Uttarakhand Tourism certified · Dehradun based · Since 2014
Corbett, Kausani
& Nainital Tour
& Nainital Tour
Six days across three completely different Kumaons — a lake town, a Himalayan ridge, and India's oldest national park. Lakes, tea gardens and a tiger, if the tiger is willing.
5 Nights / 6 Days
From ₹23,999 per person
Private car throughout
Families & couples
The route — a loop through Kumaon, ending closest to home
Delhi
216 m
300 km
6–7 hrs
Nainital
2,084 m
120 km
4–5 hrs
Kausani
1,890 m
150 km
5–6 hrs
Corbett
400 m
240 km
5–6 hrs
Delhi
216 m
Corbett, Kausani & Nainital — key facts
What it coversNainital, Kausani and Jim Corbett National Park in the Kumaon region of Uttarakhand, over five nights and six days from Delhi.
What it costsFrom ₹23,999 per person, travelling by private car from Delhi with 3-star hotels, daily breakfast and dinner and all sightseeing included.
The safari is booked separatelyJim Corbett jeep safari permits are issued by the park authorities on a limited daily quota and are not included in the package price. We book them for you as an add-on once your dates are fixed.
Zones open at different timesJhirna and Dhela are open all year. Bijrani and Dhikala, the best zones for tiger sightings, close during the monsoon and reopen from mid-October and mid-November respectively.
Best time for tigersMarch to June, when water is scarce and animals come to the rivers. Cover is thinner and sightings are far more likely than in the green months.
Three very different placesNainital is a busy lake town at 2,084 m. Kausani is a quiet ridge at 1,890 m with a Himalayan panorama. Corbett is jungle at 400 m on the edge of the plains.
Getting thereSix to seven hours by road from Delhi, or the train to Kathgodam for Nainital and Ramnagar for Corbett. The Delhi–Dehradun Expressway does not serve Kumaon.
Who runs this tripPack The Bag Tours, certified by the Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board and operating since 2014.
Last reviewed: August 2026 · route timings, safari zone rules and seasonal notes checked for the current year.
The trip
Three Kumaons in six days
Most Uttarakhand itineraries give you one kind of place. This one gives you three, and they could hardly be less alike.
Nainital at 2,084 metres is a colonial lake town — boats on Naini Lake, the Mall, Naina Devi Temple and Snow View Point, lively and busy in season. Kausani, four hours on and 1,890 metres up a ridge, is the opposite: a tea estate, Gandhi's Anasakti Ashram, and a panorama of Nanda Devi, Trishul and Panchachuli that is among the finest in India from anywhere you can drive to. Then you drop 1,500 metres to Jim Corbett National Park, sal forest and grassland on the edge of the plains, where India's first national park was declared in 1936 and where the country's tiger conservation programme began.
Lake, ridge, jungle. Six days is enough for all three, and only just.
The order matters. Corbett sits last because it is closest to Delhi — five to six hours rather than eight from Kausani — so the trip finishes with a manageable drive rather than an epic one. It also means the safari falls on the final morning, which is the one thing about this itinerary worth planning carefully. More on that below.
This is entirely a Kumaon trip, the eastern half of Uttarakhand. It does not combine with Mussoorie, Rishikesh or the Char Dham route, which are eight to ten hours west in Garhwal and reached by a different road.
The part that needs planning
Jim Corbett safari zones, and when they are open
Corbett is not one park you simply drive into. It is divided into zones, each with its own gate, its own daily permit quota and its own opening season — and this is where most first-time visitors get caught out. A trip booked for October expecting Dhikala will find it closed.
| Zone | Gate | Open | Known for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bijrani | Amdanda, near Ramnagar | Roughly 15 Oct – 30 Jun | The most popular zone — grassland and good tiger odds |
| Dhikala | Dhangarhi | Roughly 15 Nov – 15 Jun | The core zone. Canter safaris and forest rest houses. Best game viewing. |
| Jhirna | Dhela road | All year | Open in the monsoon. Sloth bear, deer, elephant; tigers less often. |
| Dhela | Dhela | All year | Buffer zone, quieter, good for birds and a monsoon alternative |
| Durga Devi | North-east, Ramnagar–Ranikhet road | Roughly 15 Oct – 15 Jun | Birding and mahseer in the Ramganga. Hilly and beautiful. |
| Sitabani | Sitabani | All year | Outside the reserve, so no permit lottery. Birds rather than big cats. |
Permits. Jeep safari permits are issued by the park authorities on a fixed daily quota per zone and are released in advance — typically around 45 days ahead for Indian nationals, and they go quickly for Bijrani and Dhikala in peak season. Each safari takes a limited number of jeeps and each jeep a limited number of people. This is why we ask for your dates early. Permit and jeep charges are not in the package price; we book them for you and quote them separately, because the cost varies by zone, by whether you are an Indian or foreign national, and by season. Dates and rules are set by the authorities and can change — we confirm the current position when you enquire.
