Jim Corbett Travel Guide: Wildlife, Adventure & Funny Mishaps

Jim Corbett - PC - Nitesh Ranga - Insta ID - @ traveller_mate

Have you ever had a destination haunt your travel bucket list for years, dodging your every attempt to visit it? For me, that elusive spot was Jim Corbett National Park.

2009: Planned. Cancelled.

2010: Planned twice. Cancelled twice.

2012: Gave it another shot. Nope.

2016: I swore to finally close the loop. Spoiler alert—this time I actually made it! 

And honestly? The wait was worth it (and did we spot the tiger? well… we’ll get there).

Why Jim Corbett is a Big Deal

For the uninitiated, Jim Corbett National Park is India’s first national park, established in 1936 as Hailey National Park. Named after the legendary hunter-turned-conservationist Jim Corbett, it sprawls over 520 sq km of forested hills, grasslands, rivers, marshes, and even a large lake.

Most importantly—it’s prime real estate for the Royal Bengal Tiger. Which is why people raise eyebrows every time I said, “Nope, haven’t been there yet.” And trust me, eyebrow-raising hurts more than it looks.

The Road Trip: Gurgaon to Corbett

Fast forward to November 2016. Fourteen friends + colleagues (read: chaos) packed into a Tempo Traveller at 11:30 PM after an office party. With food and booze already handled by the party, all that was left for the ride was loud music, and overconfident singing.

By 3 AM, we made a pit stop for the holy trinity of road trips: paranthas, tea, and washrooms of questionable hygiene. The roads were patchy, foggy, and not exactly Instagram material. After what felt like an eternity, we finally rolled into our Corbett hotel at 9 AM—hungry, exhausted, but pumped for adventure.

Day 1: Waterfalls, Wild Elephants & Angry Trumpets

Post our food expedition (brunch) and catching up on our sleep, we aimed for Corbett Falls. Except… it was closed. Naturally. The guard didn’t budge despite our most Oscar-worthy requests. So we did the next best thing: clicked a hundred pictures outside the gate. #ContentIsContent

Plan B Activated: Explore random forest roads. By sunset, we stumbled upon a river crossing… and two wild elephants chilling by the roadside. My excitement made me click with flash. Elephant didn’t like it. Cue the angry trumpet. Our driver floored it while we screamed like kids at a haunted house ride. Adventure: 10/10. Sanity: questionable.

We later soothed our nerves with a riverside photoshoot (because priorities), and by evening, we were back at the resort enjoying a bonfire, chai, and pakoras spicy enough to give us all steam facials. Music, dumb charades, and card games kept us awake till 2 AM. Which was genius, considering our safari was at 5 AM.

The Groupfie

We met on the way

The Angry Elephant

The moon

Day 2: Safari Day (aka, Tiger Hide-and-Seek Champion)

At 4:30 AM, alarms went off. At 4:31 AM, most of us went back to sleep. Thankfully, some enthusiastic door-bangers dragged us out of bed. We layered ourselves in jackets, mufflers, and blankets that made us look like walking burritos, and waited for our jeeps.

At 5:30 AM, we finally boarded three open jeeps for the Durga Devi Zone safari—the farthest zone in the park. With my GoPro, zoom lens, and overconfidence, I even tried standing heroically in the back of the jeep… until icy winds slapped my face back into reality. I sat quietly after that.

Inside the jungle, we saw:

• Barking deer (who barked more than most dogs I know).
• Sambar deer.
• Monkeys (professional food thieves).
• Tiger pugmarks (allegedly real… though some say “tourist bait”).

But the star attraction? Nope. The tiger pulled a no-show. Probably binge-watching us from the bushes while sipping chai.

Though the scenery inside the jungle is indeed beautiful and we enjoyed the views, fresh air and photography of course.

Back to the Resort

We returned by 10 AM—half frozen, half disappointed, but oddly refreshed. Breakfast became a full-on feast because nothing builds an appetite like chasing invisible tigers at dawn.

By 1 PM, it was time to bid goodbye. No tiger selfies, but plenty of laughter, bonfire memories, and one angry elephant encounter richer.

And hey—we did finally spot a tiger. Well… in the hotel painting. Counts, right? 

Travel Tips for Jim Corbett:

• Best time to visit: November to March (pleasant weather + higher tiger sighting chances).
• Safari zones: Dhikala (most popular), Bijrani, Jhirna, Durga Devi (a.k.a. the lottery zone).
• Jeep vs Canter: Always pick a jeep if you value your back and sanity.
• How to reach: 265 km from Delhi; 6–7 hrs by road. Nearest railhead: Ramnagar.
• Stay options: Resorts range from budget to luxury—book early in peak season.

TL;DR

Went to Jim Corbett after years of failed attempts. Saw elephants, deer, rivers, forests, and even tiger pugmarks. The tiger itself? A no-show. But the laughs, bonfire nights, and 14 crazy friends made it epic anyway.