A Nainital and Corbett trip is the easiest Himalayan holiday from Delhi: an overnight or morning train to Kathgodam, about 35 km below Nainital, then lakes, hill towns and a tiger reserve within a few hours’ drive of each other. Four nights covers Nainital and two Corbett safaris. Five or six nights lets you add Ranikhet and Kausani in the Kumaon hills, which suits couples and honeymooners. We book the hotels, the car and, most importantly, the Corbett safari permits, which sell out weeks ahead for the winter season.
Nainital and Corbett packages at a glance
| Package | Nights | What it covers | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nainital and Jim Corbett | 4N / 5D | Naini Lake, Bhimtal and the lakes, two nights at Corbett with jeep safaris | Families, school holidays |
| Nainital, Ranikhet and Kausani | 5N / 6D | Two nights at Nainital, a night at Ranikhet, two at Kausani | Couples, honeymooners, a slow hill holiday |
| Kumaon with Corbett | 7N / 8D | Nainital, Ranikhet, Kausani and two Corbett nights | A full week in Kumaon |
| Corbett weekend | 2N / 3D | Ramnagar resort and two or three safaris | A short break from Delhi |
The full day-wise plan for Nainital and Jim Corbett 4N/5D is on its own page. The other formats are built from it, adding or dropping days, and any of them can be changed to suit you.
Nainital, Bhimtal and the lakes
Nainital is built around Naini Lake. The Naina Devi temple, one of the Shakti Peeths, stands on its northern shore at the end of the Mall Road, a short walk from the boat stand. A day here is boating, the temple, the ropeway to Snow View and the walk or pony ride to Tiffin Top. The second day goes to the other lakes: Bhimtal, about 22 km away and bigger than Naini, then Naukuchiatal and Sattal. They’re quieter than Nainital and good for a picnic lunch.
Nainital’s problem is traffic. On summer weekends and long weekends the town fills with cars from Delhi and the plains, the Mall Road jams, and parking is hard to find. Come on weekdays if you can, or stay at Bhimtal and visit Nainital for the day.
Kainchi Dham: plan for the crowds
Neem Karoli Baba’s ashram at Kainchi Dham is on the Bhowali to Almora road, so it’s on the way to Ranikhet and Kausani. It has become very crowded. In early October 2026 more than 50,000 people came in a single weekend, and the district has proposed compulsory advance registration with a daily cap. On the foundation day fair on 15 June, private cars aren’t allowed near the temple at all and visitors use shuttles from parking areas.
Good to know: visit Kainchi Dham on a weekday morning, and avoid the week around 15 June. If registration becomes compulsory before your trip, we’ll register your group. The jams also hold up traffic on the Bhowali to Almora road, so we time the drive to Ranikhet or Kausani around it.
Jim Corbett: zones, seasons and booking
Corbett Tiger Reserve is entered from Ramnagar, at the foot of the hills below Nainital. Safaris run in the morning and afternoon, in open jeeps or larger canters, in fixed zones. Which zone you get matters more than the resort you stay in. Zone seasons from the reserve’s official site:
| Zone | Open | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Dhikala | 15 November to 15 June | Deep inside the park; best visited with a night at the forest rest house |
| Bijrani | 15 October to 30 June | Close to Ramnagar, popular for day safaris |
| Jhirna and Dhela | All year | The usual choice in the monsoon |
| Garjia | All year | Near the Garjia Devi temple |
| Durgadevi | 15 November to 15 June | Hilly, known for birds |
| Sonanadi and Pakhro | 15 November to 15 June | Entered from the Kotdwar side |
Permits are sold only on the official Corbett Tiger Reserve site. The reserve itself warns about look-alike websites, so don’t pay anyone else for a “permit”. Each booking needs the group leader’s ID uploaded and every traveller’s ID number, and the originals are checked at the gate. Indian visitors can book Dhikala and other forest rest-house nights 45 days ahead; the window for 22 December 2026 to 20 January 2027 opened on 7 November. Mobile phones are banned in the core tourism zones.
For the best chance of a tiger, go between February and May, when the grass is lower and animals come to water. November to January is cold in the open jeep at 6 am, so pack a jacket, cap and gloves even if Delhi is mild.
Ranikhet and Kausani
Ranikhet is an army cantonment town, clean and quiet, with pine forests, the Jhula Devi temple and the golf course at Upat. Kausani, further on, faces a long line of snow peaks from Trishul to Nanda Devi on a clear morning. Gandhi stayed here in 1929, and the house is now the Anasakti Ashram. The Baijnath temples are a short drive away. Neither town has much to “do”, which is why couples like them.
Best time to go
March to June is the main season, pleasant in the hills but busy, with Indian school holidays in May and June. October and November have the clearest mountain views and fewer people. December to February is cold, with occasional snow in Nainital and the best Corbett zones open. The monsoon, July to September, brings landslides on hill roads, and most Corbett zones are shut; only Jhirna, Dhela and Garjia stay open, weather permitting.
Getting there
Kathgodam is the railhead. From Delhi, the Shatabdi from New Delhi takes under six hours, the Uttaranchal Sampark Kranti runs in the daytime, and the Ranikhet Express is overnight. From Mumbai or Pune, fly to Delhi and take the Shatabdi, or fly to Pantnagar, the nearest airport, if a flight suits. Ramnagar for Corbett is a separate drive down from Nainital, so we plan the Corbett nights at the start or the end. If you’re also visiting Haridwar, see our Haridwar and Rishikesh guide.
With elderly parents or small children
These are gentle hills, and nothing on our routes needs trekking. The things to plan around are the winding roads, which upset some stomachs, and the early, bumpy safaris. For seniors, one morning and one afternoon safari is plenty, and a resort close to the safari gate saves a long drive in the dark. Naina Devi and Kainchi Dham both involve some walking from where the car stops.
Questions people ask before booking
Will we see a tiger?
Nobody can promise that. Corbett has a lot of tigers, but the forest is thick. Two or three safaris in different zones give you a fair chance, and you’ll see deer, elephants, birds and the Ramganga river either way.
How early should we book Corbett?
For Christmas, New Year and long weekends, as soon as the booking window for your dates opens on the official site. Tell us your dates early and we’ll book on the opening day.
Can we stay inside the park?
Yes, at forest rest houses such as Dhikala, booked on the same official site. Rooms are basic and limited, so they go fast. Most visitors stay at resorts near Ramnagar and take day safaris.
Is Nainital good for a honeymoon?
Nainital is lively and crowded. For a quieter honeymoon, keep two nights there and spend the rest at Kausani or Ranikhet, or stay by the lake at Bhimtal.
Checked November 2026. Corbett zone seasons, booking windows, ID rules and the phone ban are from the Corbett Tiger Reserve’s official booking site. Kainchi Dham crowd figures and proposals are from Business Today (October 2026) and the June 2026 traffic plan from Nainital Police reports. Train details are from Indian Railways timetables, and distances from district and tourism listings. We confirm safari zones and train timings again when we send your quote.