The three stops
Nainital, Kausani and Corbett compared
| Nainital | Kausani | Jim Corbett | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Altitude | 2,084 m | 1,890 m | about 400 m |
| Character | Busy colonial lake town | Quiet ridge, tea gardens | Sal forest, grassland, rivers |
| Known for | Naini Lake, Naina Devi, Snow View, Tiffin Top, Mall Road | Nanda Devi panorama, Anasakti Ashram, Baijnath | Tigers, elephants, jeep safari, Garjia Devi Temple |
| Crowds | Heavy April to June | Very light in every month | Busy at weekends; permits limit numbers |
| Weather | Cool all year | Cold nights, clear mornings | Hot from April; humid in monsoon |
| Nights here | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Best for | Boating and easy sightseeing | The Himalayan view and doing nothing | Wildlife — and the reason many book this trip |
One honest recommendation: if the tiger is the reason you are booking, add a second night at Corbett. One night gives you one safari slot, and wildlife does not perform on schedule — two mornings roughly doubles your odds and costs one hotel night. It is the single best change you can make to this itinerary.
At a glance
Package snapshot
Duration
5 Nights / 6 Days
Starting price
From ₹23,999 per person
Route
Delhi – Nainital – Kausani – Corbett – Delhi
Nights
Nainital 2 · Kausani 2 · Corbett 1
Hotels
Deluxe 3-star, twin sharing
Vehicle
Private A/C Swift Dzire or larger by group size
Meals
Daily breakfast and dinner
Safari
Arranged separately — permits are limited, tell us early
Best season
March–June for wildlife, October–December for the Himalayan views
Day by day
The full itinerary
Sightseeing days are marked in saffron. The trip descends steadily — lake, then ridge, then jungle.
1
Delhi → Nainital
300 km · 6–7 hrs2,084 m
A morning pickup in Delhi, then north through Moradabad and Rampur, climbing from Kathgodam into the Kumaon hills. Check in and take the rest of the day at leisure — a walk around Naini Lake, a boat ride at dusk, and the local markets and Tibetan Market along Mall Road.
Overnight NainitalMeals Dinner
2
Nainital sightseeing
Full day · local
A full day around the lake. Boating on Naini Lake, then Naina Devi Temple on the northern shore, one of the Shakti Peethas. Hanuman Garhi for the sunset, the Governor's House — a colonial mansion now Raj Bhavan — and Snow View Point by ropeway for the Himalayan panorama. Tiffin Top and the Eco Cave Gardens if there is time, or a run out to Bhimtal.
Overnight NainitalMeals Breakfast, Dinner
3
Nainital → Kausani
120 km · 4–5 hrs1,890 m
A beautiful drive up through the Kumaon hills, with Ranikhet and Chaubatia Gardens as an optional stop en route. Check in at Kausani and take the rest of the day at leisure — which here means sitting on a terrace looking at mountains. Ask for a room facing the range. Sunset from the ridge is the first proper look at the Himalaya.
Overnight KausaniMeals Breakfast, Dinner
4
Kausani sightseeing
Full day · sunrise over the range
Wake for sunrise — the range turns gold for about ten minutes and most guests sleep through it. After breakfast, the Anasakti Ashram where Gandhi stayed in 1929 and wrote his commentary on the Gita, the Kausani tea estate, and the Baijnath Temple complex on the Gomti, built by the Katyuri kings. Rudradhari Falls and Caves, the Kausani planetarium and the Sumitranandan Pant gallery if time allows. Someshwar and Pinnath are nearby.
Overnight KausaniMeals Breakfast, Dinner
5
Kausani → Jim Corbett
150 km · 5–6 hrs1,890 → 400 m
A long descent out of the hills to the edge of the plains — you lose almost 1,500 metres and the temperature climbs noticeably. Check in near Ramnagar and rest. Garjia Devi Temple, set on a rock in the Kosi river, and Corbett Falls are both close by, and the Corbett Museum at Kaladhungi, in Jim Corbett's own house, is worth an hour. Early night — tomorrow starts before dawn.
