Jim Corbett or Ranthambore National Park? My Luxury Trip to Jim Corbett National Park
I recently went on the best 2 week trip in India and spent the majority of my time in the beautiful state of Rajasthan. Exploring Jodhpur, Udaipur, Jaipur, Agra and then finishing off with an incredible four days in Jim Corbett National Park. So many people asked me “why did you choose Jim Corbett over Ranthambore”, so I thought I’d explain my thinking here and tell you all about my time at Jim Corbett.
If you ask me, a trip to India is incomplete without at least one Tiger Safari. India is one of the only places in the world you can see Bengal Tigers in the wild and when I found that out, I just HAD to figure out a way to see one. Now if your traveling the traditional Golden Triangle, most people are likely to go to Ranthambore National Park. It’s relatively easy to get to from Jaipur and Udaipur and makes a perfect stop along the loop. So why did I choose to drive 10 hours out of my way to go to Jim Corbett? Let me try to explain.
I did a lot of googling and I just wasn’t finding the answers I wanted to hear. “Where was my best chance of seeing a Bengal Tiger?” Every article had a different answer. Some said Jim Corbett had a higher concentration, some said all the tigers left Jim Corbett and are migrating to Ranthambore. Some said there aren’t any tigers left at all. So whats a girl to do? One consistent theme kept showing up: Ranthambore has become exceedingly crowded and overly touristy.
I made my decision on a few main factors: where could I have the most authentic, natural experience and where could I really “treat” myself (this was the end of my trip and I wanted it to be really special!). The thought of being surrounded by large groups of tourists and seeing the animals be overcrowded really turned me off. On top of that, I found the prices of “luxury” accommodations in Ranthambore much more expensive than in Jim Corbett.
I decided I wanted to get off the beaten path and go for Jim Corbett. That’s when I found the perfect resort, Paatlidun Safari Lodge. I was all in. I booked their luxury cottage and it was exactly that: pure luxury.
After a long and grueling ten hour drive (I can’t lie, these roads were awful!) I arrived at Jim Corbett late in the evening. I actually spent my first night at a different hotel. Since I knew I was arriving late in the evening, I thought I would save some money and stay a budget hotel. This was not my best idea. The hotel I stayed at was horrible and so dirty. I had to change rooms because my first room was unsleepable; the second wasn’t much better. I survived the night and I was happy that we just had a short drive to Paatlidun where I could take advantage of the full day!
When you arrive at Paatlidun you first meet at a parking area, where they transfer you and your bags to a safari jeep and transport you to the resort. The roads are crazy bump but it made the experience very authentic and rustic. Upon arrival, all the staff were waiting at the entrance to greet me and they had a wonderful welcome beverage to toast my arrival. They checked me into my cottage and it blew me away. It had a gorgeous living area, a beautiful bed with a skyroof to star gaze, an private patio with a plunge pool, two toilets (which with my Delhi belly was definitely needed) and a gorgeous metal tub. I didn’t take any photos of my room, but I did get this video walkthrough, which I think captures it even better then photos.
Day 1 - Safari in the Jhirna Zone
After check in I headed out on my first of four planned safaris. Today we were in the Jhirna Zone and it was an afternoon safari. I had two morning safaris and two evening safari’s and I didn’t really know what to expect from anything! I decided to get a private jeep which can technically hold 6 people, but I booked it just for myself, since I was solo and all. Paatlidun helped arrange and plan everything, so all I had to do was tell them when I wanted to safari and BAMN! I was taken care of.
The drive to the zone was about 1.5 hours (which I didn’t expect) and we were in the blazing sun. Once we got to the gate, there were officers to check our passports and our vehicles into the park. I was honestly a bit shocked by how secure everything was! The safari was four hours long and we saw a lot of amazing animals - beautiful birds, monkeys, elephants and deer, but no tigers today!
Day 2 - Morning Safari in the Bijrani Zone, an Afternoon by the Pool, and an Evening Mountain Drive
I had high hopes for this morning safari. At this point I was still under the impression that they saw a tiger on every safari so I assumed by us not seeing one the day before, there was NO way we weren’t seeing on today. The Bijrani zone had a much different landscape than day 1’s safari in the Jhirna zone, but it was really beautiful! Today was alot of deer, alot of birds and alot of sitting and waiting! After no tiger luck again, we headed back to the resort and I spent some much needed time by the poor relaxing.
I drifted off and woke to what sounded like someone in my backyard area. I opened my eyes to about 20 monkeys all swimming in my pool! I couldn’t believe it! I quickly ran inside and hid (as if they were going to get me?). But truly my relaxation was done after that - all I could think about was the monkeys peeing in the pool.
