CYCLING IN JIM CORBETT NATIONAL PARK: EXCITING THING TO DO!

Last Updated on October 30, 2022 by asoulwindow

Cycling in Jim Corbett National Park

Cycling in Jim Corbett National Park is one of the top things to do here. Many resorts in Jim Corbett National Park offer cycling facilities and other adventure activities in Jim Corbett. Since there is a huge gap between the morning and evening safari, so you can utilize that time in cycling and exploring other major attractions near Jim Corbett National Park. Besides, cycling is also a healthy exercise which keeps you fit while also entertaining you.

This is the most comprehensive blog on cycling in Jim Corbett National Park. Cycling, which is one of the top things to do with family and kids in Jim Corbett is a must-do activity. Here is all you wanted to know about cycling in Jim Corbett National Park which no guidebook, newspaper, magazine told you about. I have shared some deep insights in this information packed travelogue on cycling in Jim Corbett National Park.

Cycling in Jim Corbett National Park near Dhela River, Jhirna Zone and The Golden Tusk Resort
Cycling in Jim Corbett National Park near Dhela River, Jhirna Zone and The Golden Tusk Resort

Is cycling allowed in Jim Corbett National Park?

Yes, you can enjoy cycling around the various zones of Jim Corbett National Park. However, be warned that cycling is not allowed inside the entry gates of even buffer zones of Jim Corbett national Park. Sometimes, during the jeep safari, you may come across some people riding a cycle or bike inside the forest area. They are not tourists but the forest employees.

Officially, cycling is only allowed around the villages that surround most of the zones of Jim Corbett National Park. The good part is that you can still enjoy the same stunning landscape which you saw during the jeep safari inside the world-famous Jim Corbett National Park.

Cycling near Jhirna Zone and Dhela Gate

What all we can do in Jim Corbett? While staying in The Golden Tusk Resort near Jhirna Zone of Jim Corbett National Park, the in-house naturalist Mr. Suresh proposed a cycling session early morning! I lapped up at the ideas as I enjoy cycling in new places. The resort conducts many such adventure sports around the forest. Check their website for more info or ask me in comments below. I was accompanied by my father on this Corbett trip.

Cycling around the villages of Jim Corbett National Park

What is there to do in Jim Corbett National Park? Cycling helped me discover many more sightseeing attractions around Jhirna zone which I didn’t know existed.

Suresh ji took me on a guided cycling tour on areas around The Golden Tusk Resort. On our way, we stopped at many interesting places. Our first stop was the vast field of Soyabean crop. It was the first time I had seen a soyabean plant. We got down from cycle. I plucked a soyabean pod. It was green and tender and nothing like the hard soyabeans we have in our kitchens. Suresh ji asked me to taste it. I was hesitant but still tried. I was surprised with its taste. The fresh soyabeans actually tasted much like fresh green peas.

Soyabean plant and fruit we saw during cycling in Jim Corbett National Park. Near Dhela gate and Jhirna Safari Zone
Soyabean plant and fruit we saw during cycling in Jim Corbett National Park. Near Dhela gate and Jhirna Safari Zone

Cycling to a temple

Then we stopped at the hilltop Jai Lalita Mata Mandir. It is a pretty large temple built atop a small grassy hill. We climbed atop proper stairs to arrive here. The stairs here are not much and can easily be climbed. It looked like many local people donated liberally for the construction of the temple. Their names and amount donated was written on the walls.

Suresh ji called me hurriedly as I walked around leisurely. I ran and spotted few axis deer, also known as Chital or spotted deer. Barbed wire with mild electric current was fenced around the temple premises. The deer were loitering around the fence when we saw them.

A man in his 60s appeared and greeted us. He and his family, who also took care of the temple lived in a house nearby. They also looked after the large garden in the premises. He offered us tea and charged nothing for it. I should have donated some money but I forgot it.

Jai Lalita Mata Mandir, which is located very close to Jhirna Gate and The Golden Tusk Resort, is a must-visit place here. The sweeping panoramic views of the Dhela River here make for a grand spectacle.

