Stargazing near Jim Corbett at TARA Observatory
An hour at the telescopes of TARA, the observatory on the farm, with a guide beside you, on nights when the sky is clear.
Several telescopes, and someone who knows where to point them.
TARA is the observatory at The Homestead, the Puri family's farm near Jim Corbett National Park. The telescopes are Bunny's, and there is more than one. Your guide knows the Terai sky well and turns them to whatever can be seen that night.
That might be the edge of the moon, or the planets. When the month is dark, the Milky Way shows up plainly as a band of light.
For stargazing near Delhi, the foothills are a different sky: five and a half hours from the city and well away from its light, with the telescopes already set up when you arrive.
A guided hour after dark.
A session is about an hour, guided, at TARA. It runs from October to June, weather permitting, and on clear nights only.
In The Home Ground package, TARA is at 8 pm on the night you arrive if it is clear, and again the next night if it was cloudy. The weather has the final word, and a session called off is not charged.
- Price₹399 per personPlus 18% GST.
- LengthAbout an hour, guided
- SeasonOctober to JuneWeather permitting. Clear nights only.
- WhereTARA, the farm's observatory
- NoticeA day's noticeBlocks on the farm need a day's notice.
- PackageIn The Home Ground3 days, 2 nights for two, all meals. See the package
The Home Ground.
For the guest who came for the farm, and for the family who made it.
3 days, 2 nights, for two, all meals, with a flight over the farm, a night at the observatory, an ATV ride and high tea and the orchard walk.
Stargazing: short answers.
How much does stargazing at TARA cost?
₹399 per person, plus 18% GST. It is included in The Home Ground package.
When can you go stargazing near Jim Corbett?
On any clear night between October and June. If the weather turns, the session does not go ahead, and you are not charged for it.
What will we see through the telescopes?
It depends on the night. Your guide picks out what is visible, such as the moon or the planets, and the Milky Way when the month is dark.
Book an hour at TARA.
Send your dates on WhatsApp and say what you would like. The message opens ready to send, and The Homestead writes back, usually the same day. To see which rooms are free for your dates, check availability.
Rooms are booked on the booking engine, which shows the rate for your dates. Check-in 2 pm. Check-out 11 am.
- Call+91 80650 60570
- WhatsAppMessage The Homestead
Other things to do.
Jeep Safari
Jeep, permit and naturalist guide, booked by The Homestead at cost.
Mini Golf and Pickleball
Nine holes at ₹899 an hour; the court at ₹999 an hour.
Wellness
A massage room, a jacuzzi for six, and steam in peak winter.
ATV Rides
Thirty minutes round the farm on an ATV, then high tea under the jamun tree.
The River
Golden mahseer, catch and release, at first light or last light.