Overnight Jim CorbettMeals Breakfast, Dinner
6
Corbett safari → Delhi
Morning safari · then 240 km, 5–6 hrs216 m
Up before dawn for the morning jeep safari — the best of the day, when the forest is active and the light is good. Royal Bengal tiger, Asiatic elephant, leopard, sambar, spotted deer, gharial in the Ramganga and more than 600 recorded bird species. Back for breakfast, then the drive to Delhi with a drop wherever suits you. The safari is booked separately from this package — permits are limited and released in advance, so tell us your dates as early as you can.
Meals Breakfast
The change we most often recommend: a second night at Corbett. One night means one safari, and wildlife does not perform to a schedule — two mornings roughly doubles your chances and lets you try a different zone. It also removes the awkwardness of a dawn safari followed immediately by a six-hour drive. Ask us to price the seven-day version.
Cost
What it costs
From ₹23,999 per person
Based on two people sharing a room and travelling by private car from Delhi. That covers all five nights, the vehicle for the whole trip, daily breakfast and dinner and all sightseeing listed. Per-person rates fall as the vehicle fills.
The safari is quoted separately, and deliberately so. Permit and jeep charges vary by zone, by season and by whether you are an Indian or foreign national, and the park authorities set them. Rolling an average into the headline price would either overcharge you or leave us short — so we book the permit for your chosen zone and show you exactly what it costs. GST of 5% is extra, and rates rise around festivals and long weekends.
What you pay for
Inclusions and exclusions
Included
✓5 nights in deluxe 3-star hotels — Nainital 2, Kausani 2, Corbett 1
✓All transport Delhi to Delhi in a private A/C car (AC switched off in the hills, as is standard)
✓All sightseeing and transfers as per the itinerary
✓Daily breakfast and dinner at the hotels
✓Tea and coffee maker in the room
✓Driver allowance, fuel, tolls, parking and all state taxes
✓Safari permit booking assistance — we handle the application for you
Not included
×Jeep safari permits, jeep hire and guide charges at Jim Corbett — quoted separately
×All entrance fees, including Corbett Museum and the planetarium
×Boating and ropeway tickets at Nainital
×Lunch
×5% GST
×Air or train tickets to and from Delhi
×Room heater charges, where hotels bill them separately in winter
×Guide services beyond the safari — available at additional cost
×Personal expenses — laundry, phone calls, tips, shopping
×Travel insurance of any kind
×Costs arising from landslides, road blockage, strikes or weather
Transport is as per the itinerary and is not at disposal. Hotel allocations may change for reasons outside our control, in which case we provide an equivalent or better property and tell you before you travel. Rates are subject to change without notice and rise around festivals and long weekends. Nobody can guarantee a tiger sighting — not us, not the guide, not the park. What we can do is put you in the right zone at the right hour with a permit in hand.
Tell us your dates early
Safari permits are released in advance and the good zones go first. Send your dates and we will tell you which zones will be open and start the permit process.
Mon–Sat · 10:00 am – 7:00 pm
Timing
Best time to go — and the compromise nobody mentions
This trip has a genuine tension in it. The best months for tiger sightings are not the best months for the Kausani view, and no month is perfect for both.
| Months | Corbett | Kausani views | Nainital | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| March – April | Excellent — all zones open, cover thinning | Very good | Pleasant, filling up | The best all-round window |
| May – June | Best tiger odds — hot, animals at water | Hazy, often nothing | Hot and crowded | Come for the tiger, not the mountains |
| July – September | Bijrani, Dhikala and Durga Devi closed | Monsoon cloud | Green and cheap | Only Jhirna, Dhela and Sitabani open |
| October | Bijrani reopens mid-month; Dhikala still shut | The clearest of the year | Thin crowds, lovely | Superb for the hills, partial for the park |
| November – December | All zones open from mid-November | Excellent | Cold and quiet | Our own pick — everything open, everything clear |
| January – February | Open, but misty mornings and thick cover | Very good between spells | Cold, occasional snow | Beautiful and quiet; sightings harder |
If we had to pick one window: mid-November to December. Every zone is open, the Kausani panorama is at its clearest, Nainital is quiet, and the safari mornings are cold but sharp. If tiger sightings matter more than anything else, come in May or June and accept that Kausani will probably show you haze. Zone opening dates are set by the park authorities and can shift year to year — we confirm the current position when you enquire.
