Ramnagar, 13 Oct: After the monsoon break, the Bijrani Zone of Corbett Tiger Reserve is set to reopen for tourists from 15 October onwards, marking the beginning of the 2025–26 tourist season. In a fresh development, the Park authorities have announced that the Garjia Zone will also reopen on the same date, bringing renewed expectations among wildlife enthusiasts and tourism operators alike.
Director of the Corbett Tiger Reserve, Saket Badola stated that the monsoon this year had brought heavier rainfall than usual, inflicting widespread damage on forest roads. The Forest Department teams have been working around the clock to repair and clear key routes across all zones to ensure that tourism zones are fully safe and accessible by the reopening date. Speaking to Garhwal Post, he confirmed that restorations to internal roads and preparations of rest houses are in the final stages, emphasising the administration’s intent to minimise inconvenience to visitors from the very beginning of the season.
To begin with, Bijrani and Garjia will open for day visits only from 15 October. Overnight stays in zones such as Dhikala, Bijrani, Gairal, Khinanauli, Sarapduli, Jhirna, and Dhela are scheduled to begin from 15 November onwards.
It may be reminded here that the reopening timetable follows the customary closure during the monsoon. Most zones of the national park including Bijrani and Dhikala remain fully closed from July to September due to the risks of flooding, landslides, and damage to eco-sensitive terrain. During the monsoon period, only a handful of zones including Jhirna and Dhela remain accessible to the tourists in a limited manner, subject to weather conditions.
Badola further disclosed that, in the Bijrani Zone, the capacity has been fixed at 30 jeeps for morning safaris and 30 for evening safaris. Similarly, in Sitabani, Kota, and Heritage zones, specific quotas ranging up to 120 jeeps per session have been put in place to regulate visitor flow.
The local tourism stakeholders in Ramnagar and neighbouring areas have welcomed the move with optimism. The reopening of the park is vital to reignite the local economy in an around Ramnagar, while the three months of monsoon closure significantly impact hotel bookings, jeep safari operations, guides, and the transport sector in the region.
In light of past concerns over fraudulent booking sites, the Corbett administration has this time issued a strong advisory urging tourists to make all reservations only via the official website and to adhere strictly to safari rules such as no horns inside the forest, no littering, and maintaining a safe distance from wildlife. Meanwhile, the Corbett official booking portal has announced that bookings for Dhikala hutments (rooms 5 and 6) will open from 12 October at 10 a.m. for stays between 15 and 26 November, and rooms 1 to 4 will be open to foreign tourists later in the year.
According to the Park administration, the 2025–26 season is expected to draw higher footfall compared to past years, thanks to improved infrastructure and the renewed appeal of fresh foliage and wildlife sighting opportunities post-monsoon. It may be recalled that Corbett is home to the largest tiger population in the country for any single national park and is the major source of income through eco-tourism for the state.
