The Orchard
Seasons on the Farm: When to Come
If you want to know whether a place has been lived in, look at what grows there.
On the land
The orchard changes with the year.
The mango and lychee rows, God's Little Acre, the jamun trees, and the edge of the estate where the forest starts. The forest beyond the fence makes more sense once you have seen how the land inside it was made.
The year on the farm
Best time to visit Jim Corbett and the farm.
October to April for the sky and the safaris. Late May and June for the fruit. The monsoon for the green and the quiet.
| When | Come for | In the reserve | Flying and the sky |
|---|---|---|---|
| October to April | The sky and the safaris. | Most zones open from mid-October. | Flying and stargazing, weather permitting. TARA runs on clear nights only. |
| Late May and June | The fruit: the mango and lychee harvest. | Most zones close in mid-June. Jhirna, Dhela and Sitabani stay open. | Flying and stargazing run to the end of June, weather permitting. |
| The monsoon | The green and the quiet. | Most zones are closed until mid-October. Jhirna, Dhela and Sitabani stay open. Fishing sits outside the monsoon. | No flying or stargazing. Both come back in October. |
Safari timings: winter 6 to 9 am and 2 to 5 pm; summer 5:30 to 8:30 am and 3 to 6 pm.
The year, moment by moment
- Winter
- The clear-air months. Delhi's air is at its worst from October to January and the farm's sky at its best: the safaris, TARA on dark nights, the bonfire, and New Year with the whole table.
- Diwali
- A long weekend on the farm, lamps along the paths and the Baradari in the evening; book early, since festive dates have their own terms and go first.
- Summer
- Late May and June for the fruit: mangoes and lychees off the tree on the orchard walk, the pool in the afternoons, and three safari zones still open.
- The monsoon
- The green and the quiet. The reserve mostly closes and the flying stops, and the farm is at its emptiest and its loudest with birds.