Before you go
Practical things worth knowing
Book the safari before the hotel
Permits are the scarce thing, not rooms. They are released in advance on a fixed daily quota per zone and the popular ones go first. If the safari is the reason for your trip, tell us your dates before you finalise anything else and let the permit set the schedule.
Nobody can promise a tiger
Corbett has one of the highest tiger densities in India and people still leave without a sighting. What raises your odds: the right zone, the morning slot, the drier months, and more than one safari. Any operator who guarantees a tiger is guaranteeing something they do not control.
Pack for two climates
Kausani at 1,890 metres is cold at dawn; Corbett at 400 metres can be hot by mid-morning in April. Layers for the hills, something light for the jungle, and muted colours for the safari — greens, browns and greys rather than white or bright shades. Carry photo ID for the park gate.
Set an alarm in Kausani
The Himalayan range is clearest in the first hour after sunrise and the gold light lasts about ten minutes. Two nights here means two chances, which is more than most itineraries give you. Ask the hotel for a wake-up call and step outside with a blanket.
The expressway does not come here
The Delhi–Dehradun Expressway serves Garhwal — Rishikesh, Mussoorie, Haridwar. Kumaon is reached via Moradabad and Rampur, and the times are unchanged. Kathgodam is the railhead for Nainital and Ramnagar for Corbett; either can replace the Delhi drive.
Safari etiquette
No getting out of the jeep, no feeding, no plastic beyond the gate, no shouting when something is spotted — and no flash photography. Your guide's instructions are not suggestions. Small children find a three-hour silent jeep ride hard, which is worth thinking about before you book.
Choosing
Other Uttarakhand packages we run
| Package | Covers | Duration | From | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Corbett, Kausani & Nainital (this page) | Lakes, ridge and jungle | 5N / 6D | ₹23,999 pp | Wildlife plus hill stations in one trip |
| Nainital & Ranikhet | Nainital, Ranikhet | 3N / 4D | ₹34,000 per couple | A shorter Kumaon trip without Corbett |
| Uttarakhand Honeymoon | Nainital, Kausani, Almora | 4N / 5D | ₹45,500 per couple | The same hills with honeymoon inclusions |
| Mussoorie & Dhanaulti | Garhwal hill stations | 3N / 4D | ₹29,000 per couple | The western half — a separate trip |
| Auli | Joshimath, Auli | 2N / 3D | ₹13,499 pp | Snow and skiing, in Garhwal |
| All Uttarakhand packages | Garhwal and Kumaon | Varies | From ₹13,499 | Browsing everything in one place |
Almora, Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary, Jageshwar Dham and Mukteshwar all sit within this region and can be added with an extra night or two. Tell us what you want to see and we will build the route around it.
Why us
Why book this with us
We publish the zone table
Which Corbett zone is open when, and what each is good for. Most operators sell you an October trip without mentioning that Dhikala is still closed and Bijrani only just reopened.
The safari is priced separately, honestly
Permit costs vary by zone, season and nationality and are set by the park. We book the permit and show you exactly what it costs rather than burying an average in the headline price.
We will suggest a second night
One night at Corbett means one safari. If the tiger is why you are coming, we will say so — even though it means telling you the six-day package is not quite the right one.
Certified and registered
Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board certificate UTTR/DEHRADUN/08-2019/003412. GST registered. Operating since 2014.
Private, never pooled
Your own car and driver for the whole loop. On a route with this much distance between stops, controlling your own departure time is most of the day.
No guarantees we cannot keep
Nobody controls whether a tiger appears. We tell you which zone and which hour give you the best odds, and we do not promise the animal.
Questions
Corbett, Kausani & Nainital questions, answered
Is the jungle safari included in the package?
No, and we would rather be plain about it. Jeep safari permits, jeep hire and guide charges are quoted separately. Permits are issued by the park authorities on a limited daily quota per zone, and the cost varies by zone, by season and by whether you are an Indian or foreign national. We handle the application and booking for you and show you exactly what it costs. What is included is everything else — hotels, the private car, meals and all other sightseeing.
How much does the Corbett Kausani Nainital tour cost?
From ₹23,999 per person, based on two sharing and travelling by private car from Delhi. That covers five nights in 3-star hotels, the vehicle throughout, daily breakfast and dinner and all sightseeing. Safari permits and jeep charges, 5% GST, entrance fees, boating and ropeway tickets are extra. Per-person rates fall as the vehicle fills, so a family of four or six pays less each than a couple.
