Aahana Resort

Set on 13.5 acres contiguous to the northeastern boundary of Jim Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand's Nainital district, Aahana occupies restored land seven kilometres from Ramnagar. The property adjoins the park's forests along its entire northeastern edge. Once barren, the estate now shelters over 4,500 trees, 250 recorded bird species, and 50 butterfly species. Forty-six rooms and suites span 400 to 1,050 square feet, distributed across categories from ground-floor Corbett Club Rooms with rain-forest showers to the Heritage Ranger's Suite, which holds 800 square feet, a forest-facing deck, and a bathtub angled toward the canopy. Four-bedroom villas stretch from 2,800 to 7,000 square feet, each with butler service and either forest views or a temperature-controlled private pool tiled in Italian Bisazza mosaics; nanny quarters adjoin two configurations.

Dhela and Jhirna safari zones lie 15 minutes from the property. Resident naturalists lead game drives in open-top jeeps accommodating six guests per vehicle, departing at dawn and late afternoon for four-hour circuits. Birding sessions cover the estate's forest trails and lawns at first light; raptors including crested serpent eagles and changeable hawk-eagles hunt above the canopy, while winter months bring migratory bluethroats and verditer flycatchers. Spa L'Occitane en Provence operates from skylit treatment rooms, the only L'Occitane spa in Jim Corbett. Dhikala Restaurant occupies a glass-covered deck overlooking the pool lawn and Bijrani forest; the menu draws from Aahana's kitchen gardens for farm-to-table breakfasts and a Kumaoni thali featuring hand-pounded mandua flour, Munsiyari rajma, and churpi cheese. Jim's Bar pours handcrafted cocktails beside a stone fireplace. Horse-drawn buggies circle the grounds at dawn and dusk.