Nehru Zoological Park Hyderabad Travel Guide

About Hyderabad

Hyderabad is the capital city of Telangana. The city which lies along River Musi, needs no description. It is rich in tourist attractions that are visited by many native as well as foreign tourists through out the year. The historical city is rich in cultural heritage. It was ruled by Qutb Shah dynasty for nearly 100 years. Later during the Mughal period in India, the Nizams ruled over the city of Hyderabad. It became a princely state during the British Rule in India. In 1948, the princely state of Hyderabad was brought into the Indian Union and became the capital of Andrha Pradesh. In 2014, the new state of Telangana was formed after it was split from Andhra Pradesh and Hyderabad remained the capital of Telangana.
<--more-->

About Zoo Park

Nehru Zoological Park is one of the top attractions of Hyderabad. Animal lovers, children and people of other age groups enjoy moving around in the zoo. It is a good place for a family picnic.

The zoo is located at Kishan Bagh Main Road, Bahadurpura West, Hyderabad. The zoo is nearer to the old city. There are direct TSRTC (Telangana State Road Transport Corporation) buses from all the important areas of the city. There are special buses to the zoo but the fare is slightly higher.

The zoo is spread over a large area. Visitors have to walk long distances which is tiresome, especially on a hot sunny day. There are battery operated vehicles (BOV) to move around inside the zoo. The charge for these motor vehicles is Rs.30/- per head for children below 12 years and Rs.50/- per head for adults. (Rates subject to change).

Travel Information

Hyderabad Zoo Park Ticket Price and Timings

The Zoo remains closed on Mondays. It remains open from 8.00 a.m to 5.30 p.m during the months from April to June and from 8.30 a.m to 5.00 p.m during the months from July to March.

Ticket booking counters will be closed by 4.30 p.m.

Entry fee is Rs.15/- for children below 12 years and Rs.30/- for adults. (subject to change)

For taking still cam inside the zoo there is an additional charge of Rs.20/- per day and for video / handy cams, it is Rs.100/- per day. Charges are higher for professional photographers and videographers. There won't be much of waiting at the ticket counters as there won't be long lines.
BOVs are available at the entrance and the payment should be made to the driver sitting in the vehicle. The vehicle goes round various exhibits in the zoo, stops at these places for a while so that visitors can go round watching the animals at these places. It is nearly a 45-minutes ride and this is the best option to go round the zoo for those who find it difficult to walk long distances.

The different exhibits of the zoo are Primate Park, Carnivore Plaza, Lion Junction, Bears Bay, Deer Land, Parrot World, Reptile Row, Nocturnal Animal House, Elephant Odyssey.

The driver stops the vehicle at every main spot of the zoo and gives enough time to see the zoo animals and take pictures of the wild. In the below pic you can see the white tiger moving around in the trees on a hot summer day in the month of May.
A ride in BOV is comfortable. The drivers are also very well behaved and helpful. For animal lovers the best option is to walk all the way to see the animals in the zoo. Bicycles also can be hired by paying Rs.20/- per hour (subject to change) for moving around the zoo.

As you move through Carnivore Plaza exhibit, you can see the jaguar moving restlessly perhaps due to unbearable heat. You can take few clicks of this big cat.
And you can enjoy seeing the sloth bear standing on its two hind limbs and walking precariously on the edge of wall in the Bears Bay exhibit.
After going round different exhibits and enjoy seeing various animals like elephants, deer etc in the zoo, you come across the birds zone where you enjoy listening to the musical chirping of the birds.
In this exhibit you can see the rare white white peacock. From here the BOV will drop you at the Reptile Row which is close to the entrance / exit.

There is also a toy train though not up to international standards but okay. It's almost like a 'dabba' train. But children do enjoy the ride. It would be really nice, if the zoo authorities take little care in maintaining the train and beautifying it. I'm sure this would attract more visitors and would sure to generate income for the zoo.

There are toilets and washrooms with average cleanliness. There is drinking water facility and first aid as well. There are benches and shelters at places for resting. There is food court near the toy train station. There are canteens, one near the Rhino enclosure and the other near the parrot world. There is Vijaya Dairy Parlor near the giraffe enclosure.

You can carry eatables and water inside the zoo. But you are not allowed to feed the same to the zoo animals.

It's a good place for a family picnic for a day off work. Animal lovers may be disappointed as they many not find many animals here. It is enjoyed on a cloudy day but not in a hot / humid weather as there are long walks.

Stay

Hyderbad is the capital city and one the top most IT hubs in India. It is full of tourist attractions and hence there is no dearth for hotels both luxury / star hotels like Taj Group of Hotels, Novotel Hotel, Hyatt Palace etc and budget hotels.

Food

Hyderabad is very popular for its spicy dum biryani (a spiced rice item), irani chai (spiced tea), double ka meetha (bread halwa), khubani ka meet (sweet item) and many other delicacies. There are many restaurants both veg and non-veg that serve very tasty local / Indian / continental food.

Paradise in Patny center, Secunderabad is famous for its high quality dum biryani. Chutneys is famous for idli and other veg items.

Shopping

Hyderabadi stone studded lac bangles, handmade materials by the Banjaras / Lambadis, Hyderabad pearls etc are some of the must buy items from Hyderabad.