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Dhikala

We need to understand difference between Dhikala and Dhikala Forest Rest House. Dhikala is name of one of most popular safari zone (like others are Bijrani , Jhirna , durga devi) of Corbett National Park while Dhikala Forest Rest House is one of 05 forest rest houses, located inside Dhikala zone. Below are 5 forest rest houses located inside dhikala zone

  • 1- Dhikala Forest Rest House--This FRH is booked offline and online both
  • 2- Khinnanauli Forest Rest House --booked offline only
  • 3- Sarapdulli Forest Rest House--booked offline and online both
  • 4- Gairal Forest Rest House--booked offline and online both
  • 5- Sultan Forest Rest House---booked online only

If guest is staying in any of above forest rest houses they are entitled for jeep safari of Dhikala zone but if guest is staying outside national park means outside dhikala zone then they cannot visit dhikala zone by jeep so jeep safari of Dhikala zone is only possible when guest are staying inside dhikala zone of Corbett National Park. These above FRH remain in very high demand perhaps this is reason government have to put a bar on maximum number of nights of stay in Dhikala zone which is currently 3 nights maximum.

If guest is staying outside national park they can visit Dhikala zone only by canter (open bus) not by jeep. For Gairal Forest Rest House i have already provided detail above lets discuss now Dhikala Forest Rest House.
Dhangari gate is entry point for dhikala zone and different forest rest houses have different location and distance from Dhangarghi gate.

  • Sultan FRH to Dhangarghi Gate: 7 kms
  • Gairal FRH to Dhangarghi Gate: 17 kms
  • Sarapdulli FRH to Dhangarghi Gate: 20 kms
  • Khinnanauli FRH to Dhangarghi Gate: 26 kms
  • Dhikala FRH to Dhangarghi Gate: 31 kms

1. Gairal Forest Rest House, Jim Corbett National Park, Uttarakhand, India

Gairal Forest Rest House is managed and booked by Corbett Tiger Reserve. This Forest rest house is located deep inside thick forest of Jim Corbett National Park in state of Uttarakhand. One can book rooms at this forest rest house through official website of Corbett Tiger Reserve. Unlike the other forest rest house of Corbett Tiger Reserve are little or far away from river, Gairal Forest Rest House is right next to Ramganga river and offers a true river side forest retreat experience to their guest. To keep away wild animals from Gairal forest rest house forest department has fixed solar power fencing of 6 feet high on periphery of Gairal Forest Rest House.
Over the years thousands of travellers have stayed at Gairal forest rest house and have enjoyed thrilling morning and evening jeep safari of Dhikala safari zone of Jim Corbett National Park or in other words guest who wish to take jeep safari of dhikala zone plan their stay at Gairal Rest House. As there are only 06 double rooms at Gairal Forest Rest House so a well advance booking is strongly suggested.

  • Accommodation and Amenities in Gairal Forest Lodge

    Gairal Forest Rest House has two different room block for guest Accommodation, Old FRH which came in 1903 during British era and new FRH which is comparatively quite new.

    There are two interconnected rooms at Old Forest Rest House block of Gairal Forest Rest House. These two interconnected rooms opening in different directions and connected by a common dining space each room have a private attached washroom which has western fittings and running water facility. One room offers river view while the opposite room offers forest view.

    In adjoining compound forest department staff stays who keep a close watch on wildlife and guest who are not honouring the house rules of forest rest house . Their presence in adjoining compound gives extra feeling of security to travellers.This rest house has hosted solo female travellers, families ,groups in fact all kind of travelers who have interest in wildlife visit this beautiful place.

    In New Forest Rest House block there are total 04 double rooms and one 8 bed dormitory for staying.All rooms have twin beds. These all rooms are on ground floor which means guest will need to climb only two steps to access their rooms. This well built pukka Accommodation ensures guest their complete safety.

    For third person one extra bed can be laid out. Door and windows are placed at such position so that it ensures cross ventilation feature in each room. There is no fan or air conditioner in rooms. In fact electricity is supplied for limited hours in evening by solar powered inverters,provided these inverters are charged enough which sometimes becomes difficult during cloudy days in winter.

    Between 15th November to 15th March, weather remains cold so it omits the need of fan or air conditioner in rooms. From 15th March onward as the mercury rises guest may need fan in mid afternoon for few hours that is also when guest are staying at forest rest house and not going on safari.

    In addition door and windows also have mosquito net. Size of rooms is good enough to accommodate three persons at a time. All rooms have attached neat and clean washrooms. These big washrooms are equipped with mirror, western toilet seat, wash basin, bucket ,mug. Hot water in rooms is offered from a common tap. White towel and toiletries are available at guest service, still if guest have liking for any particular brand of soap or shampoo then do not forget to carry same. Last but not least carry a moisturiser in winter and sunscreen in summer.

  • Canteen and Food in Gairal Forest Lodge

    Gairal Forest Rest House has one small canteen and one dining room where 10-15 people can sit comfortably and have meals. Guest have option to have breakfast or lunch in open lawn which is next to dining room from here guest can also enjoy the spectacular view of Ramganga river and forest. This canteen is operated by Kumaon Mandal Vikas Nigam and serves only veg meals to its resident and visiting guest. In breakfast they normally serve tea, coffee, bread, butter, jam and parathas and in lunch and dinner at least one vegetable dish, lentil , rice and roti. To add more flavour guest can carry fruits ,pickle from outside. During the day canteen also take order for noodles , omelette with tea, coffee at very reasonable price. Consumption of any meat or fish or liquor is strictly prohibited while staying at Gairal forest rest house in corbett national park.