Fallen bel fruits or wood apple with the male red junglefowl (Gallus gallus) in the Jhirna Zone of Jim Corbett National Park
Fallen bel fruits or wood apple with the male red junglefowl (Gallus gallus) in the Jhirna Zone of Jim Corbett National Park

Before leaving, we explored the garden around the temple. We saw many lemon and bel (wood apple) trees. There were several fallen bel fruits. It looked like the monkeys or deer had licked it clean. I tasted some. The bel fruits here were very small, sticky and tasted slightly bitter.

Cycling around Dhela River of Jim Corbett

We climbed down and had another cup of tea at a small dhaba opposite the temple stairs. The traditionally built dhaba was made up of mud and wood. From here we cycled down to the Dhela River crossing. What looked like a thin river from a distance (I travelled in October) still flowed with force across the road. Very few vehicles passed by. I noticed few cars, motorcycles, cycles and even shared autorickshaws plying on the road.

Asiatic Elephant with the Bhabhar grassland landscape of Corbett National Park near Dhela River, Jhirna Zone and The Golden Tusk Resort
Asiatic Elephant with the Bhabhar grassland landscape of Corbett National Park near Dhela River, Jhirna Zone and The Golden Tusk Resort

The views here were picturesque. No wonder, we cycled around here for a long time. It is also a great place to take pictures on a cycle with beautiful bhabhar landscape around the Jhirna Zone. Suresh ji and I then cycled to a place which had many bee hives hanging from a huge tree. We admired it from a distance hoping that the bees do not notice us.

We continued to cycle along the path and noticed some animal activity. It looked like some elephants moved around here last night or morning. We could see clear pugmarks and trees destroyed due to the movement of wild elephants. Sometimes, even tiger footprints have also been noticed here.

Also read: Cycling around Thimphu in Bhutan

Cycling around Sitabani Forest Reserve

On a previous trip to Jim Corbett National Park, we stayed near the Sitabani Forest Reserve. Onthe second day of our stay, when the hosts offered me and my blogger friends to indulge in a cycle tour of the jungle, we lapped up at the idea without second thoughts. The jungle patch chosen was near Kyari village in the Pavalgarh conservative zone (51 sq km). Uttarakhand government declared it a tourism village in 2012. I had never cycled inside a jungle on rough terrains, so it was exciting for me. Cycling in Jim Corbett National Park is indeed fun.

Cycling in Jim Corbett National Park inside forest area

In no time, we all showed up at the cycle pick up point and headed towards the dense forest, not very far away from our resort in the buffer zone. Passing the huge termite forts and a pathway carpeted in dry foliage, we pedaled silently, soaking in the subtle sounds and smells of the jungle. We started together but were separated owing to individual fitness level and capacity to drag ourselves on the uneven terrains of the jungle. There was a time I was all alone in the jungle.

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Cycling in Jim Corbett National Park
Me Cycling in Jim Corbett National Park

My friends were not visible and this was the time I started hallucinating. I imagined a tiger staring at me from the trees, a leopard greedily eyeing the extra fat I have accumulated on my body, from a branch above me. Better still, a mad elephant charging at me. Luckily or unluckily, I did not see any mammal, just a variety of birds here and there. Just to give you a perspective, there are 41 tigers in this zone and scores of elephants.  This place is also a birder’s paradise and also attracts a lot of migratory birds in winters.

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Another blogger Parnashree (who skipped cycling) soon arrived in jungle with a staff member and asked us to follow them to reach the sunset point. Just in the nick of time. I pedaled in hurry, as if the tiger, leopard and the elephant had collaborated and were chasing me together. Once I was out of the jungle, I pedaled along the canal. It gave me a perspective of how long the canal from the British era was. We had used a part of this canal for body surfing in the morning.

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I was speechless, when my huffing and puffing culminated at the sunset point. Not due to the sunset but because of the location. The sunset was ordinary but the sceneries were not. We were at the edge of a dry river, the bed of which was strewn with white boulders, big and small. The wide river was lined with dense forest at the other end and is known for wildlife activity. I was told that the river swells in the monsoon months and is beyond recognition.

