Indian Wildlife Club Forum

National Parks Jim Corbett park useful information Posted by Lokesh Kaushik on March 13, 2021 Jim Corbett is a national park located near to Ramnagar town in Uttrakhand. It is one of the most popular national park in India when it comes to Tiger sighting, as there around more than 250 Tigers as per recent census of 2020. Tourists are allowed to opt for Morning/Evening jungle safaris inside the deep forest area and it is the only Tiger reserve in India which allows people to stay even inside the forest area at the government run forest rest houses. Flora at the park There are more than 450 types of species of plants have been recorded in the reserve. As per the reports around 65 to 70% of Corbett area is dominated by Sal forests. The famous zone Dhikala is well known for its vast Grassland area which is favourite spot of sighting the Elephant herds. Fauna at the park Corbett Tiger reserve is home to around 500 resident and migratory birds species, some famous ones are Serpent Eagle, Red junglefowl, Parakeet, Kingfisher, Asian Paradise flycatcher etc. Royal Bengal Tiger is the king of the Jungle here and many other cat species can also be spotted i.e Leopard, jungle cat & fishing cat. The mammals include Elephants, Barking deer, Sambhar deer, Hog deer, Chital, Sloth and himalayan black bears, mongoose, fox and many more. Dhikala grassland is the famous area of the park to spot the herds of Elephants. The park is to home to reptiles and famous species are India marsh Crocodile, Gharial, King Cobra, Python, Viper, monitor Lizard and Tortoise. Safari zones in Jim Corbett There are total 8 zones in Jim Corbett Tiger reserve as of now which are available to tourists for day safaris. These are Bijrani, Dhikala, Jhirna, Dhela, Garjia, Durga devi, Pakhro and Sonanadi. Except Pakhro and Sonanadi all other zones are close to Ramnagar and these 2 zones (Pakhro and Sonanadi) can be visited from Kotdwar near to Lansdowne. Type of safaris and availability in various zones. Dhikala– There are 2 types of safari options available at this zone. One is canter which is used for morning/evening safaris and available for all tourists as per the availablity, and second option is jeep safari which is available only for those tourists who make the booking at government run forest rest house. Total– 4 canters are available for safaris in morning and in afternoon as well. Each canter has 16 seats so total 64 tourists can visit the park in morning and exact number of pax in afternoon. 12 years and above are considered as adults and full seat fare will be applicable for them. Children 6 to 11 years old can travel with adults at approx half of the adult cost. A maximum of 6 adults and 2 children (6 to 11 years old) can travel in one permit. Dhikala day safaris are open for tourists from 15th November to 14th of June every year. Bijrani– Only jeep safari option is available for tourists to visit the park. There are 30 jeeps in morning and 30 jeeps in afternoon available for tourists. Maximum of 6 adults and 2 children (6 to 11 years old) can travel in one jeep. This zone is open for toursits from 15th October to 30th June every year. Jhirna– Jeep safari is the only option of visiting the park and there are 30 jeeps in morning and 30 jeeps in afternoon available for tourists. Maximum of 6 adults and 2 children (6 to 11 years old) can travel in one jeep. This zone is open through out year, however, forest department does not operate safaris on rainy days. Dhela– Jeep safari is the only option of visiting the park. And, there are 15 jeeps in morning and 15 jeeps in afternoon available for tourists. Maximum of 6 adults and 2 children (6 to 11 years old) can travel in one jeep. This zone is open through out the year, however, government does not operate safaris on rainy days. Durga devi– At this zone Jeep safari is the only option of visiting the park. And, there are 10 jeeps in morning and 10 jeeps in afternoon available for tourists. Maximum of 6 adults and 2 children (6 to 11 years old) can travel in one jeep. This zone is open for tourists from 15th October to 15th June every year. Garjia– Only jeep safari option is available for tourists to visit the park. There are 30 jeeps in morning and 30 jeeps in afternoon available for tourists. Maximum of 6 adults and 2 children (6 to 11 years old) can travel in one jeep. This zone is open for toursits from 15th October to 30th June every year. Pakhro– At this zone Jeep safari is the only option of visiting the park and there are 10 jeeps in morning and 10 jeeps in afternoon available for tourists. Maximum of 6 adults and 2 children (6 to 11 years old) can travel in one jeep. This zone is open for toursits from 15th October to 15th June every year. Sonanadi– This zone Jeep safari is the only option of visiting the park and, there are 15 jeeps in morning and 15 jeeps in afternoon available for tourists. Maximum of 6 adults and 2 children (6 to 11 years old) can travel in one jeep. This zone is open for toursits from 15th October to 15th June every year. Important points- Jeep safari in Jim Corbett is not shared with other guests in any of the zone. One full jeep safari cost consists of Permit/Forest guide and gypsy hire cost. Safari permits are non refundable and non amendable. It is suggestible to book safari prior minimum 30 days of actual safari date in order to avoid non-availability. During summer morning safaris start at 6:00 AM and last entry time can be upto 7:00 AM, and afternoon safaris start at 2:30 PM and last entry time can be upto 3:30 PM. During winter morning safaris start at 7:00 AM and last entry time can be upto 7:45 AM, and afternoon safaris start at 1:30 PM and last entry time can be upto 2:30 PM. Canter safari starts at 6:00 AM for morning shift and 12:30 PM for afternoon shift during summer. Canter safari starts at 6:30 AM for morning shift and 12:00 PM for afternoon shift during winter Suggestible to carry Binoculars. However, you can rent it out from the safari entry gate as well. Always book safari prior to resort booking or make sure that sufficient gypsies are available as safari permit are always in high demand and might go sold out any time. Jeep safari duration varies between 3 to 3 hours 30 minutes, where as, canter safari duration is 5 hours approximately. Canter is a 16 seater mini bus (open from sides for view and covered from top). Food, liquor, smoking not allowed inside the Tiger reserve. ID proof is mandatory for booking and for the entry as well at the Tiger reserve. Pan card is acceptable. Tourists can travel with infants as there is no restriction from the forest department for Jim corbett jeep safari. Forest department does not allow pet inside the Tiger reserve during jungle safari. During winter it is too cold inside the Tiger reserve, hence always carry gloves, enough sweaters/jackets etc. There are plenty of private resorts available around the park, where as government run forest rest houses are inside the deep forest area. Suitable for wildlife lovers and photographers. Canteen facility is available at Bijrani and Dhikala zone for tourists during day safaris. We hope that you will find the above article about Jim corbett jeep safari informative and relevant. Please feel free to ask anything. Thanks and Regards Lokesh Kaushik WFC Holidays Read More View Comments \| Post Comment
