On one of my recent visits to the zoo, I started wondering how I could see tigers in the wild. After a bit of research, I discovered that you can actually see tigers in India. More specifically, at a place called Jim Corbett National Park. So if you’re trying to find out how to see tigers in India, you’ve come to the right spot. Here are the details:
Getting to Jim Corbett National Park
Getting to Jim Corbett National Park was pretty easy (minus the 16 hour flight I had to take from the United States). I flew directly from Newark to Delhi, and stayed a night in Delhi before hiring a private driver to take us to Jim Corbett. The drive from Delhi to the park is around 5 and a half hours.
We hired a private driver for this trip, which you can easily arrange through your accommodation. Believe me when I say you do NOT want to be driving in India. You can also book a flight into Jim Corbett National Park, which was our first choice, but our flight ended up being canceled due to the fog. PS. Fog is a common occurrence in the winter months.
Where to Stay in Jim Corbett National Park
We found Jim’s Jungle Retreat online which looked perfect for our stay. It is a small boutique resort made up of a number of small bungalows to rent. There is also a pool, yoga room, cafe and restaurant on the property.
The Tiger Safari will run out of the retreat and all of your meals are also included. I highly recommend staying here if you are visiting Jim Corbett, it gave us serious Jumanji vibes.
Seeing the Tigers at Jim Corbett
Our first day was an early start, we woke up at 5am and grabbed a quick breakfast before hopping into the back of a safari jeep. It is surprisingly cold in the morning (we went in January) so pack accordingly. Jim’s Jungle retreat also gave us blankets to keep us warm in the back of the jeep. The gates open at 6 and our guides made sure to be the first ones there!
I’ve been on other safari’s before and trying to find tigers at Jim Corbett National Park was more of a “hunt”. We found tiger foot prints in the dirt as clues and listened carefully for barking deer (a sign that a tiger is around). There is a lot of thick brush and fog and our guide informed us that we would have a better chance of seeing a tiger if we were quiet. So we all huddled quietly in the back of the jeep trying to find a tiger coming out of the haze.
And just a few hours into our trip, we spotted one coming down the road in clear view. At this point the adrenaline was pumping, and I think I may have cried a bit but I did manage to get a few good shots on my Sony a7iii:
After the morning shift, we headed back to the hotel around 11 for lunch and a little nap. If there’s one thing I have to say about Jim’s, it’s that they kept us well fed!
For the afternoon shift, we headed back out to the safari around 1. There were a few other times we spotted tigers throughout the safari that day, but the best shots were from the road that morning. I really can’t put the feeling of seeing one of these huge animals into words.
Besides the tigers, there’s also other animals to see at Jim Corbett like elephants, bear, monkeys and crocodile.
Dinner at Jim’s Jungle Retreat
Once the tiger safari was over, we grabbed drinks and dinner at the Retreat to celebrate. We were told we were very lucky to see a tiger on our first safari, so if you go to Jim Corbett you may want to book a few days.
Dinner was a full spread! And everything was delicious.
Cost of Seeing Tigers in Jim Corbett National Park
My two friends and I each paid ~$360 for two nights at Jims, the safari and all of our meals. I consider this insanely cheap for everything we experienced at Jim’s! I’ve been on multiple safari’s and seeing tigers in India has to be the least expensive one.
Have any questions about seeing tigers in Jim Corbett? Feel free to comment below!
