Discover Jim Corbett: India's Oldest National Park
Jim Corbett National Park, established in 1936 as Hailey National Park — India's very first national park — sprawls across 1,318 sq km of dense Himalayan foothills in the Nainital and Pauri districts of Uttarakhand. The park was renamed in 1957 to honour the legendary hunter-turned-conservationist Jim Corbett, whose book The Man-Eaters of Kumaon immortalised both the region and its wildlife.
The park is the heartland of Project Tiger, India's landmark wildlife conservation initiative launched here in 1973. Today, Corbett shelters over 250 Bengal tigers — one of the highest densities anywhere in the world — along with leopards, Asian elephants, sloth bears, gharials, mugger crocodiles, and an extraordinary diversity of bird life (over 650 recorded species). The Ramganga River winds through the park's heartland, creating a rich mosaic of riverine grasslands, dense sal forests, and rocky ridgelines that support this exceptional biodiversity.
The park is divided into five distinct tourism zones — Bijrani, Jhirna, Dhikala, Durga Devi, and Sonanadi — each with a distinct character. Dhikala, deep in the park's core, is arguably the most rewarding zone for wildlife encounters, particularly in summer when animals congregate near the Ramganga reservoir. Access to Dhikala requires an overnight permit, with accommodation in the forest rest house.
Beyond wildlife safaris, the Corbett landscape offers exceptional nature experiences: fishing for mahseer and trout in the Ramganga and Kosi rivers; birdwatching along forested streams where pied kingfishers, osprey, and rare Blyth's kingfisher patrol the banks; guided nature walks in the buffer zone; and cultural visits to traditional Tharu tribal villages on the park's periphery.