National Parks Eravikulam National park Posted by Susan Sharma on November 19, 2019 Forest guard Pazhaniswamy posted at Eravikulam National Park has been sending me interesting photos of the flora and fauna of Eravikulam National Park, Kerala. As a guard accompanying tourists in the tourist bus which takes day tourists into the Park, Pazhani is in a position to observe the Park flora and fauna on a daily basis and he makes sure that his mobile clicks document the unusual visitors, seasonal flowers and other interesting tidbits. Here is a sample of the photos he has been sending me. Pazhani can be contacted at +918281931335 Fauna clicked by Pazhaniswamy Chameleon Green vine snake Herd of Nilgiri Tahr Malabar Pit Viper Nilgiri tahr Flora clicked by Pazhaniswamy Can anyone give the names of these flora? Read More View Comments \| Post Comment
National Parks Kaziranga National Park Posted by kundal roy on June 17, 2018 Famous for highest density of one horned Rhinos. Also known as the place of Big 5 this park is also famous for different migratory Birds tribal villages lush green Tea estates.. The river dolphins are the famous attraction of this Area. There are four ranges in this park. The central western Ghrakati and the Agrotali range. Out of this the western range is best know for Jeep and Elephant safari. Safari timings 5 Am and 530 Am .Duration 2 hours. This is advisable to go for Jeep Safari in the evening and Elephant safaris in the morning. For further details you can follow the below given link.http://kamakshitours.com Read More View Comments \| Post Comment
National Parks BANDHAVGARH TIGER RESERVE - DEFINITELY THE BEST OF ALL Posted by Varun Sharma on March 05, 2016 Post visiting more than 56 wildlife sanctuaries, Bandhavgarh just pulls me back as an elastic. What people think is that Bandhavgarh has the maximum number of tigers which is not the fact, however, Bandhavgarh has the highest tiger sighting ratio in Asia currently. Reason for this is that with the Pachpedi (Buffer Zone) opening up to the tourist along with the popular Magadhi, Khitauli and Tala Core Zones - the number of tigers in the tourist limits has increased to almost 20-30. Nowadays, atleast 2 times in a week the tigers or leopards show up in the buffer. Moreover, because these cats have become a bit tooo used to the gypsy and the villagers / tribals - they hardly care even if the whole gang of tourist crowd around with their gypsy for sometimes even more than an hour- which is obviously not correct. Magadhi definitely holds the fort currently in best sighting. Tala, though known as the premium zone - comparatively has lesser sighting than magadhi. Khitauli has 2-3 tigers but extremely shy ones so the if the sighting happens - it probably is the best but thats a big IF. In the past 5 months, i have seen tigers and leopards more than 25 times in this jungle and i must say that this is definitely an amazing forest to be in as it is not so dense and full of Sal. For me - it is Bandhavgarh. Read More View Comments \| Post Comment
National Parks Ravishing Ranthambore Posted by samanvay bhutani on December 28, 2015 Dear Readers, Thank you for turning up and reading my article. My love for wildlife was merely an accident. I along with a few friends just landed up at Ranthambore National Park, Sawai Madhopur Distt. Rajasthan India. This was a very unusual trip for me since i have always loved luxury and relaxing holidays, but little did i knew that once i enter the forest we lovingly call as Ranthambore Tiger Reserve, I went all Gaga over this place. I hardly knew what i was doing there except for looking at a few deer roam around and a few birds here and there and then to my surprise i was asked to sit back tight as the gypsy caught with unusual adrenaline and flew it seemed like i was on the last ride of my life. For good two minutes i was rather angry for being there all covered by dust and splashes but than it all came to a halt and in a split second it changed my outlook for wildlife forever, A gigantic roar from across the bushes was enough to send chill down to the spine and lips sealed i looked to the other side of waters(Rajbagh Lake) and it was a sight to behold and treasure a female tigress(T-19) aka Krishna showed up frowning towards the maddened rush of gypsy and canters, As a few hundred eyes were lit up seeing the beast walk around the bushes and what happened next was a mere dream. The light started to fade away and as the tigress walked away followed by 3 beautiful cubs and what more could you ask for. The light almost giving up as i stood admiring the beautiful relationship of the mother and her 3 adorable cubs who walked beside her in a straight line unaware of surroundings and soon disappeared in the habitat i now know as Malik Talab at Zone no. 3 of RNP. Amidst the hustle bustle of my daily life coming into a jungle where i could literally hear myself breath,inhaling that fresh crisp air that brought peace to my mind, a feeling of a different world, a glimpse of a relation of a mother and baby which wasn't too different from real life human relations and that was the point RNP became a addiction and a wonderful 2nd home to me, I visit almost every month familiar to every Zone(1-10) and very familiar to almost all named tigers, May it be courageous story of T-16(Machli) or the Ravishing T-24(Ustaad) or the hunkT-72(Sultan) and many family like names to me now. Do love Nature, Protect Wildlife, Respect Animals and pledge to help make earth a better place for all to live in..! Love Samanvay Read More View Comments \| Post Comment
National Parks Ranthambore Tiger Reserve Posted by Sudeep Sarkar on February 08, 2014 My trip was nice because I saw 2 tigers Sultan and T24 in my morning and evening safari respectively Read More View Comments \| Post Comment
