‘Why visit Jim Corbett?’ Has this question ever crossed your mind? If yes, read this blog as we try to answer your question by listing out our top reasons to visit Jim Corbett National Park and why we love it.
The Jim Corbett National Park is truly a unique destination as it is one of India’s most prestigious forest reserves. Situated at the foothills of the Himalayas in the state of Uttarakhand, Jim Corbett is renowned for its breathtaking landscapes and is a haven for some of India’s most stunning wildlife species.
One of the top reasons to visit Jim Corbett is to catch a glimpse of the charismatic tigers against the backdrop of the Ramganga river or the tall grasslands of Dhikala.
Apart from Tigers, Jim Corbett is home to a plethora of wildlife species, including Leopards, Fishing Cats, Leopard Cats, Elephants, Sloth Bears, Himalayan black bears, Gharials, Hog Deer and many more.
To know more about these wild denizens, read our blog “Wildlife of Jim Corbett”.
The park also hosts over 1000 species of birds, making it a birder’s paradise and truly one of the most astounding places on this planet to witness wildlife thrive!
In this blog, let us look at some of the top reasons to visit Jim Corbett.
1. Diverse Habitats
One of the top reasons to visit Jim Corbett National Park is to soak in the absolute splendour of its diverse landscapes. Set against the undulating lower Himalayan mountain ranges, the moist deciduous forests of Jim Corbett are populated by Sal trees, Mango trees, Peepal, Haldu and Rohini trees. The park also has open grasslands and it is renowned for the pristine Ramganga river and the Kosi River reflecting the blue of the azure with the occasional fleeting nimbus clouds.
The Jim Corbett National Park is open to tourists from the 15th of November to the 30th of June every year. With every season, the decor and feel of the forest constantly change. Jim Corbett’s breathtaking landscapes undergo a metamorphosis after the monsoons. An arid and parched landscape turns into a luxuriant Eden! In the winter months, the park is shrouded in mist and as the warmth of the summer begins to dominate the Park, the cycle changes and once again the verdant forestscape and water holes begin to dry up and the vegetation turns brown.
Every season has its alluring charm and Jim Corbett is frequented all year long, except (July to October because of the monsoon) by enthusiastic tourists and avid wildlife photographers. This diverse habitat offers a lot of opportunities to make some stunning images and witness awe-inspiring moments of natural history!
As a side note, the Jhirna zone is open all year round, even during the monsoon months. If you are wondering when to visit Jim Corbett, read our blog “What is the best time to visit Jim Corbett?”.
2. Elephant Safari Option
Apart from the regular jeep and canter safari options, that are the norm in most National Parks of India, the Jim Corbett National Park also offers an elephant safari! This unique mode of safari is thrilling, especially for children.
The elephant ride also allows photographers different perspectives and angles to capture the mesmerising woods. It also enables visitors to get access to areas of the forest where the gypsy cannot reach and sometimes this directly results in a big cat sighting!
3. Bird Watching Opportunities
On a Jim Corbett safari, sighting a tiger is an exhilarating experience, but a lot of the time, while chasing Tigers, one misses out on the other stunning wildlife species, especially birds, that also call the park home.
The Jim Corbett National Park hosts over a thousand species of birds, including resident birds as well as exotic migratory ones, making it a coveted destination for bird lovers.
The pristine water bodies across the park are prime locations to spot some of these astounding birds! Because these large water bodies contain water all year round, Jim Corbett never runs dry on bird watching opportunities!
Some of the main bird species frequently found and sighted here are Greylag Goose, Woodpeckers, Common Kingfishers, Indian Grey Hornbills, Bee-eaters, Cuckoos, Asian Palm Swift, Parakeets, Owls, Nightjars, Pigeons, Crakes, Snipes, Dove, Sandpipers, Great Crested Grebe, Eagles, Gulls, Terns, Darters, Herons, Bitterns, Cormorants, Egrets, Pelicans, Storks, Pittas, Ibis, Shrikes, Orioles, Cuckoo-shrikes, Treepies, Crows, Flycatchers, Ioras, Minivets, Drongos, Sparrows, Finches, Wood Shrikes, Pipits, Wagtails, Munias, Mynas, Falcons, Bulbul, and the list goes on.
To know more about these avian wonders, read our blog “Magical birds of Jim Corbett”.
4. Photography Opportunities
Another reason to visit the Jim Corbett National Park is if you enjoy wildlife and nature photography. It is a pleasure to capture the many species of wildlife against the amazing background these enchanting forests naturally provide. Over here, one can make awe-inspiring frames using the golden hour light to make silhouettes or backlit images. One can also use the light and make some rim-lit images of creatures like Deer, Macaques and the birds that thrive in the immaculate water bodies across the park.
There is no dearth of activity in this park and one can broaden and push one’s creative horizons!
5. Experienced Naturalists
The naturalists at Jim Corbett are extremely well-educated and they have a huge role to play in making our trips successful. They know the forest like the back of their palms and their pinpoint accuracy and their almost flawless intuition help a long way in guiding guests to numerous sightings.
Across our tours to Jim Corbett, we have built a close bond and camaraderie with these skilled naturalists. Their long hours of effort and intense focus to ensure that every tourist venturing into the park has the best possible experience must not go unnoticed. Most often, Tiger sightings are much celebrated but the thankless work of these unsung heroes is overlooked.
These naturalists are some of the most friendly and sincere people. We have had the pleasure of working with them for more than a decade and they are a significant reason why we hold Jim Corbett very close to our hearts. We hope our trips to Corbett continue to be as enjoyable as they have always been and that Jim Corbett National Park continues to surprise and inspire us!
6. Ambience
The last but not least reason to visit Jim Corbett is to experience the luxury and cherish the comfort and hospitality of the many resorts and hotels! But, an even more special and extremely unique experience is spending the night inside the premises of the jungle and staying at the guest houses at Dhikala or Bijrani.
We at Toehold operate our Photo Tours out of these guest houses for they really give us the feel of the forest. If one spends the night at these guest houses in Dhikala or Bijrani, one can really listen to the sounds of the forest as it comes alive after sunset and one is assured to wake up to the melodious chirping of the birds!
Not many forest reserves offer such a unique feature!
There are several other luxury and family hotels and resorts around the Jim Corbett to accommodate tourists based on their budget and their needs. To know more about the different available accommodations, read our blog “Where to stay in Jim Corbett?”
Summarising why we love Jim Corbett National Park
For the past decade or more, one of our top reasons to visit Jim Corbett has been for its natural scenic beauty and ambience! Although the captivating tigers are the main attractions, Jim Corbett is also home to some elusive species such as fishing cats, leopard cats, Himalayan black bears and the timid hog deer. It is also home to hundreds of birds, putting it right at the top of our favourite wildlife destinations list!
These awe-inspiring forests never fail to surprise or inspire us. Our skippers have led many successful expeditions and hundreds if not thousands of people have had amazing sightings, captured some incredible photographs and bagged unforgettable memories!
These woods, consisting of breathtaking water bodies, magnificent trees and tall grasslands, charm not just avid wildlife photographers or big cat lovers, but also are a great escape for anyone needing a break from the hustle-bustle of city life.
A few days spent immersed in nature or with the comfort and hospitality of the surrounding resorts and hotels and the potential sightings of some of the most magnificent wildlife species are sure to help refresh you and make you fall in love with the experience of visiting the wild!
The perennial beauty of Jim Corbett Park continues to lure us as we never miss an opportunity to dig deeper into its treasure trove of opportunities!
