Jim Corbett National Park in India is well-known for its diverse wildlife and natural beauty. While there is no specific "Safari Zone" concept like in some other wildlife reserves, there are different zones within the park where visitors can go on safaris to explore the wilderness.
Jhirna zone is around 18 km from Ramnagar city. Your boarding place for Jhirna Zone Safari is at Ramnagar or you can be picked up from the gate also. The name of the entry gate of Jhirna zone is Dhela. Your permit is checked as soon as you enter the Jhirna zone because entry without a permit is not allowed. Jhirna is one of the most beautiful zones of Jim Corbett National Park and is open throughout the year if the road and weather conditions are fine. There is good grassland in Jhirna. This area of grassland is the favorite of elephants but in summer this grassland gets reduced a little.
Himalayan Griffon Vulture can also be seen in Jhirna. It is a big vulture that only eats dead animals. It never hurts. They can often be seen sitting on the rocks sunbathing. Nine species of vultures are found in India and this jackal is found from Afghanistan to Bhutan. If you find a good driver and a good guide for safari, then apart from the tiger, they can show you many other different wildlife.
Dhela zone is around 18 km away from Ramnagar City. The name of the entry gate of the Dhela zone is Dhela. Jhirna and Dhela Zone, the entrance gates of both these zones are within the same. To go on a safari to the Dhela zone, first, you have to do a permit check at the safari gate and an ID proof check, after that you get entry into the Dhela zone. As soon as we start the safari of Dhela Zone, langurs, monkeys, and birds start appearing from the gate itself. Elephant herds and different wildlife can be seen in this zone. From Dhela Zone we can also see the grasslands of the Jhirna Zone because both the zones are very connected with each other.
There are many water points in Dhela where tigers often come and sit, hence there are more chances of tiger sighting at such places. In the cat family, the tiger is the only animal that likes to sit in the water and take an air bath, otherwise, the rest of the cat family do not like to go in water. The most common animal you will see is deer. When leopards and tigers come to hunt deer, the chances of seeing the tiger increase.
Bijrani Zone is just 2 km away from Ramnagar City. To do a safari in Bijrani Zone, entry is from Amtanda Gate. Amtanda Gate is on Dhikuli Road, and the boarding place for safari in Bijrani Zone is Amtanda Gate. A parking area is also available for guests' personal vehicles. Bijrani Zone is considered a very famous zone for tiger sightings. The forest here is a very dense Area Along with day visit jeep safari, night stay facilities are also available here where travelers can also stay at night. When you go on safari in Bijrani Zone, you will feel that there is silence all around and only the sound of wildlife is coming. Wildlife also indicates to us by making sounds that there is tiger movement nearby. Tiger and Elephant can be seen easily if you have patience.
You will see below that there will be some marks on the tree, those marks are made for the Tiger Territory. The territory of a tiger is about 8 to 10 acres, so the tiger marks its area on trees with its nails or then he does the urine if the other tiger does not come to his area, if he comes then there is a fight between the two and if the tiger wins then that area becomes his tiger's. In this, there is a 90% chance that a tiger dies and there is a 10% chance that the tiger who is defeated is gone. The female tigress stays with the tiger and conquers that territory.
Garjiya Zone is at a distance of 4 km from Ramnagar and the entry of Garjiya Zone is from Garjiya Gate. Earlier the entry for safari of Garjiya Zone used to be through Amtanda Gate. But later its separate gate was made which is named Garjia Gate. Bijrani zone is nearby from Ramnagar and then Garjiya zone starts at a distance of 2 km. This zone is connected to Bijrani Zone, due to the chances of seeing wildlife doubles in the Garjia Zone. Apart from tigers, other interesting wildlife can also be seen in the Garjia Zone. At present, only day-visit safari facilities are available in the Garjia Zone. There are no night stay facilities nor any canteen facilities in Garjia Zone.