National Parks kaziranga Posted by sunny singh bhatti on August 28, 2013 hey there people I would like to share a trip report about Wildospher its a adventure tour organizer. I went with these guys and what an experience these guys actually showed me kaziranga Tiger in some remote area of the forest I must say they know the forest pretty well beautiful birds all around they took me so close that I can click my pictures from any angle same with the rhinos aswell Wildospher is the best I recommend u people to go with them they even do the untouched forest neora national park I been with them even there they made me do a foot safari and i saw marble cat clouded leopard and leopard while I was on a foot safari these guys are blessed I must say. the experience and the hospitality is just great, there are many more things that they offer for a adventure outdoors rafting is again one of there specialty. contact then on there mail sunny.globeib@gmail.com or facebook page www.facebook.com/wildospher .get in touch with them for some stunning experience for adventure. Read More View Comments \| Post Comment
National Parks Melghat Tiger Reserve Patrolling program by Chaatak Nature Conservation Society, Varangaon dist.Jalgaon, Maharashtra. Posted by anil mahajan on June 20, 2013 Chaatak Nature Conservation Society, Varangaon dist.Jalgaon, Maharashtra. Read More View Comments \| Post Comment
National Parks TRIP TO CORBETT NATIONAL PARK. Posted by salil sharma on October 20, 2012 Our Corbett Visit The day I am sharing was just like another normal scheduled day to work when I was getting ready & was about to leave home for my job. Suddenly my husband asked a very surprising but interesting question Hey! Would you like to visit Jim Corbett National Park. Amazed & awed unable to make out I said “no” I cant, I have to reach my work place in time and moreover I have not applied for any leave. During this time, examination were going on in the college and I was on examination duty. But unable to control my zeal and emotions I applied for leave, got it approved and within an hour of packing and arranging we left for our journey to Jim Corbett National Park. The most interesting part being, no bookings were made in advance, neither did we have any idea of the way to be followed. Unaware of anything we decided to move on. From Chandigarh we started at 11.30am & through Jagadhari , Yamunanagar & Rorkee at 5.12p.m. we were at Haridwar. Now there was no idea and while on the way we checked for hotels, resorts and jeep safari ‘s on the internet. We got in touch with a travelling operator who kept us guiding from New Delhi. He gave us the address of a resort called ‘ Jagaar Jungle Resort’. Lateron we came to know that he was the owner of the resort and the couple handled their business from New Delhi. I would like to mention that they were cooperative to an extent and kept guiding us till we reached the resort. From Haridwar taking a right turn towards Nazibabad we were on the state highway 34.While moving towards Nazibabad we were crossing an area that was under Reserved Forests just close to Raja ji National Park. On the way we could find sign boards showing “ Elephants crossing Area; Drive slowly”. This made us more anxious and little fear had also taken over us. We were heading towards our destination on an unknown road. This led to make more frantic calls to our tour operator asking him every now and then which way to follow, are we on safer road or not? From Nazibabad we moved towards Nagina-Dhampur-Afjalgarh-Kashipur.Our resort Jagaar was close to Kashipur touching the buffer zone of Jim Corbett National Park. It was 9.40 pm that we reached the resort following an unpaved road through a village in pitch dark. The aura and ambience of the resort was completely raw. Small thatched cottages with wooden doors and little bulb lights on the path leading to our cottage gave the resort a complete wild look.As we were enjoying the dinner, conversing with the staff of the resort we came to know about various stories of the tiger especially the man-eater which was killed by the villagers 2-3 months back. Only one small latch on the door was the safety in the cottage. Initially unable to sleep, both of us were lying silently without talking to each other and hearing some strange noises from outside, we slept saying good night as early morning at 5 we had to get a wake up call from the resort staff. At 1.00 a.m. my sleep was interrupted by some noise and I could see my husband still lying in the same position with his eyes wide open.Shockingly I asked, what happened and back came the reply I am unable to sleep.Some stupid scary noises kept him awake. So at 5.00 in the morning we got a call and within half an hour, the resort staff handed over to us our breakfast packed and guided us towards Ramnagar the tiny town 8 kms away from the resort. We drove by our own car to Ramnagar. Here I would like to mention one very strange thing. At 5.30 or so we were at Ramnagar and the whole town was bustling with life. Markets open, people shopping at early dawn. I never saw such a thing in my life. On asking some local people we came to know that from this little town buses move to various higher reaches of Uttrakhand which are far away. So markets remain open at Ramnagar to facilitate people who are travelling. From the Ramnagar forest guest house and ticket counter we took tickets for Dhikaka forest range. We got tickets for a canter i.e. a huge truck open from all sides. Corbett National Park is situated in the foothills of the Himalayas. The present area of Corbett National Park is1318.54 sq. km .including 520 sq. km. core area of and 797.72 sq.km.of buffer area. Corbett has four forest ranges: Dhikala, Domunda, Sonanadi, Bijrani and Jhirna. Main vegetation found at Corbett National Park is sal, khair, ber, bel, semal, khingan, rohini and bamboo. River Ramganga is the most important river and its tributaries are sonanadi, mandaland palain. River Kosi runs proximate to the park and is also a prominent resource. We were little late and almost all vehicles had already left for the Dhikala range. Our canter started at 7.00a.m.. As we entered the forest we first saw a Sambhar who was about to cross the road but stopped because the canter was too noisy. Suddenly the canter got slow and driver was showing us the pug marks which were fresh. He told us that the tiger may just had passed from here few hours before after having water from the nearby Ram ganga rivulet. This