    All staff at canteen and gairal forest rest house is local from nearest village and very caring.

  • How to Reach Gairal Forest Rest House

    To reach Gairal Forest Rest one have to take entry from Dhangarghi gate of corbett national park and pass through mesmerising river beds,canopy of towering sal trees which will last for 17 kilometers. After this 17 Kilometers of incredible kaleidoscope of forest beauty one reaches at... Read more...

  • Visitor Tips for Gairal Forest Rest House

    There is no recreation facility for adults or kids but it has huge area best for walking and enjoy the beauty of forest landscape.
    Canteen serves bottled mineral water or spring water no RO plant is there at this forest rest house.
    No baby sitting facility means one have take care of their infants and toddlers better guest come with their maid.
    Read more...

2. Dhikala Forest Rest House

On the edge of Ramganga River in heart of Corbett National Park, Dhikala Forest rest House offers more than 20 rooms to stay and enjoy the pristine wilderness of Corbett National Park. The main reason why Dhikala Forest Rest House has become Mecca for wildlife photographers and jungle lovers, lies in its location , which is merging point of major safari routes of Dhikala zone like Sambhar road, Thandi sadak, Grass land road, Main road etc. No other forest rest house in Dhikala zone ( Gairal rest house or Sarapdulli Forest Rest House or Sultan Forest Rest House) offers this perfect location as well as 24 electricity in rooms.

Rooms at Dhikala Forest Rest House

Dhikala forest rest house features 25 rooms out of which 20 rooms are booked online and 5 rooms are booked offline. All rooms have attached washrooms with them. No rooms are interconnected and mostly rooms are facing Ramganga Reservoir so all room assures privacy.

These rooms are further classified into 05 wings as mentioned below. Like Dhikala Forest Rest House is a unique name , its wing names are also unique

  • 1 Old FRH
  • 2 New FRH
  • 3 Annexe
  • 4 Cabin
  • 5 Hutment

At Dhikala FRH. in rooms there are no Fridge , No TV , No Tea, coffee kettle facility. Rooms are very basics but neat and clean. A spacious sitout area of rooms with lush gardens are another place to enjoy fresh air with an unparalleled view of Ramganga reservoir. Read More

Washrooms in Dhikala Forest Rest House

At Dhikala all rooms have attached washrooms which have been revamped in 2019 in Dhikala Forest Rest House. Each room in Dhikala have spacious attached washroom. All wash rooms have Geyser, English commode, Wash basin, Mirror. Guest are advised to carry their Towel, washroom slipper and shampoo as some guest may not find towel up to the mark.

Food/Meals in Dhikala Forest Rest House-Canteen

In main canteen fresh veg meal is prepared for guest. A buffet lunch / dinner shall cost around 450 per member , guest may purchase a coupon from canteen billing point. At Dhikala in restaurant in house sitting and as well as outdoor seating both options are available. No non veg or ala carta order are taken here. Meal comprises one dal , one dry vegetable, one rice , one paneer , pickle , salad item . In another canteen guest may order fast food items like noodles, omlette , boiled egg, sandwich. If you are coming with kids or infants you can ask for help for milk from canteen, they shall be happy to help you out. But i will suggest to come with electric kettle.

You need to carry enough cash to purchase meal coupon as card or UPI does not work here due to bad internet connection. Unfortunately the canteen does not offer pack breakfast for morning safaris moreover main canteen serve breakfast till 10 am only so when you are back from safaris you have only option for breakfast in fast food canteen where you can order egg and omelette

Mobile Signal Strenth and Wifi

BSNL works well inside Dhikala FRH followed by Jio , although other operators like Vodafone, Airtel works well at certain points in dhikala forest rest house. Almost all driver and guide at Dhikala carry BSNL sim so in case you need to deliver an emergency message that can be done. There is no wifi at Dhikala Forest Rest House or any other FRH inside Corbett. In case your holiday need your 24 hours web connectivity you are not suggested to stay outside Corbett National Park.

Tigers and Wildlife in Dhikala Zone

Dhikala is the only zone which offers maximum tiger spotting in Corbett National Park. Around the year here a perennial river by name Ramganga flows which is lifeline for animals of Dhikala zone. This river plays a vital role in balancing eco system of Corbett National Park. Every year apart from male tigers 3-4 female tiger becomes main attraction in dhikala zone. Other animals which are spotted in dhikala are Leapord, Elephants, yellow throated martin, otters and more than 500 species of birds. Their photographs and videos tells more intriguing stories of their beauty and power. Some never been shared video , photographs and stories can be only enjoyed when you are opting for a good guide and driver.

On one end of dhikala zone , Embankment Dam by name Kalagargh Dam holds the water of Ramganaga river which is full of ghariyal and crocodile. In summers when ramganga river becomes thin , water line recedes in Dhikala zone, a nutrient rich succulent grass emerges on ramganga flood plains which allures deers and elephant herds. Dhikala FRH receives electricity from this Kalagargh dam only. Read More

How to Book Dhikala Forest House

Dhikala rest house bookings are managed by Forest Department of Corbett National park which also manages booking of other forest rest house of Corbett Tiger Reserve. Around the year(15th November to 15th June) it remain in very high demand so guest are advised to better understand its booking procedure and limitations of booking system. Read More

Photo Gallery - Gairal Forest Rest House