Is Bandung Zoo Closed? Where to See Animals Near Bandung Now

No, not to the public. Bandung Zoo has been closed since 6 August 2025, when a dispute over who had the legal right to run it forced the city to shut its gates, and in February 2026 Indonesia's Ministry of Forestry revoked the previous operator's licence outright. A new operator took over in June 2026 and is hoping to reopen by the end of the year, though nothing is confirmed. Until then, Lembang Park and Zoo, up in the hills above Bandung, is the alternative this guide covers below.

Which venue to choose

Bandung Zoo dates back to 1933, when two earlier city zoos, at Cimindi and Dago Atas, were merged and moved to its current site. It closed to visitors on 6 August 2025, after the city ordered its gates shut: two rival factions had each claimed the legal right to operate the zoo, which sits on land the local government owns. With ticket income gone but daily running costs unchanged, the closure pushed the zoo, home to more than 700 animals, into a severe financial crisis.

From 28 December 2025 visitors were let in for free, asked only to donate cash or vegetables for the animals rather than buy a ticket -- a policy the city framed as keeping the grounds open as public green space. It drew a real crowd: on one January morning, roughly 2,282 people came through in just half an hour. That shows how much demand the closure left unmet, but it was never a return to normal, ticketed operation.

The dispute was settled only when Indonesia's Ministry of Forestry stepped in.

The state must not allow animals to become victims of administrative issues.

On 5 February 2026 the ministry revoked the Tamansari Wildlife Foundation's management permit outright and took over the animals' care itself while it searched for a new operator. That search ended on 10 June 2026, when PT Fauna Land Ancol, known as Faunaland, was named Bandung Zoo's new operator under a 26-year agreement. Bandung's mayor, Muhammad Farhan, has said he hopes the zoo can reopen by the end of 2026 -- but Faunaland still has to apply for a new ex-situ conservation permit and complete an AMDAL, Indonesia's environmental impact assessment, before it can. Treat any 2026 reopening as a hope rather than a booking.

That leaves Lembang Park and Zoo as the alternative near Bandung covered here.

Featured location Lembang Park and Zoo Bandung Barat, Indonesia SEAZA Lembang Park and Zoo, opened in 2020, is a zoo in Bandung Barat, Indonesia.

What not to miss

Lembang Park and Zoo's own site names three visitor activities: Close Encounters, Keeper Talk, and Kampung Satwa, its animal village. It's a member of both PKBSI, Indonesia's zoo and aquarium association, and SEAZA, the regional body covering South East Asia -- an accreditation Bandung Zoo doesn't currently hold. The site is thin on further description of each activity, so it's worth checking closer to your visit for what's currently running.

Getting there

Lembang Park and Zoo is at Jl. Kolonel Masturi No. 171, Sukajaya, in the Lembang district of West Bandung Regency -- administratively separate from Bandung city, and up in the hills rather than down in the city itself.

Best time to visit

Lembang sits at an elevation of between 1,312 and 2,084 metres, and its temperature usually runs between 17°C and 24°C -- noticeably cooler than lowland Bandung. Pack something warmer than you would for the city itself, whatever month you go.