raised the anxiety of every person sitting in the canter. People started watching more cautiously and we were lucky to spot peacock and wag tail within first 10-20 min of our tour. The canter was so noisy that everyone was getting irritated because as soon as we could spot something the driver was unable to hear us. It was really surprising why the government has allowed such noisy vehicles inside the forest range. The animals will not come close to noise. Even as the forest department is charging hefty amounts,the vehicles are not properly maintained. What to talk about the tiger, we could see small animals and few birds retreating from noise. Some spotted deer could be seen near the river bed. Wild Boar were moving in a group following a straight line with parents leading their off springs. Suddenly we asked the driver to stop as a Brown Eagle was sitting in the middle of the road. We clicked 2-3 good shots and moved ahead. But we were only thinking about TIGER keeping our fingers crossed,praying just to have one look of the beautiful creature in the wild. As we approached the Dhikala guest house we spotted tamed elephants nearby. The area was fenced with electrified barbed wires. As the driver parked the canter we saw a big Vulture on the nearby tree, feeding its young ones. People were talking about its extinction due to excessive use of Diclofenac, an anti-inflammatory drug used by farmers to ease pain in cattle. The canter had to stop for 45 minutes so this was the time to talk to strangers exchange views photographs and get fresh. We had maggi and omlette and hot tea. There was a notice board where people shared their tour experiences. A group saw leopard and tiger an hour ago near guest house. So the excitement grew more and we started moving ahead through the grasslands. As the canter moved through the thick long grass we were gazing every spot with eyes wide open only searching for the tiger. The canter stopped in the middle of the grasslands where tamed elephants were eating grass. Suddenly an elephant came so close that its trunk was almost inside the canter smelling the strangers. The driver told us about the Ramganga river flowing nearby which also is a home to ghariyals, turtles and also a major source of water in the park. By this time we were exhausted and sad but still we were hopeful to spot a tiger. So we decided to go for another safari to Bijrani but now by a jeep. We came back to the resort, got fresh had lunch and asked the resort staff to arrange a jeep safari for us. The booking was done for at 3.30 in the afternoon. It was a tough nut to crack as only limited number of jeeps is allowed to enter the forest in the morning and evening. Now we drove again till Bijrani gate by our own car which is 12 kms from Ramnagar. The zone can be entered via Amanda Gate and the Bijrani Zone can be found 5 kms from there. The tourists are taken around the area by a jeep and presence of guide is mandatory as they help the tourists understand the importance of the park and also the habitats of the animals in the zone. The jeep was waiting for us and we two along with a guide and driver entered the Bijrani forest. The guide a young chap with an experience of over 5 years started telling us about the Bijrani forest its flora and fauna. But we kept asking him so many questions on tiger. He told us what to do if a tiger approaches. Keep your body still without moving and making noise let the tiger go. He told us a story of a group who were forced to stop because a tiger came suddenly in their way. The guide told everyone to sit and the tiger smelled the entire jeep then went. It gave us more anxiety but fear had gripped us by now as the forest was too thick. As we were heading toward Malani, a forest guest house in Bijrani, we spotted a wild tusker near the river. The guide showed us a big owl on the tree. As we moved ahead we stopped the jeep for some time to hear the calls of the Monkeys, Grey Langoors and Deer for tracing the Tiger. But within minutes we were fearful that if the tiger is around then it can be dangerous so we started again. We saw Wild Boar, Spotted Deer, Barking Deer, Red Jungle Fowl, Brown Eagle, Grey Langoors, Rhesus Monkeys & Black Crane. The canopies of the trees were too thick and the forest was very dense. All the jeeps inside Bijrani meet at a centre place where there is a watch tower. The tourists and the guides exchange their tracking routes of tiger spotting if any. The slopes were steep and at times gentle. It made us to think what would happen if the tiger comes as the path followed by the jeep was undulating. We also saw the places were tiger usually comes for drinking water. Some were man made while others were natural sources. Sun started setting and we had to move back as the time for the safari was coming to an end. On way back we saw few settlements near the buffer zone where the forest department had put fenced barbed wires but the people had taken them off and they were fearlessly living inside the park. So the safari was over but tiger could not be spotted. In comparison to Dhikala, Bijrani is more drier and also has more diverse vegetation. Sad yet still excited we came out and to change our mood we entered a souvenir shop where things related to tiger were being sold like t-shirts, caps, key rings,paintings etc. We were back to the resort, had dinner, shared about our tour with the resort staff. Since we had to leave next morning so we slept in time.Next morning after having tea we were taken to a water pump near the fields where the resort had arranged for a rustic bath. My husband enjoyed bathing and then we had our breakfast and packed our stuff. We started our journey at 12.30in the afternoon and halted at Haridwar. Here we went to see the holy river Ganges and we bathed at Har ki Paudi. Since we were running short of time we just picked fruits from a roadside vendor and moved ahead. We had tea at Ambala and reached Chandigarh at about 8.45p.m..Though we could not spot the tiger but we enjoyed the nature at its best! Read More View Comments \| Post Comment
National Parks My great experience at GIR national park Posted by abhishek meshram on February 18, 2012 Once in a lifetime experience at GIR national park Last month I was in Gujarat with my uncle to meet my brother who is in Jamnagar, Gujarat. it was our once in a year off. So we decided to see tourist spots in Gujarat. We visited various spots but the highlightd was GIR national park. I am not being able to upload photos sorry!!! Read More View Comments \| Post Comment

