boulder strewn paths. Along the side of the streams there are riparian forests and thick lantana bushes due to which tiger sighting chances as compared to other tourism zones is higher in this area. Once you reach the Bijrani guest house you can avail the elephant ride also.

The Bijrani tourism zone is open from the 1st October to 30th June. During monsoon it is closed because of the poor roads in the forest

Jhirna Zone
For Jhirna Zone entry is through Dhela Gate which is 20 Kms from The River View Retreat. Jhirna tourism zone falls within the southern part of the Corbett National Park. It is the only tourism zone of the Corbett National Park which remains open throughout the year. Its topography is mainly dry deciduous and secondary forest with large open grasslands, which provides allows good visibility of wild animals. From the machans set up visitors can view wild animals in their natural habitat. Vast stream beds and steep cliff edges provides good opportunity for bird watching.

Jhirna Zone is open throughout year

Sitavani Safari
Sitavani is located about 35 km. from The River View Retreat and within the reserve forest area of Ramnagar Forest Division. It boasts of beautiful dense forests of sal and mixed vegetation with open grasslands and riverbeds. The safari takes one to the ancient temple of Goddess Sita. According to a legend, this is the place where Goddess Sita disappeared into the earth.

Sitavani Zone is open throughout year

Sitavani is a part of Corbett buffer zone and there is a gated entrance but does not require any special permits to venture inside.

The forest offers ample birding opportunities in the surrounding thick sal and mixed forest. Preferably early morning drive is the best to view wildlife like tiger, sambar, barking deer, porcupine, King cobra and lots more.

Sitavani is well known to have visiting wild elephants and tiger all round the year as both the animals frequently visit river kosi for water and get across to raid the crops and lift the domestic animals from the village

Safari to Dhikala Zone
It is a picturesque location at the edge of a grassy plateau perched high above the Ramganga reservoir and set into a bend in the river. The famous grasslands of the Dhikala chaur disappear into the dense sal forests at the foot hills in the region. This is indisputably rated as a favourite viewing area to the visitors here.

The Dhikala tourism zone is open from 15th November to 15th June. This is an area with very high restrictions as far as tourism is concerned.

Day visits to Dhikala are only through canters (an open bus with gallery seating)which are arranged by the forest department. For overnight stays visitors can take their own vehicles.

The Vehicle Timings are 0600 Hrs – 1200 Hrs and 1100 Hrs – 1700 Hrs. There are two canters each of 16 seats in during both morning and afternoon.

Safari to Bhownkhal
Located in the foothills of the lower Himalayas, Bhowankhal falls on the border of the Kumaon and Garhwal region. The safari goes around the periphery of Corbett Tiger Reserve and takes one through the dense forests, picturesque landscapes and river beds. It is situated at a distance of around 30 km. from the resort.

The safari provides a very scenic drive dotted along the way by typical Kumaoni/Garhwali villages. From a place called ‘Kaath Ki Nau’ one can view the breathtakingly beautiful Himalayan ranges.