Hi, I am Sharad Vats founder and director of Nature Safari India Pvt. Ltd. and I am sharing my personal experience of visiting one of the most elegant tiger reserves in India, Jim Corbett National Park. If you haven’t read part 1 of this blog post, please read follow this link… My trip to Jim Corbett National Park from 13th till 16th April 2026 By Sharad Vats | Part 1
I got off the safari vehicle and headed to the familiar Reception counter and did the check-in formalities. I had asked for the Hutment during booking process and was allocated the same upon arrival. Baggage and my camera bag were shifted to my room in the Hutment by the two friendly attendants who instantly recognized me. Walking towards the room looking at the dining area, the water filter area, the canteen, the Old FRH, cabins, same since decades.
While the attendants were busy changing the linen, placing the toiletries etc, I stood in the verandah. It is here that you realise why this is the most sought-after Rest House in the country. The beauty of Jim Corbett National Park unfolds here. The crystal-clear Ram Ganga River flowing silently, with a small herd of elephants bathing in the river. Across the river one sees the Paar area of Corbett which is home to a beautiful tigress with cubs. And beyond the forest is visible the Shivalik range, the foothills of the mighty Himalayas.
Only once the beauty of the place starts to soak in do you realize why there is a limit of max three nights that you can spend here. The campus location is exceptionally scenic and rich in wildlife and birdlife. And once you check out after three nights, you cannot enter back into this zone for next fifteen days.
There are approximately 20 rooms that are available for guest stay apart from the Old FRH as it is called. The 20 rooms are bifurcated into three categories, i.e. Cabins, Annexe, and Hutments. They are located close to each other. Though they are termed different there is no difference in the facility of the rooms. All of them have bathrooms, two beds which can be joined or separated, one writing table, two charging points, and two light points. It is not fancy, but everything that is needed is here.
The bathroom is attached, it has a hot and cold shower, a geyser with hot water, there is a western style toilet, and a vanity counter. Two buckets are provided and it is advised that you keep one bucket full always. There can be disruption in water supply at times in the night, and when you wake up in the morning and do not find water it can be a bit unsettling.
I always keep a bucket full of water at night. Over the 34 years that I have been staying here, only couple of times have there been issues with water.
But electricity supply in peak summer can be a bit erratic at times. The campus has a generator which will kick in if the power goes off. Usually, the power supply can be disrupted in the summer months when there are strong dust storms which uproot the trees which fall on the electric poles which come through the forest. And once the poles fall up, it can take 2-3 days to fix the electric supply. But the generator back up is there early morning when it is dark, and until 9pm.
Meals are all served in the dining room which is about 100 meters walk if you are staying in the hutment. There are fixed times for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The food is nothing less than delicious. It is vegetarian, but lot of variety at the buffett, and it is fresh. In summer you can ask for buttermilk and cold lassi as well. No snacks are served here, only three major meals.
The canteen is also operational during the day for those who do not want to have a full meal, instead of having tea/coffee/butter toast or Maggi.
Alcohol and cigarettes are prohibited here. There is no laundry service too. When you enter the National Park at Dhangarhi gate you are given a jute bag to get your trash back, any wrappers, fruit peels, plastic etc is to be brought out after your stay. Good practice which is followed religiously here.
The campus has electric fence, which is activated late in the evening, basically to keep the elephants away. The height of the fence is about 8 feet, which does not deter the monkeys, deer, and even a tiger from entering the campus. There have been some occasions when that happened as well. It is therefore advised to have timely dinner and get back to your room, and not to go out for walks in the evening.
Drinking water: There is a water cooler available from which you can get your drinking water. Please carry your own metal/plastic bottles and you can refill from the cooler here.
The campus borders the mighty Ramganga river on one side, and other three sides is the forest. Close to the fence is the grassland and the dense woodland is about 200 meters away.
I always advise that whenever going to stay in a Forest Rest House one must always carry a torch. When you walk back from the dining room to your room it is advised to carry the torch along with you.
There are monkeys (Rhesus Maqaque) on the campus. The attendant will brief you upon arrival not to eat snacks outside your rooms. It is always good to keep your door and windows locked. When going for safaris, draw your curtains too to hinder visibility of any snacks to the monkeys.
The attendant will ask you if you want your morning tea/coffee and serve you at a set time before you head out for your morning safari.
Quite often in the night you will wake up to the sounds of elephants rumbling, trumpeting, tiger roar, and alarm calls from the prey animals signaling presence of the tiger nearby. Do not venture out at night at all.
There are some watch towers as well here where it was possible to spend some time between the morning and afternoon safaris. But for the last few years they have stopped. There is a talk though to restart visits to the watch tower sometime soon.
Few years back it was also possible to do elephant safaris here, but that too has been stopped now.
I have attached some photos here to give you an idea about the Campus.
Getting a booking here is tough, but when you do get it, do not let go of the opportunity.
Without doubt this is amongst the best wildlife experiences you can have. Staying here will justify why Corbett is a Jewel in the Crown of Indian Wildlife.