Posted by Lokesh Kaushik on March 13, 2021

Jim Corbett is a national park located near to Ramnagar town in Uttrakhand. It is one of the most popular national park in India when it comes to Tiger sighting, as there around more than 250 Tigers as per recent census of 2020. Tourists are allowed to opt for Morning/Evening jungle safaris inside the deep forest area and it is the only Tiger reserve in India which allows people to stay even inside the forest area at the government run forest rest houses.

Flora at the park

There are more than 450 types of species of plants have been recorded in the reserve. As per the reports around 65 to 70% of Corbett area is dominated by Sal forests. The famous zone Dhikala is well known for its vast Grassland area which is favourite spot of sighting the Elephant herds.

Fauna at the park

Corbett Tiger reserve is home to around 500 resident and migratory birds species, some famous ones are Serpent Eagle, Red junglefowl, Parakeet, Kingfisher, Asian Paradise flycatcher etc. Royal Bengal Tiger is the king of the Jungle here and many other cat species can also be spotted i.e Leopard, jungle cat & fishing cat. The mammals include Elephants, Barking deer, Sambhar deer, Hog deer, Chital, Sloth and himalayan black bears, mongoose, fox and many more. Dhikala grassland is the famous area of the park to spot the herds of Elephants.

The park is to home to reptiles and famous species are India marsh Crocodile, Gharial, King Cobra, Python, Viper, monitor Lizard and Tortoise.

Safari zones in Jim Corbett

There are total 8 zones in Jim Corbett Tiger reserve as of now which are available to tourists for day safaris. These are Bijrani, Dhikala, Jhirna, Dhela, Garjia, Durga devi, Pakhro and Sonanadi. Except Pakhro and Sonanadi all other zones are close to Ramnagar and these 2 zones (Pakhro and Sonanadi) can be visited from Kotdwar near to Lansdowne.

Type of safaris and availability in various zones.

Dhikala– There are 2 types of safari options available at this zone. One is canter which is used for morning/evening safaris and available for all tourists as per the availablity, and second option is jeep safari which is available only for those tourists who make the booking at government run forest rest house.

