Jim Corbett National Park, Uttarakhand, India  Travel Guide : Food, hotel, Cost, Weather & geography, History, language, culture, things to see and do and how to reach

You can find about travel advice such as public places & services, best restaurants, activities, sightseen and other key facts of the Jim Corbett National Park, Uttarakhand, India.

Jim Corbett National Park is the oldest national park in India and was established in 1936 as Hailey National Park to protect the endangered Bengal tiger. It is located in Nainital district and Pauri Garhwal district of Uttarakhand and was named after hunter and naturalist Jim Corbett. The park was the first to come under the Project Tiger initiative.

Corbett National Park comprises 520.8 km2 (201.1 sq mi) area of hills, riverine belts, marshy depressions, grasslands and a large lake. The elevation ranges from 1,300 to 4,000 ft (400 to 1,220 m). Winter nights are cold but the days are bright and sunny. It rains from July to September. The park has sub-Himalayan belt geographical and ecological characteristics. Dense moist deciduous forest mainly consists of sal, haldu, peepal, rohini and mango trees. Forest covers almost 73% of the park, while 10% of the area consists of grasslands. It houses around 110 tree species, 50 species of mammals, 580 bird species and 25 reptile species.

An ecotourism destination, the park contains 488 different species of plants and a diverse variety of fauna. The increase in tourist activities, among other problems, continues to present a serious challenge to the park's ecological balance.

Foods in Jim Corbett National Park, Uttarakhand, India :
The best option for food in Corbett tends to be the hotels and resorts here. They offer rich and delicious North Indian, Chinese, Mughlai, Continental, Kumaoni and local cuisine. Don't miss the Chicken, Kebab and other barbeque delicacies here. However, non-vegetarian food and alcohol are strictly prohibited inside the park.

The local cuisine offers a number of delicacies with Bhaang Ki Khatai, Kappa (a green curry), Sisunak Saag (a dish prepared with green leafy vegetables and many local ingredients), Aloo ke Gutke (a Kumauni potato dish), Rus (a preparation of many dals) being just some of the popular items here.

Weather & geography in Jim Corbett National Park, Uttarakhand, India :
The weather in the park is temperate compared to most other protected areas of India. The temperature may vary from 5 °C (41 °F) to 30 °C (86 °F) during the winter and some mornings are foggy. Summer temperatures normally do not rise above 40 °C (104 °F).

Per day Cost in Jim Corbett National Park, Uttarakhand, India :
40-50 USD $ per person in Jim Corbett National Park, Uttarakhand.

History of Jim Corbett National Park, Uttarakhand, India :
 

Some areas of the park were formerly part of the princely state of Tehri Garhwal. The forests were cleared by the Environment and Forests Department (Uttarakhand) to make the area less vulnerable to Rohilla invaders. The Raja of Tehri formally ceded a part of his princely state to the East India Company in return for their assistance in ousting the Gurkhas from his domain. The Buksas—a tribe from the Terai—settled on the land and began growing crops, but in the early 1860s they were evicted with the advent of British rule.

Efforts to save the forests of the region began in the 19th century under Major Ramsay, the British Officer who was in-charge of the area during those times. The first step in the protection of the area began in 1868 when the British forest department established control over the land and prohibited cultivation and the operation of cattle stations. In 1879 these forests were constituted into a reserve forest where restricted felling was permitted.

In the early 1900s, several Britishers, including E. R. Stevans and E. A. Smythies, suggested the setting up of a national park on this soil. The British administration considered the possibility of creating a game reserve there in 1907. It was only in the 1930s that the process of demarcation for such an area got underway. A reserve area known as Hailey National Park covering 323.75 km2 (125.00 sq mi) was created in 1936, when Sir Malcolm Hailey was the Governor of United Provinces; and Asia's first national park came into existence. Hunting was not allowed in the reserve, only timber cutting for domestic purposes. Soon after the establishment of the reserve, rules prohibiting killing and capturing of mammals, reptiles and birds within its boundaries were passed.

The reserve was renamed in 1954–55 as Ramganga National Park and was again renamed in 1955–56 as Corbett National Park, after author and naturalist Jim Corbett.

The park fared well during the 1930s under an elected administration. But, during the Second World War, it suffered from excessive poaching and timber cutting. Over time, the area in the reserve was increased—797.72 km2 (308.00 sq mi) were added in 1991 as a buffer zone to the Corbett Tiger Reserve. The 1991 addition included the entire Kalagarh forest division, assimilating the 301.18 km2 (116.29 sq mi) area of Sonanadi Wildlife Sanctuary as a part of the Kalagarh division. It was chosen in 1974 as the location for launching the Project Tiger wildlife conservation project. The reserve is administered from its headquarters in the Nainital district.

Corbett National Park is one of the thirteen protected areas covered by the World Wide Fund For Nature under their Terai Arc Landscape Program. The program aims to protect three of the five terrestrial flagship species, the tiger, the Asian elephant and the great one-horned rhinoceros, by restoring corridors of forest to link 13 protected areas of Nepal and India, to enable wildlife migration.

Language in Jim Corbett National Park, Uttarakhand, India :
Hindi & English Language is running in Jim Corbett National Park.

 

Culture of Jim Corbett National Park, Uttarakhand, India :
Among the prominent local crafts is wood carving, which appears most frequently in the ornately decorated temples of Uttarakhand. Intricately carved designs of floral patterns, deities, and geometrical motifs also decorate the doors, windows, ceilings, and walls of village houses. Paintings and murals are used to decorate both houses and temples. Pahari painting is a form of painting that flourished in the region between the 17th and 19th century. Mola Ram started the Garhwal Branch of the Kangra school of painting. Guler State was known as the "cradle of Kangra paintings". Kumaoni art often is geometrical in nature, while Garhwali art is known for its closeness to nature. Other crafts of Uttarakhand include handcrafted gold jewellery, basketry from Garhwal, woollen shawls, scarves, and rugs. The latter are mainly produced by the Bhotiyas of northern Uttarakhand.

Place to visit in Jim Corbett National Park, Uttarakhand, India :
(1) Corbett Tiger Safari
(2) Kosi River
(3) Durga Mandir Temple
(4) Hanuman Dham
(5) Sitabani Temple
(6) Corbett Falls
(7) Durga Devi Zone
(8) The Pugmark Safari and Tours
(9) Nature Wanderers
(10) Corbett Safari
(11) Tigers in Corbett
(12) Blue Wings Aviation

Hotel in  Jim Corbett National Park, Uttarakhand, India :
(1) Corbett Orchid View

(2) The Pahadi Organic 

(3) Corbett Castle

(4) The Blue Orchid

(5) Corbett Mystic Inn - An Exclusive Boutique Resort

(6) Corbett Hills Resort

How to reach in Jim Corbett National Park, Uttarakhand, India :
Corbett National Park doesn't have an airport of its own. The nearest airport to the town is the Dehradun Airport, Uttrakhand, located at a distance of 156 km from NH34. Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi, is the nearest international airport located at a distance of 243 km. Flights from all over the country fly down to Delhi airport, and a number of them also go down to Dehradun Airport. These airports are further linked to Jim Corbett by the means of roadways, with a road journey of a maximum of 5 hours between two cities. 


Travel Guide for  Jim Corbett National Park, Uttarakhand, India : Food, hotel, Cost, Weather & geography, History, language, culture, things to see and do and how to reach. – Published by The Beyond News (Travelling).