Tigers, birds, and herds of elephants can be seen in the Garjiya zone. Tiger is considered to be the most dangerous animal but the reality is that if an elephant gets angry during a safari, it starts running behind the jeep and the jeep can also turn back. Therefore, the elephant should not be teased during the safari as it may pose a danger to the guests. If you want to see good wildlife then you should sit in quiet in your jeep so that the wildlife is not disturbed and you should calmly approach the jeep and not run away from the jeep.
The number of tourists in Jim Corbett National Park is increasing due to which the government opened a new gate for jeep safari so that all the tourists do not return without safari. This new gate was named Phanto Zone and this zone is 20 minutes away from Ramnagar. The entry gate of Phanto Zone is Phanto Gate. 40 jeeps go to Phanto Zone in a day. This zone is the area behind Jhirna zone which has been made for jeep safari. Phanto Zone was opened in January 2021 in Jim Corbett National Park for a jeep safari. Along with jeep safari, there are also night stay facilities and secondary canteen facilities. Tree houses have been built here for night stays, where tourists book their night stay. Currently, booking for Phanto Zone is not done online. Booking for a jeep safari in this zone is done offline.
It is said that this is a new zone but it has left all the zones behind with its tiger sighting. There are water ponds at many places in the Phanto Zone where tigers sit for hours, which makes it easy to see the tigers. In summer, many animals come to the waterside to drink water, due to which the wildlife is seen well in the photo zone. Langurs, monkeys, and deer are also easily seen in the photo zone. When you enter the Phanto zone, first of all, you have to check your permit and only then you get entry.
If you want to do a tiger safari in Jim Corbett National Park then you can do a jeep safari in Sitabani zone because this is a very good zone to see tigers and other wildlife. This zone is just 2 km away from Ramnagar. Sitabani Zone has two entry gates, one gate is named Tedha Gate and the other gate is Pawalgarh Gate. Earlier, offline permits were available for booking jeep safari in this zone. But now if you want to do a safari in Sitabani Zone, then you will have to book it online in advance. Like all other zones, here too there are two slots for jeep safari, morning and afternoon. Only 100 jeeps can go in it in a day, 50 jeeps in the morning and 50 jeeps in the afternoon. Sitabani zone is entered through one gate and exited through another gate.
Sitabani Temple is also located in Sitabani Zone where tourists can go down and there is also a waterfall which is not found in any other zone. This zone is most famous for its bird-watching zone. Photographers most like to do jeep safari in this zone because apart from tigers, there is a lot more to see here. Earlier, personal vehicles were also allowed in this zone, but now only registered jeeps can go. There are also good grasslands in this area which reminds me of the Dhikala Zone. In this zone also, only day visit safari is done, currently forest rest houses have been built here for night stays for tourists.
Dhikala Zone is at a distance of 16 km from Ramnagar. The entry of this gate is from Dhangadhi Gate. Dhikala Zone is a zone that needs no introduction because even talking about it falls short. This zone is larger in area than all the other zones. There is also Crocodile Point in Dhikala Zone which you will not see in any other zone. If you have done a safari in all the zones and you have not yet had a tiger sighting, then you should book a night stay in the said zone and then do a jeep safari. There are huge grasslands in this zone and also many rivers where tigers can be easily seen. It also has canteen facilities Dhikala zone is the only zone where for day visit safari, cantar safari is done and not jeep safari. Four centers go to the Dhikala zone at a time and a maximum of 16 persons can sit in one canter.
In the Dhikala zone, common wildlife like barking deer, sambar, monkeys, etc. can easily be seen. Due to this the tiger has no shortage of food and comes after them to hunt, which increases the chances of seeing the tiger. To do a jeep safari in the Dhikala zone, it is mandatory for you to book a night stay. For the night stay of tourists in the Dhikala zone, these 5 forest roset houses have been built where tourists can comfortably stay overnight. Getting a night stay is an achievement in itself because it is very difficult to book forest rest houses in the Dhikala zone. Its booking starts online 45 to 90 days in advance.
Jim Corbett Biography