Total– 4 canters are available for safaris in morning and in afternoon as well. Each canter has 16 seats so total 64 tourists can visit the park in morning and exact number of pax in afternoon.

12 years and above are considered as adults and full seat fare will be applicable for them. Children 6 to 11 years old can travel with adults at approx half of the adult cost. A maximum of 6 adults and 2 children (6 to 11 years old) can travel in one permit.

Dhikala day safaris are open for tourists from 15th November to 14th of June every year.

Bijrani– Only jeep safari option is available for tourists to visit the park. There are 30 jeeps in morning and 30 jeeps in afternoon available for tourists. Maximum of 6 adults and 2 children (6 to 11 years old) can travel in one jeep. This zone is open for toursits from 15th October to 30th June every year.

Jhirna– Jeep safari is the only option of visiting the park and there are 30 jeeps in morning and 30 jeeps in afternoon available for tourists. Maximum of 6 adults and 2 children (6 to 11 years old) can travel in one jeep. This zone is open through out year, however, forest department does not operate safaris on rainy days.

Dhela– Jeep safari is the only option of visiting the park. And, there are 15 jeeps in morning and 15 jeeps in afternoon available for tourists. Maximum of 6 adults and 2 children (6 to 11 years old) can travel in one jeep. This zone is open through out the year, however, government does not operate safaris on rainy days.

Durga devi– At this zone Jeep safari is the only option of visiting the park. And, there are 10 jeeps in morning and 10 jeeps in afternoon available for tourists. Maximum of 6 adults and 2 children (6 to 11 years old) can travel in one jeep. This zone is open for tourists from 15th October to 15th June every year.

Garjia– Only jeep safari option is available for tourists to visit the park. There are 30 jeeps in morning and 30 jeeps in afternoon available for tourists. Maximum of 6 adults and 2 children (6 to 11 years old) can travel in one jeep. This zone is open for toursits from 15th October to 30th June every year.

Pakhro– At this zone Jeep safari is the only option of visiting the park and there are 10 jeeps in morning and 10 jeeps in afternoon available for tourists. Maximum of 6 adults and 2 children (6 to 11 years old) can travel in one jeep. This zone is open for toursits from 15th October to 15th June every year.

Sonanadi– This zone Jeep safari is the only option of visiting the park and, there are 15 jeeps in morning and 15 jeeps in afternoon available for tourists. Maximum of 6 adults and 2 children (6 to 11 years old) can travel in one jeep. This zone is open for toursits from 15th October to 15th June every year.

Important points-
Jeep safari in Jim Corbett is not shared with other guests in any of the zone. One full jeep safari cost consists of Permit/Forest guide and gypsy hire cost.
Safari permits are non refundable and non amendable.
It is suggestible to book safari prior minimum 30 days of actual safari date in order to avoid non-availability.
During summer morning safaris start at 6:00 AM and last entry time can be upto 7:00 AM, and afternoon safaris start at 2:30 PM and last entry time can be upto 3:30 PM.
During winter morning safaris start at 7:00 AM and last entry time can be upto 7:45 AM, and afternoon safaris start at 1:30 PM and last entry time can be upto 2:30 PM.
Canter safari starts at 6:00 AM for morning shift and 12:30 PM for afternoon shift during summer.
Canter safari starts at 6:30 AM for morning shift and 12:00 PM for afternoon shift during winter
Suggestible to carry Binoculars. However, you can rent it out from the safari entry gate as well.
Always book safari prior to resort booking or make sure that sufficient gypsies are available as safari permit are always in high demand and might go sold out any time.
Jeep safari duration varies between 3 to 3 hours 30 minutes, where as, canter safari duration is 5 hours approximately.
Canter is a 16 seater mini bus (open from sides for view and covered from top).
Food, liquor, smoking not allowed inside the Tiger reserve.
ID proof is mandatory for booking and for the entry as well at the Tiger reserve. Pan card is acceptable.
Tourists can travel with infants as there is no restriction from the forest department for Jim corbett jeep safari.
Forest department does not allow pet inside the Tiger reserve during jungle safari.
During winter it is too cold inside the Tiger reserve, hence always carry gloves, enough sweaters/jackets etc.
There are plenty of private resorts available around the park, where as government run forest rest houses are inside the deep forest area. Suitable for wildlife lovers and photographers.
Canteen facility is available at Bijrani and Dhikala zone for tourists during day safaris.

We hope that you will find the above article about Jim corbett jeep safari informative and relevant. Please feel free to ask anything.

Thanks and Regards
Lokesh Kaushik
WFC Holidays

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National Parks

Eravikulam National park

Posted by Susan Sharma on November 19, 2019

Forest guard Pazhaniswamy posted at Eravikulam National Park has been sending me interesting photos of the flora and fauna of Eravikulam National Park, Kerala. As a guard accompanying tourists in the tourist bus which takes day tourists into the Park, Pazhani is in a position to observe the Park flora and fauna on a daily basis and he makes sure that his mobile clicks document the unusual visitors, seasonal flowers and other interesting tidbits.