Which Corbett zone is best, and when is it open?
Dhikala is the core zone and gives the best game viewing, open roughly mid-November to mid-June. Bijrani is the most popular, roughly mid-October to the end of June. Jhirna, Dhela and Sitabani stay open all year, which makes them the monsoon options. Durga Devi is the birding zone, roughly mid-October to mid-June. The table above sets it out in full. Zone dates are set by the park authorities and can shift year to year, so we confirm the current position when you enquire.
When should I book the safari permit?
As early as you can. Permits are released in advance on a fixed daily quota per zone — typically around 45 days ahead for Indian nationals — and Bijrani and Dhikala go quickly in peak season. Rooms are far easier to find than permits, so on this trip the permit should set your dates rather than the other way round. Tell us your dates as soon as they are firm and we will start the process.
Will we definitely see a tiger?
No operator can promise that, and anyone who does is promising something they do not control. Corbett has one of the highest tiger densities in India and visitors still leave without a sighting. What genuinely improves the odds: the right zone, the morning slot, the drier months of March to June when cover is thin and animals come to water, and more than one safari. Even without a tiger you will almost certainly see elephant, deer, langur and a great deal of birdlife — Corbett has more than 600 recorded species.
Should we add a second night at Corbett?
If wildlife is the reason for the trip, yes — it is the single best change you can make. One night gives you one safari slot, and wildlife does not perform on schedule. Two mornings roughly doubles your chances, lets you try a different zone, and removes the awkwardness of a dawn safari followed immediately by a six-hour drive to Delhi. It adds one hotel night and one permit.
What is the best time for this tour?
There is a genuine tension in this itinerary. March to June gives the best tiger odds but Kausani is hazy and often shows no mountains at all. October to December gives the clearest Himalayan views, though Bijrani only reopens in mid-October and Dhikala in mid-November. If we had to pick one window it would be mid-November to December, when every zone is open and the Kausani panorama is at its sharpest. July to September is the monsoon: only Jhirna, Dhela and Sitabani are open and the peaks are behind cloud.
What is there to see in Kausani?
The Himalayan panorama first — Nanda Devi, Trishul and Panchachuli from a ridge at 1,890 metres, best in the first hour after sunrise. Then the Anasakti Ashram, where Gandhi stayed in 1929 and wrote his commentary on the Gita, the Kausani tea estate, and the Katyuri-era Baijnath Temple on the Gomti. Rudradhari Falls and Caves, the planetarium, the Sumitranandan Pant gallery, Someshwar and Pinnath are all nearby. Two nights here is deliberate — it gives you two chances at a clear sunrise.
What is covered in Nainital?
Naini Lake with boating, Naina Devi Temple, Hanuman Garhi, the Governor's House, Snow View Point by ropeway, Tiffin Top and the Eco Cave Gardens, plus Mall Road and the Tibetan Market. Bhimtal, Sattal and Naukuchiatal are within an hour and considerably quieter than the town, and can be added if you prefer lakes to sightseeing.
Is this trip suitable for children and elderly travellers?
Broadly yes — the sightseeing is gentle, nothing requires a trek and the altitudes are modest. Two honest cautions. The driving is substantial, with four road days out of six. And a three-hour jeep safari requires sitting still and quiet on rough tracks, which small children often find harder than their parents expect. Tell us who is travelling and we will pace it accordingly.
How do we reach Nainital and Corbett?
By road from Delhi it is 300 km and six to seven hours to Nainital, which is how this package is planned. By rail, Kathgodam is the railhead for Nainital, 35 km away, and Ramnagar is the station for Corbett. The nearest airport is Pantnagar, with limited flights. Note that the Delhi–Dehradun Expressway serves Garhwal, not Kumaon, so it does not shorten this route.
Can the itinerary be customised?
Yes. Add a second night at Corbett, extend to Almora, Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary, Jageshwar Dham or Mukteshwar, swap a Nainital night for the quieter lakes at Sattal or Bhimtal, upgrade the hotels, or start from Kathgodam instead of Delhi. Tell us what matters most — the wildlife, the views or the budget — and we will build around that.
Pack The Bag Tours · Dehradun
Plan your Kumaon trip
Talk to the team that will actually run it. Share your dates and we will confirm which safari zones will be open, start the permit process and send one all-inclusive quote.
Mon–Sat · 10:00 am – 7:00 pm
