Nainital and Corbett in 5 days: a lake town and India's oldest tiger reserve

Five days in the Kumaon foothills — Nainital's lake and ridge walks, the quieter lakes at Sattal and Bhimtal, then two days of safaris in Jim Corbett, which was India's first national park and where Project Tiger began.

South Asia
5 days
≈ AED 1,150 / person
A hill station and a tiger reserve within a day's drive of Delhi

Researched & checked by Nitesh Parasher Last verified 26 October 2026

Before you go

Five days in Kumaon is a hill station and a tiger reserve, close enough together to do both properly and close enough to Delhi to be worth a short trip.

Nainital is a Victorian lake town around a crescent of water in a bowl of hills, and it is busy — this is north India’s holiday town, not a secret. The lakes below it — Sattal, Bhimtal, Naukuchiatal — are twenty minutes away and almost empty by comparison, and they are where this itinerary spends its second day.

Jim Corbett was declared in 1936 as Hailey National Park, making it India’s first. It was renamed for the hunter-turned- conservationist who shot the man-eaters of Kumaon and then spent the rest of his life arguing for the animals, and Project Tiger was launched here in 1973.

Figure INR 30,000 (≈ AED 1,171) per person. November to June — and note that Corbett’s best zone closes from 15 June to 15 November.

Before you go: the short version of the admin

Visas

e-Visa at the official indianvisaonline.gov.in/evisa and nowhere else. You will arrive through Delhi.
Six months’ validity, two blank pages.

Getting there from the Gulf

Fly to Delhi — directs from every Gulf hub — and go overland. There is no useful airport nearer; Pantnagar (PGH) has very limited domestic service.
The Ranikhet Express or Uttar Sampark Kranti to Kathgodam overnight, then 35km up to Nainital. This is the civilised way and it saves a driving day.
By road it is about 300km / 7 hours from Delhi to Nainital, and the last hour is switchbacks.
Corbett is closer to Delhi than Nainital is — about 250km / 6 hours to Ramnagar — which is why this loop runs Nainital first and Corbett second.

Safari permits — book these first

Corbett’s permits are issued online by the Uttarakhand Forest Department and released in batches 45 days ahead. Weekend and holiday slots go within minutes.
The zones are not equal:
- Dhikala is the core and by far the best — grassland, the Ramganga reservoir, and the highest chance of a sighting. It is day-visit by canter or an overnight stay in the Forest Rest House, and closed 15 June to 15 November.
- Bijrani is excellent and more easily booked. Closed mid-June to mid-October.
- Jhirna and Dhela stay open all year, which makes them the monsoon option.
- Durga Devi for birds and the river.
Book through your lodge if the portal defeats you — most will do it for a small fee and they know which zones are worth having.

Money

UPI QR payments work in both towns.
₹4,000 in small notes for entries, boats and tips.

Day by day

Day 1 — Up to Nainital

06:00 — Into Kathgodam off the overnight train, or set out early if you are driving the 300km from Delhi.
08:00 — Up to Nainital, 35km and about an hour of switchbacks.
15:00 — Walk the Mall Road along the eastern shore, which is closed to traffic in the evenings.
16:00 — Naina Devi Temple at the northern end of the lake, one of the 51 Shakti Peethas, rebuilt after a landslide destroyed it in 1880.
17:00 — Row on the lake. The brightly painted boats are touristy and this is still the best hour here. Agree the price first.
Stay on the quieter Thandi Sadak side if you want to sleep.

Day 2 — Nainital’s ridges

07:00 — Snow View by ropeway, early, before the queue and before the cloud. On a clear winter morning you can see Nanda Devi, India’s second-highest peak, and the Trishul massif along the horizon. Cloud builds from late morning most days and the Himalaya disappear behind it — this hour is the whole reason to give Nainital two nights.
09:00 — Tiffin Top (Dorothy’s Seat), four kilometres on foot or a pony ride up through deodar forest, with the best view over the lake.
11:00 — Naina Peak, the highest point above the town, for a longer walk and far fewer people.
14:00 — The Himalayan Botanical Garden at Bhowali, on the way down.
16:00 — The bazaar: candles and woollens, which is what Nainital sells.

Day 3 — The lakes, then down to Corbett

07:30 — Sattal, 23km out: seven interconnected freshwater lakes in oak and pine forest. One of the best birding sites in north India — hundreds of species, and the hides are good. Early is when the birds are.
10:00 — Bhimtal, larger than Naini and far quieter, with an island aquarium in the middle.
11:30 — Naukuchiatal, the “nine-cornered lake”, deepest of them and the nicest to sit beside.
14:00 — Drive to Ramnagar, about two and a half hours, for Corbett.
17:00 — Check in along the Kosi river outside Ramnagar. The lodges there are the pleasant ones, and some have elephants crossing the river below them. Confirm tomorrow’s safari timings and zone tonight.