Here is a sample of the photos he has been sending me. Pazhani can be contacted at +918281931335

Fauna clicked by Pazhaniswamy

Chameleon

Green vine snake

Herd of Nilgiri Tahr

Malabar Pit Viper

Nilgiri tahr

Flora clicked by Pazhaniswamy

Posted by salil sharma on October 20, 2012

Our Corbett Visit

The day I am sharing was just like another normal scheduled day to work when I was getting ready & was about to leave home for my job. Suddenly my husband asked a very surprising but interesting question Hey! Would you like to visit Jim Corbett National Park. Amazed & awed unable to make out I said “no” I cant, I have to reach my work place in time and moreover I have not applied for any leave. During this time, examination were going on in the college and I was on examination duty. But unable to control my zeal and emotions I applied for leave, got it approved and within an hour of packing and arranging we left for our journey to Jim Corbett National Park. The most interesting part being, no bookings were made in advance, neither did we have any idea of the way to be followed. Unaware of anything we decided to move on. From Chandigarh we started at 11.30am & through Jagadhari , Yamunanagar & Rorkee at 5.12p.m. we were at Haridwar. Now there was no idea and while on the way we checked for hotels, resorts and jeep safari ‘s on the internet. We got in touch with a travelling operator who kept us guiding from New Delhi. He gave us the address of a resort called ‘ Jagaar Jungle Resort’. Lateron we came to know that he was the owner of the resort and the couple handled their business from New Delhi. I would like to mention that they were cooperative to an extent and kept guiding us till we reached the resort.

From Haridwar taking a right turn towards Nazibabad we were on the state highway 34.While moving towards Nazibabad we were crossing an area that was under Reserved Forests just close to Raja ji National Park. On the way we could find sign boards showing “ Elephants crossing Area; Drive slowly”. This made us more anxious and little fear had also taken over us. We were heading towards our destination on an unknown road. This led to make more frantic calls to our tour operator asking him every now and then which way to follow, are we on safer road or not? From Nazibabad we moved towards Nagina-Dhampur-Afjalgarh-Kashipur.Our resort Jagaar was close to Kashipur touching the buffer zone of Jim Corbett National Park. It was 9.40 pm that we reached the resort following an unpaved road through a village in pitch dark. The aura and ambience of the resort was completely raw. Small thatched cottages with wooden doors and little bulb lights on the path leading to our cottage gave the resort a complete wild look.As we were enjoying the dinner, conversing with the staff of the resort we came to know about various stories of the tiger especially the man-eater which was killed by the villagers 2-3 months back. Only one small latch on the door was the safety in the cottage. Initially unable to sleep, both of us were lying silently without talking to each other and hearing some strange noises from outside, we slept saying good night as early morning at 5 we had to get a wake up call from the resort staff. At 1.00 a.m. my sleep was interrupted by some noise and I could see my husband still lying in the same position with his eyes wide open.Shockingly I asked, what happened and back came the reply I am unable to sleep.Some stupid scary noises kept him awake.

So at 5.00 in the morning we got a call and within half an hour, the resort staff handed over to us our breakfast packed and guided us towards Ramnagar the tiny town 8 kms away from the resort. We drove by our own car to Ramnagar. Here I would like to mention one very strange thing. At 5.30 or so we were at Ramnagar and the whole town was bustling with life. Markets open, people shopping at early dawn. I never saw such a thing in my life. On asking some local people we came to know that from this little town buses move to various higher reaches of Uttrakhand which are far away. So markets remain open at Ramnagar to facilitate people who are travelling. From the Ramnagar forest guest house and ticket counter we took tickets for Dhikaka forest range. We got tickets for a canter i.e. a huge truck open from all sides. Corbett National Park is situated in the foothills of the Himalayas. The present area of Corbett National Park is1318.54 sq. km .including 520 sq. km. core area of and 797.72 sq.km.of buffer area. Corbett has four forest ranges: Dhikala, Domunda, Sonanadi, Bijrani and Jhirna. Main vegetation found at Corbett National Park is sal, khair, ber, bel, semal, khingan, rohini and bamboo. River Ramganga is the most important river and its tributaries are sonanadi, mandaland palain. River Kosi runs proximate to the park and is also a prominent resource. We were little late and almost all vehicles had already left for the Dhikala range. Our canter started at 7.00a.m.. As we entered the forest we first saw a Sambhar who was about to cross the road but stopped because the canter was too noisy. Suddenly the canter got slow and driver was showing us the pug marks which were fresh. He told us that the tiger may just had passed from here few hours before after having water from the nearby Ram ganga rivulet. This raised the anxiety of every person sitting in the canter. People started watching more cautiously and we were lucky to spot peacock and wag tail within first 10-20 min of our tour.

