Safari Guide
Jim Corbett safari,
planned properly
Zones, timings, permits and what actually improves your odds — written by the desk that books them every day.
The zones
Eight zones, different answers
Distances below are from our porch. Our travel desk books all of them.
The Sitabani morning
Safari, temple, waterfall
Sitabani is the forest the epics remember. The quiet temple in these woods is where Sita is believed to have spent her exile — and where, the story goes, Luv and Kush were born. Pilgrims still walk in; birders arrive even earlier.
Our favourite way to do it: jeep in at first light for the birding and the herds, sit a while at the temple, then stop at the Sitabani waterfall on the way out — a cold, clear plunge that half our guests call the best bath of the trip. No park permit, no queue at a barrier, and you are back for a late breakfast.
- 5 km from the resort · no permit needed
- Sita ji's temple — a living shrine, dress modestly
- Waterfall dip on the return leg; carry a change of clothes
- Some of the best birding anywhere around Corbett
Timings
The park confirms exact timings a few days ahead and shifts them seasonally. We will tell you the moment we know.
Permits
From the desk
What actually helps
Improve your odds
- Do two safaris, not one — a single drive is a coin toss
- Morning slots generally beat afternoon in winter
- Sit still and stay quiet; the guide is listening for alarm calls
- March to June concentrates animals around water
- Believe the guide over the internet
What to carry
- Original photo ID matching the permit
- Layers — it is genuinely cold at 6:30 AM in January
- Muted colours, not white or bright
- Binoculars and a zoom lens if you have one
- Water, and the packed breakfast we send
Rules at the gate
- No plastic, no littering, no food outside the jeep
- Stay in the vehicle at all times
- No drones anywhere in the park
- Do not ask the driver to chase a sighting
- Zones close on the park's schedule, not ours
Common questions
Safari, answered
More questions on the full FAQ page.
Book a safari
We will handle the permit
Send your dates and we will check availability across the zones, book the permit and the jeep, and have you at the gate on time with breakfast in the vehicle.
Your wilderness escape
Stay here,
safari from here.
Four kilometres to the Dhangarhi gate, twelve to Bijrani. Our safari package bundles the stay, the permit and the transfer.