In the afternoon, we went on a mountain drive to see the Himalayas from a viewpoint. The drive was scenic but a bit nerve-wracking with the cliff edges. When we got there, we were told we had to hike a bit, which wasn't ideal since I was in flip-flops. The hike wasn't too tough, though, and we reached the top where there was a temple and the most breathtaking sunset I've ever seen. It was so serene up there - I could've stayed forever.
After the sun set we headed back to the jeep where they had masala chai and snacks waiting for us! It was an aboslulty beautiful evening. I was hopeful we’d spot a leopard on our drive home, but apparently I was not much of a cat whisperer on this trip.
Back at the lodge, we ordered a Kumaoni Thali dinner. The Kumaoni people are from this region, and the Thali is a mix of traditional dishes from here. It was a feast, but everything tasted amazing. It was different from any other thali I'd had on this trip, but it was the perfect end to the day.
Day 3 - Morning Village Walk, Afternoon Massage and an Evening Safari in the Jhirna Zone
Today was my favorite day at Paatlidun. We woke bright and early for what was called the “Village Stroll”. About halfway through, I renamed this “Mountain Hike”. Unsure of what we really signed up for, I was really enjoying my surroundings. It was incredibly peaceful - with birds chirping and a gentle mist enveloping us as we trekked up the mountain, passing through quaint little villages along the way.
Our final destination was a farmhouse at the top. Here, there were 3 baby goats that were just a few days old, about 15 more baby goats that were a week old, 2 water buffalo (a mom and her baby) and a bunch of puppies. All the animals were so excited to see us! I particularly fell in love with this cute little black baby goat and the baby water buffalo. Mama buffalo was not a huge fan of me going near her baby, but baby kept licking me!!! It was so cute.
Mama Buffalo got milked and the farm owner made us the best cup of masala chai I’ve ever had. After spending about an hour with the animals we headed back down to the resort. Spending 1:1 time with wildlife is always one of my favorite things to do. This morning was so special.
Back at the lodge, I had a massage scheduled. I decided to try something different and went with a more traditional massgae. I signed up for the “Marma Abhayangam” Massage, which is a traditional Indian massage using herb infused oil. I got absolutly covered in oil and when I thought she couldnt use anymore, she managed to also cover all my hair in oil too! After the massage, I was put in the steam room and then got to shower. Did I like this massage? Honestly unclear. The women did a great job, but I don’t think this style is really for me.
Today’s safari was back in the Jhirna Zone. We saw so many elephants today. Like herds and herds of elephants. We also saw alot of beautiful birds. But still.. no tigers!
Day 4 - Morning Safari in the Dhela Zone
Today was my last day and my last chance to see a Tiger! I think Paatlidun was starting to feel bad for me because they gave me two wildlife guides to try and help us find a tiger. We searched. and searched. and searched. We had about an hour left and we didn’t hear any alarm calls, didn’t see any tracks. I honestly was just sitting on my phone scrolling and kinda bummed.
Jim Corbett is really strict about entry and exit times in the park. So when we had about 20 minutes left and no signs of a tiger, we started driving towards the gate. and then BAMN!!!!! my guide found a tiger!!! He was hiding really good, but he was there and we were really the only jeep that saw it. He was pure magic and so worth the wait. Literally the perfect ending to my India adventures.
Jim Corbett Essentials
Be patient.
Jim Corbett has five different zones (Dhikala, Bijrani, Jhirna, Dhela, Durgadevi). You can only go to Dhikala if you are spending the night in one of the forest rest houses. I visited Bijrani, Jhirna and Dhela. My tiger spotting was in the Jhirna Zone.
Be prepared to drive pretty far to get from zone to zone. We had about a 1.5 hour drive to the park every morning, which I wasn’t fully expecting.
The park entrance times are 6:00-10:00am and 2:00-6:00pm (they do change depending on season, but this is what the times were when I was there in March 2024)
Be patient.
Bring sunscreen and coverups if you are going on the afternoon safari - you will be in the direct sun and heat.
Seeing a tiger is a rare occurrence. When I went, I assumed every safari would see one. When I asked my guide he said there are usually only one or two spottings a week! We did 4 safaris (thats about 22 hours of searching) and didn’t see a tiger until our last 15 minutes of our final safari.
The park is strict about entry & exit. They will check your passport.
When you book your safari, you have to register everyone that will be going in your jeep. We tried to add one additional person last minute and they would not let us without paying a fine.
Be patient.