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We all went silent for some time, just soaking in the views, appreciating the stillness of the air, suspending the concept of time, money and urban life momentarily. The sky turned darker as we communed with nature. We decided to walk the cycle from here to the hotel. We, obviously, looked at it as an opportunity to slow down.

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THE SECRET NIGHTLIFE OF RAMNAGAR NO ONE TALKS ABOUT

The cycle tour was followed by a lovely Kumauni themed dinner at the resort. But what we didn’t anticipate was that our host will offer to show us the nightlife of Ramnagar….. Nightlife near Corbett? Ramnagar….what?

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As we passed the dark jungle post midnight, catching a glimpse of a sambar (Deer species) couple and a stray fox, we crossed the Kosi river. After adjusting our eyes to pitch darkness for past few minutes, we were almost blinded by the shiny signboards, lively markets of Ramnagar…. at 2 a.m.

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The first thing which crossed my mind was, “Is this place in running with North Goa or Las Vegas?” Certainly not! While the former have a lively nightlife because they are entertainment hubs, the nightlife of Ramnagar is more need based. It is a destination to catch bus to other places in Uttarakhand and nearby states. Fruits, sweets, cigarettes, medicines, clothes, beverages, meals, grocery et al! You name it, they have got it! It was amusing to just stroll on the road, observing the madness that this place is. I bet you may struggle to find a place like this even in metro cities like Mumbai and Delhi.

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On returning, we stopped at a site. It was separated by the jungle with a very wide river. The full moon illuminated the white boulders which inundated the river bed as a night jar lent a mysterious aura to the place with its haunting calls. We finally reached the resort at 3 a.m. after I battled sleep throughout the return journey. We are supposed to wake up at 5 a.m. for our jeep safari. I called it a day/night/whatever and entered my room as a peacock gave frantic calls in the distance. Yes, at 3 a.m.

Is it safe to cycle around Jim Corbett National Park?

Yes, it is very safe to cycle around Jim Corbett National Park. You must however cycle only under the supervision of the staff of resort you are staying in. Since most places around Jim Corbett have deep jungles with wild animals lurking behind dense trees, it is advised not to cycle here after sun-set.

Ensure that while cycling around Jim Corbett National Park, you do not wander off deep inside the jungle. You should always be accompanied by a trained professional at all times. The wild animals do not understand boundaries of national park and therefore you must always have a trained professional accompanying you during cycling in Jim Corbett National Park.

What is the best time to do cycling in Jim Corbett National Park?

I cycled around Jhirna Zone and Sitabani Forest Reserve on two separate Jim Corbett trips. Both the cycling experiences were unique and refreshing. While I cycled around Jhirna Zone early morning at 8:00 a.m., I cycled around Sitabani Forest Reserve in evening. Both the experiences were good. During evening cycle session, you must take care to return to the resort you are staying in before sunset.

How to book cycling in Jim Corbett National Park?

Many resorts such as The Golden Tusk near Jhirna Zone offer cycles on hire. The prices are very low. You can rent a cycle on hourly basis and explore the nearby areas. Cycling helps you see and absorb more in less time.

In the suite of The Golden Tusk Resort near Jhirna Gate and Dhela Gate of Jim Corbett National Park
In the suite of The Golden Tusk Resort near Jhirna Gate and Dhela Gate of Jim Corbett National Park

Conclusion: Why cycle in Jim Corbett National Park?

Is cycling around Jim Corbett National Park worth it? Here is an overview. It is indeed a pleasure to cycle around Jim Corbett National Park. The bottom-line is that besides being a health boosting activity, cycling helps tourist absorb more as you can make a pit stop at many places which you might miss if you are in a car or bike.

To sum it up, I feel cycling in places like Jim Corbett is a pleasurable thing to do here because of fresh air, beautiful landscapes, soothing environment and empty roads. It is always fun to cycle at a destination for more immersive experience.

Me at a villa in The Golden Tusk Resort near Jhirna Zone, Khara Gate and Dhela Gate of Jim Corbett National Park. Uttarakhand
Me at a villa in The Golden Tusk Resort near Jhirna Zone, Khara Gate and Dhela Gate of Jim Corbett National Park. Uttarakhand

The view from my Soul Window is so healthy!

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