Rajaji National Park is one of the leading wildlife parks in the state of Uttarakhand and it borders with Jim Corbett National Park. This reserve was upgraded to a tiger reserve only recently in 2015 and then in 2016, it became the third reserve to be selected for relocation of tigers. Due to its accessibilty, one can arrive here by rail, road or air and this is bringing in more visitors each year. The reserve has a diverse range of wildlife from mammals of all sizes, birds and reptiles.
It is divided into various zones, the most popular ones being Chilla, Motichur, Ranipur and Jhilmil Jheel. However the Chilla zone seems to attract most visitors. Chilla zone and Jhilmil Jheel is in Rajaji East and Ranipur and Motichur is in Rajaji West. Chilla has a single safari track of around 36km and only driving in clockwise direction is allowed. Jeeps and nature guides can be hired near the entry gate of Chilla and does not cost as much in comparison to some of the more popular tiger reserves across India.
I have so far visited Ranipur, Chilla and Ghori range and have got good images from each zone. Here there are many guesthouses and hotels ranging from Rs.1000 to Rs.5000 or more. There is the Tourist Guesthouse ownded by Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam however costs can be a bit high. The only benefit is that this is located very close to the Chilla gate.
There are other economical options available such as Rajaji Downtown but that is located around 8km from Chilla gate. In Ghori range there is Junglee Resort. There are a number of forest resthouses as well but unless you have some contacts then booking those will not be possible. Staying in a forest resthouse however basic it maybe, will give you a good feel of staying in the forest.
In next few posts, I will be showcasing my photos taken at Rajaji National Park during the summer. If you would like to visit or have any questions on where to stay etc then do contact me at hello@abhishekdeepak.com or via the contact form and I will get back to you as soon as possible.