Jim Corbett National Park, -Asia’s first national park, was initially called Hailey National Park after Lord Malcolm Hailey, the then Governor of the United Province. Since then, it has been renamed twice – once as Ramganga National Park and finally as Jim Corbett National Park to honour James Corbett, who helped set up the park.
Jim Corbett is one of Uttarakhand’s most renowned safari destinations. It is also home to the largest concentration of royal Bengal tigers. Based on the recent data, the tiger population is thriving. Jim Cobrbett’s other attractions include its lush forest landscape, Corbett waterfall, Corbett museum, and several Hindu temples within the park.
The park’s 252 Bengal tigers are its premier attraction together with a good concentration of other wildlife such as 450-500 elephants and resident crocodiles.
Jim Corbett National Park is home to two crocodile species – gharial and mugger crocodile. Both can be spotted in the Dhikala zone of the park’s crocodile pool. Jim Corbett has over 400 crocodiles in the park, which significantly increases the chances of spotting a crocodile during a safari. The Burmese python is another species of reptile that is commonly seen in the park. Other reptile species include turtles, kraits, cobras, monitor lizards, and Russell’s viper.
Leopard, fishing cat, leopard cat, and jungle cat are the land predators present in the park. Jim Corbett has several deer species such as hog deer, sambar, chital, and barking deer.
With over 600 highly diverse bird species, Jim Corbett is a birding haven. This extensive list of birds includes both the park’s resident and migratory species. Peregrine falcon, steppe eagle, and booted hawk-eagle are the migratory birds of prey that can be spotted in the park between November to March.
Winters in Jim Corbett are the most pleasant time to visit the park. Therefore, October to February is ideal for bird and tiger watching as well as spotting migratory species visiting the park.
While most of the park zones remain closed for the duration of the monsoon, the Jhirna zone remains open throughout the year. Planning a trip during the monsoons can help visitors avoid the crowds. As it is off-season, visiting the park may also be budget-friendly – both in terms of safari packages and accommodation. As we have already seen, it is also ideal for river rafting on the Kosi river. In summer, the Kosi river is very shallow, making rafting impossible.
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