We all are children of nature and are forever grateful to mother Earth for nurturing us with the best natural resources. Besides, Mother Earth is surrounded by a rich abundance of flora and fauna and helps to maintain a balance among them for the creation of a sustainable environment. However, due to the increase in anthropogenic activities, our Earth has been facing a lot of damage, thereby leading to the disturbance of ecological balance.
Thus, it has become necessary to protect this wide population of flora and fauna so that they do not undergo continuous exploitation that further damages the environment and its balance. As a result, national parks and wildlife sanctuaries have come into effect.
Jim Corbett National Park - An Overview
The Jim Corbett National Park is considered to be the largest Corbett Tiger Reserve with the Project Tiger occupying the Nainital district of Uttarakhand. This protected area has received popularity for its richness of tigers which was established in the year 1936. Initially, the name given to it was Halley National Park and it continues to be the glory and pride of India for holding the record of being the oldest as well as most prestigious National Park in the country.
Moreover, this is the first-ever National Park where Project tiger was launched for the first time in the year 1973. Thus, this area is considered to be the father of Project Tiger in India to protect the most endangered species and the Royal wild animal of India called Tigers.
A brief history of National Park
The United States is known to be the first country to bring out the concept of national parks and ended up establishing the first-ever national park or “public park/pleasuring-ground for the benefit and enjoyment of the common people”. It is known as Yellowstone National Park which came into effect in the year 1872 though initially, it didn’t have the tag of being a national park. Before Yellowstone National Park, there were legally protected areas called the Tobago Main Ridge Forest Reserve (now Trinidad and Tobago, 1776) and the area surrounding Bogd Khan Uul Mountain (Mongolia, 1778).
What is a national park?
A national park is considered to be an area that has been set aside and runs under the regulation of a national government for the preservation of the natural environment to promote sustainability. The flora and fauna that falls under this protected area are preserved in their natural state so that they do not encounter any sort of disturbance and can continue to grow and reproduce healthily. Nowadays, national parks are just more than sites for the preservation of the natural habitat of species. These protected areas are also utilized for public recreation as well as enjoyable activities.
The tourist zones of Jim Corbett National Park
The highly expert professionals associated with Jim Corbett National Park focus mainly on promoting tourism in this region and thus, this national park has been divided into six major different tourism zones. The visitors can opt for wildlife safari while visiting the above-mentioned zones and can relish the tempting behavior of the animals.
Bijrani Safari Zone
It is a very popular tourist zone for its unbelievable natural beauty, accompanied by open grasslands. The entry gate of this safari zone is located just at a distance of approximately 1 km from Ramnagar city.
Jhirna Safari Zone
Another important and famous tourist zone of Jim Corbett National Park is Jhirna Safari Zone which remains accessible to visitors throughout the year. Its entry gate is located at a distance of approximately 16 km from Ramnagar city.
Dhela Safari Zone
With its entry gate at a distance of approximately 13 km from Ramnagar city, Dhela Safari Zone is a newly created tourist zone that was earlier a part of the tiger reserve zone in the year 2014. Just like Dhela, it also remains open throughout the year for its visitors.
Dhikala zone
This is the largest as well as the most diversified area preferred by tourists for jungle safari because it is known to offer the best sight for its exotic fauna. Its entry gate is located at a distance of approximately 18 km from Ramnagar city. Those tourists who are wildlife freaks and want to tickle their adrenaline hormones are highly advised to opt for a Night stay inside the Dhikala Tourism zone for a memorable experience.
Durga Devi zone
For bird enthusiasts, the Durga Devi zone is considered to be heaven on Earth. Its entry gate is located at a distance of approximately 36 km from Ramnagar city.
Safari Timing in Jim Corbett National Park
This facility is only available in the area that has been declared to be a Corbett Sanctuary zone. Although people consider this to be a bit threatening due to the presence of some dangerous carnivores that keep on hovering around the area the one opting for a jeep safari will definitely enjoy the night panorama. The morning safari timings are from 6:30 am to 9:30 am during winter and summer, 5:30 am to 8:30 am and the evening safari timings are from 2:30 pm to 5:30 pm during winter and in summer, from 3:30 pm to 6:30 pm.
By road
Since Ramnagar has a very good network of roads that connects this city to a wide range of major cities of the country, especially India’s national capital Delhi. The state government of Uttarakhand has regulated buses at a short interval of time from Delhi, Haldwani, Moradabad as well as Bareilly to reach Corbett directly.
By rail
Various trains operate from Uttarakhand to Delhi, Moradabad, and Bareilly such as Ranikhet Express, Corbett Link Express, and Kathgodam Express.