Day 4 — Corbett, both drives

05:30 — Morning safari, leaving in the dark. Winter mornings here are genuinely cold in an open jeep — this is the coldest you will be on the trip.
Corbett is 520 square kilometres of sal forest, grassland and river, with around 260 tigers in the wider reserve, one of the densest populations anywhere. Sightings are a real possibility and not a promise — the forest is thick and this is not Ranthambore’s open terrain.
Elephant are near-certain, often in large herds; also sambar, chital, wild boar, langur, and gharial and mugger crocodile on the Ramganga. Over 600 bird species, which is why serious birders come here rather than for the cats.
10:30 — Back to the lodge for breakfast and the middle of the day.
14:30 — Afternoon safari, in a different zone if your permits allow. Jeep over canter wherever you have the choice — smaller, quieter, and it goes where the canter cannot.

Day 5 — A last drive, then Delhi

05:30 — One more morning safari if you have the permit, which is the best possible use of the last day.
10:00 — Or the Corbett Museum at Kaladhungi, the house he lived in: small, and worth an hour for the context.
13:00 — Leave for Delhi, about six hours. Or overnight in Delhi rather than cutting an international connection fine.

Costs and practicalities

Best time to visit

November to February — clear, cold, and the Himalayan views from Nainital are at their best. Corbett’s Dhikala zone reopens on 15 November. Mornings in an open jeep are near freezing.
March to mid-June — the best months for tiger sightings as water sources shrink and animals concentrate on the river. Warm rather than hot in the hills, hot at Ramnagar.
Mid-June to September — the monsoon. Dhikala and Bijrani close; Jhirna and Dhela stay open. Nainital is green, wet and prone to landslides on the approach roads.
October to mid-November — the hills are at their clearest after the rain, but the best Corbett zones are still shut.

The zone calendar decides this trip. If you want Dhikala, you want 15 November to 15 June, and those are also the best months in Nainital.

Travel tips

Book safari permits 45 days out, the moment they release.
Dhikala if you can get it, Bijrani if you cannot.
Nainital before Corbett, because Corbett is nearer Delhi and the last day should not be the longest drive.
Go up to Snow View early. Cloud eats the Himalaya by eleven.
The overnight train to Kathgodam saves a full day over driving from Delhi.
Nainital is extremely busy in May–June and at Christmas and New Year. Avoid those weeks or book months ahead.
Neutral colours on safari, and nothing bright.
No plastic bottles in the park, which is enforced.
Mobile coverage inside Corbett is poor to none, by design.

What this trip actually costs

Two people, 4 nights, mid-range comfort, international flights excluded:

Item	Cost
Hotels, 4 nights (2 Nainital + 2 a Kosi river lodge)	INR 24,000 (≈ AED 937)
Car and driver, 5 days, or train plus local transport	INR 18,000 (≈ AED 703)
Safari permits, jeep hire and guide for three drives	INR 8,000 (≈ AED 312)
Food and drink, 5 days	INR 7,000 (≈ AED 273)
SIM, tips, extras	INR 3,000 (≈ AED 117)
Total for two	INR 60,000 (≈ AED 2,343)

Roughly INR 30,000 (≈ AED 1,171) per person, which makes this one of the cheaper wildlife trips in India — Corbett’s permit fees are modest and Nainital is a domestic holiday town priced for domestic holidays.
The jeep and permit line is per drive, so a fourth safari adds meaningfully. Three is a reasonable number for one visit.
The Kosi river lodges are the expensive nights and worth it; Ramnagar town is cheaper and much less pleasant.
Taking the overnight train instead of a Delhi car both ways cuts the transport line by roughly a third.
Hotel picks here are chosen on location, not on commission — always check prices and recent reviews before booking.

What to pack

A proper warm layer. Nainital drops to 2–5°C in December and January, and a dawn jeep at Corbett in winter is colder than anything else on this site except Ladakh.
Neutral safari colours — olive, khaki, grey. No white, no red.
Binoculars. Corbett’s birding repays them more than the tigers do.
Walking shoes for Tiffin Top and the lake paths.
A refillable bottle — plastic is banned in the park.
Layers for the hills, where mornings and afternoons differ by 15 degrees.

FAQ

Will I see a tiger at Corbett? Possibly. The density is among the highest in India but the forest is thick and sightings are harder-won than at Ranthambore. March to June is considerably better than the winter months.

Which zone should I book? Dhikala if you can get it, Bijrani if not. Jhirna and Dhela are the year-round fallbacks and see less.

Is Nainital worth two nights? Two nights gives you one clear morning for the Himalayan view, which is the thing people come for and the thing cloud most often takes away. One night is a gamble.

Is this a good family trip? Yes — short drives, a boat on a lake, a ropeway and elephants. The dawn safari is cold and long for small children, so take the afternoon drive instead.

Can I do it over a long weekend? Four days works if you take the overnight train both ways. Five is what makes room for three safaris.

Prices and entry rules change, and what you need depends on your passport; last checked 26 October 2026, so confirm with the embassy or your airline before booking.