Route library · Weekend · Jungle & wildlife

Delhi to Jim Corbett

Jim Corbett, founded in 1936, is India's oldest national park and one of its densest tiger populations. The ride to Ramnagar, the reserve's main gateway, is an easy weekend on flat highway and forest road. You cannot take a motorcycle into the park — safaris are by jeep and canter with a booked permit — but the ride puts you on the jungle's edge, on the Kosi river, among sal forest and elephant country.

Weekend Jungle & wildlife Easy ~500 km round trip 1–2 nights Best Nov–Feb

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At a glance

Round trip: About 480–520 km
Riding time: 5–6 hours each way with stops
Nights: One works; two lets you do two safaris
Start point: Delhi (via Hapur, Moradabad and Kashipur to Ramnagar)
Highest point: Around 400–1,000 m — low sal forest and river country, no real climb
Difficulty: Easy. Flat highway and gentle forest roads. Any rider, any bike.
Surface: Good divided highway most of the way; the Ramnagar approach and buffer roads are patchy in places
Best season: November to February for the best weather and sightings. Core zones like Dhikala close mid-June to mid-November; Jhirna and Dhela stay open year-round.

Schematic route diagram — not to scale. Distances and heights are indicative.

The ride

Delhi → Hapur → Moradabad → Kashipur → Ramnagar (about 250 km). Ramnagar is a working town with the forest department office, safari operators and most of the lodges. The reserve has several gates — Dhikala (the classic, permit-lottery, overnight forest rest houses), Bijrani, Jhirna, Dhela and Durga Devi — each a short ride from town.

You ride to Ramnagar, park the bike at your lodge, and do the park by booked jeep safari. Book permits well in advance through the official Uttarakhand forest portal or a licensed operator — Dhikala especially sells out. Off the safari, ride the quiet Kosi river road and the Sitabani buffer (open without a park permit).

Day by day

Delhi to Ramnagar
An easy half-day: Delhi → Hapur → Moradabad → Kashipur → Ramnagar (5–6 hours). Check in, confirm your safari permit, and do an evening ride along the Kosi.
Safari day
Early-morning jeep safari into your booked zone (Bijrani or Jhirna are common day-visitor zones). Afternoon rest, or a second safari, or the Sitabani buffer by bike.
Ramnagar to Delhi
Ride home. An easy day — leave after a relaxed start and you are back by evening.

Fuel & services

Fuel is easy the whole way — Hapur, Moradabad, Kashipur and Ramnagar all have plenty of pumps.
Ramnagar has ATMs, mechanics and shops. Lodges range from budget to expensive; book in the November–February season.
Inside the forest rest houses (Dhikala) there are no fuel or supplies — carry what you need and note that outside vehicles are not allowed in.

Road & conditions

The Delhi–Moradabad–Kashipur highway is mostly good divided road, busy with trucks. The last stretch into Ramnagar and the buffer roads around it are narrower and patchy, and cross elephant and deer country — ride slowly at dawn and dusk, do not ride the buffer roads after dark, and give wildlife absolute right of way.

Bike, fuel & getting help

Suggested bike: Fine on a well-maintained 150–200cc commuter.
Fuel gap: One long stretch without a pump — fill up before it and top off where you can.
Spare fuel: Carry 3–5 litres of spare fuel.
Emergency & logistics: Hospitals at Ramnagar; forest-department help at the gates; safaris are by permitted vehicle only; do not ride the buffer roads at night.

Best time to ride

November to February is the sweet spot — cool, clear, good sightings and comfortable riding. March to mid-June is hot but has strong sightings at waterholes (Jhirna/Dhela). The core Dhikala zone is closed mid-June to mid-November for the monsoon; the whole park is best avoided in the heavy rains.

What to add to your kit

Beyond the standard ride kit: your booked safari permit and photo ID, warm layers for the open-jeep morning safari (it is cold), neutral-coloured clothing, and binoculars. No drones — they are banned in and around the reserve.

Wildlife has right of way, always. On the buffer and river roads, slow right down at first and last light, never chase or corner an animal for a photo, keep noise and horn use to nothing, and do not ride these roads at night. A motorcycle is no match for an elephant.

The ROAR service stop on this route. The Kosi river road and the Sitabani buffer collect roadside plastic and picnic litter. We run a clean-up along the river and the buffer, ride the sensitive stretches slow and silent, and take a no-single-use pledge for the trip.

Ride this with a group

We run Corbett as an easy wildlife weekend — safari permits booked in advance, the buffer roads ridden slow and quiet, and a Kosi river clean-up as the service action.

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