The canter was so noisy that everyone was getting irritated because as soon as we could spot something the driver was unable to hear us. It was really surprising why the government has allowed such noisy vehicles inside the forest range. The animals will not come close to noise. Even as the forest department is charging hefty amounts,the vehicles are not properly maintained. What to talk about the tiger, we could see small animals and few birds retreating from noise. Some spotted deer could be seen near the river bed. Wild Boar were moving in a group following a straight line with parents leading their off springs. Suddenly we asked the driver to stop as a Brown Eagle was sitting in the middle of the road. We clicked 2-3 good shots and moved ahead. But we were only thinking about TIGER keeping our fingers crossed,praying just to have one look of the beautiful creature in the wild. As we approached the Dhikala guest house we spotted tamed elephants nearby. The area was fenced with electrified barbed wires. As the driver parked the canter we saw a big Vulture on the nearby tree, feeding its young ones. People were talking about its extinction due to excessive use of Diclofenac, an anti-inflammatory drug used by farmers to ease pain in cattle. The canter had to stop for 45 minutes so this was the time to talk to strangers exchange views photographs and get fresh. We had maggi and omlette and hot tea. There was a notice board where people shared their tour experiences. A group saw leopard and tiger an hour ago near guest house. So the excitement grew more and we started moving ahead through the grasslands. As the canter moved through the thick long grass we were gazing every spot with eyes wide open only searching for the tiger. The canter stopped in the middle of the grasslands where tamed elephants were eating grass. Suddenly an elephant came so close that its trunk was almost inside the canter smelling the strangers. The driver told us about the Ramganga river flowing nearby which also is a home to ghariyals, turtles and also a major source of water in the park. By this time we were exhausted and sad but still we were hopeful to spot a tiger. So we decided to go for another safari to Bijrani but now by a jeep.

We came back to the resort, got fresh had lunch and asked the resort staff to arrange a jeep safari for us. The booking was done for at 3.30 in the afternoon. It was a tough nut to crack as only limited number of jeeps is allowed to enter the forest in the morning and evening. Now we drove again till Bijrani gate by our own car which is 12 kms from Ramnagar. The zone can be entered via Amanda Gate and the Bijrani Zone can be found 5 kms from there. The tourists are taken around the area by a jeep and presence of guide is mandatory as they help the tourists understand the importance of the park and also the habitats of the animals in the zone. The jeep was waiting for us and we two along with a guide and driver entered the Bijrani forest. The guide a young chap with an experience of over 5 years started telling us about the Bijrani forest its flora and fauna. But we kept asking him so many questions on tiger. He told us what to do if a tiger approaches. Keep your body still without moving and making noise let the tiger go. He told us a story of a group who were forced to stop because a tiger came suddenly in their way. The guide told everyone to sit and the tiger smelled the entire jeep then went. It gave us more anxiety but fear had gripped us by now as the forest was too thick. As we were heading toward Malani, a forest guest house in Bijrani, we spotted a wild tusker near the river. The guide showed us a big owl on the tree. As we moved ahead we stopped the jeep for some time to hear the calls of the Monkeys, Grey Langoors and Deer for tracing the Tiger. But within minutes we were fearful that if the tiger is around then it can be dangerous so we started again. We saw Wild Boar, Spotted Deer, Barking Deer, Red Jungle Fowl, Brown Eagle, Grey Langoors, Rhesus Monkeys & Black Crane. The canopies of the trees were too thick and the forest was very dense. All the jeeps inside Bijrani meet at a centre place where there is a watch tower. The tourists and the guides exchange their tracking routes of tiger spotting if any. The slopes were steep and at times gentle. It made us to think what would happen if the tiger comes as the path followed by the jeep was undulating. We also saw the places were tiger usually comes for drinking water. Some were man made while others were natural sources. Sun started setting and we had to move back as the time for the safari was coming to an end. On way back we saw few settlements near the buffer zone where the forest department had put fenced barbed wires but the people had taken them off and they were fearlessly living inside the park. So the safari was over but tiger could not be spotted. In comparison to Dhikala, Bijrani is more drier and also has more diverse vegetation. Sad yet still excited we came out and to change our mood we entered a souvenir shop where things related to tiger were being sold like t-shirts, caps, key rings,paintings etc. We were back to the resort, had dinner, shared about our tour with the resort staff. Since we had to leave next morning so we slept in time.Next morning after having tea we were taken to a water pump near the fields where the resort had arranged for a rustic bath. My husband enjoyed bathing and then we had our breakfast and packed our stuff. We started our journey at 12.30in the afternoon and halted at Haridwar. Here we went to see the holy river Ganges and we bathed at Har ki Paudi. Since we were running short of time we just picked fruits from a roadside vendor and moved ahead. We had tea at Ambala and reached Chandigarh at about 8.45p.m..Though we could not spot the tiger but we enjoyed the nature at its best!

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National Parks

My great experience at GIR national park

Posted by abhishek meshram on February 18, 2012

Once in a lifetime experience at GIR national park

Last month I was in Gujarat with my uncle to meet my brother who is in Jamnagar, Gujarat. it was our once in a year off. So we decided to see tourist spots in Gujarat. We visited various spots but the highlightd was GIR national park. I am not being able to upload photos sorry!!!

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