The Largest Zoo in India, by Area and by Animals

By area, the largest zoo in India is Sri Venkateswara Zoological Park in Tirupati, which covers 1,254.71 hectares, although only 289 of them have been developed so far. Count animals instead and the order changes: Mysuru Zoo keeps more than 1,450 on its 157 acres, against 1,071 at Tirupati. Vantara in Gujarat reports far more than either, but it is not open to the public.

Which venue to choose

Even the biggest zoo's size depends on whose number you read. Tirupati's own website gives 1,254.71 hectares, Wikipedia gives 5,532 acres and calls it the largest zoological park in Asia, and in July 2026 The Hans India reported 3,100 acres, one of the largest zoo parks in Asia by area.

For comparison, here is what the other big names cover, in the units their sources use:

• Arignar Anna Zoological Park (Vandalur), Chennai: 602 hectares, among the largest zoos in South Asia.
• **Nandanvan Jungle Safari, Naya Raipur:** 800 acres in all, including the 130-acre Khandwa Reservoir.
• Vizag Zoo, Visakhapatnam: 625 acres, or 253 hectares.
• Nehru Zoological Park, Hyderabad: 380 acres (150 hectares), beside the 600-acre Mir Alam Tank.
• **National Zoological Park, Delhi:** 176 acres (71 hectares).
• Mysuru Zoo: 157 acres (64 hectares), and 77.02 of those acres are Karanji Lake.

One more is on the way. Gorewada near Nagpur is likely, once complete, to be one of India's largest captive zoo safaris, on more than 1,914 hectares. Wikipedia also calls Kanpur Zoological Park the largest zoological park in North India.

By animals, the leader is not a zoo you can visit. Vantara, the wildlife rescue and rehabilitation initiative in Jamnagar district, Gujarat, has reported more than 150,000 animals of over 2,000 species, though published counts vary with which facilities are included. Among zoos open to the public, Vandalur housed 2,389 animals across 178 species as of 2022. Mysuru has more than 1,450 animals of 150 species, Delhi about 1,350 of almost 130, Tirupati 1,071 of 84 and Vizag 843 of 123. Etawah had 260 animals in March 2023.

The pattern matters for your day. The largest parks spread their animals over forest and safari enclosures, so plan on a vehicle; the compact city zoos pack more into a walk.

Sri Venkateswara Zoological Park, Tirupati: the biggest by area

Tirupati keeps 31 species of mammals, 46 of birds and 7 of reptiles, and its species list runs from the Indian gaur and white tiger to the saltwater crocodile and gharial. Two safari areas show off the space: a lion safari over 33 acres, open since 25 October 2009, and a 34-acre deer safari with spotted deer, blackbuck, nilgai, sambar and peafowl. A White Tiger Safari is listed as opening soon.

The zoo is also due for investment. In July 2026 the Andhra Pradesh Assembly Speaker backed a modernisation push that needs around Rs 6 crore, Rs 3 crore of it expected from Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams. He also noted that of the nearly 95,000 devotees who visit Tirupati every day, only about 4 percent go to the zoo.

Do not plan to walk all 289 developed hectares. As of September 2026, an electric vehicle ticket costs ₹70 for adults and ₹50 for children, a bicycle costs ₹25 an hour and an electric bicycle ₹50, and ₹750 lets you take your own four-wheeler in. The zoo has a canteen, wheelchairs and a children's play area. Pets are not allowed.

Featured location Sri Venkateswara Zoological Park Tirupati (Urban), India Sri Venkateswara Zoological Park, opened in 1987, is a zoo in Tirupati (Urban), Kanpur division.

Vizag Zoo, Visakhapatnam: hills on three sides, sea on the fourth

Vizag Zoo sits in the Seethakonda Reserve Forest, with the hills of the Eastern Ghats on three sides and the Bay of Bengal on the fourth. Its 843 animals include Indian elephants, greater one-horned rhinos, Bengal tigers, Asiatic lions, dholes and sloth bears, plus hippos, giraffes, zebras and chimpanzees. Look out, too, for the free-ranging animals that live between two hillocks inside the grounds.

For the ground you need to cover, a battery-operated vehicle ticket buys 90 minutes, and the lion and herbivore safaris run 30-minute trips. The zoo has e-rickshaws, cycles, wheelchairs, play areas for children and a cloakroom for luggage.

Nehru Zoological Park, Hyderabad: set aside the whole day

The Hyderabad district administration says it easily takes around 6-7 hours to cover the whole zoo, and there is plenty to fill them. Nearly 100 species of birds, animals and reptiles live here. The main attraction is the Lion Safari, which takes you through the safari gates in an iron-fenced van. The nocturnal house reverses night and day so its animals are awake while you are there, and the site adds a prehistoric dinosaur park, a natural history museum and a mini-train.

More is planned: a one-acre walk-through tunnel aquarium with species from Asia, Africa and the Americas, which in 2025 was awaiting approval from the Central Zoo Authority, and a tiger enclosure with bullet-proof glass, with ₹2 crore sanctioned.

Mysuru Zoo: more animals, less walking

Mysuru Zoo was started in 1892 by Chamarajendra Wodeyar, ruler of Mysuru, and it is small only by the standards of this list. Its primates include chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutans, lion-tailed macaques and hoolock gibbons. The big cats include jaguars and cheetahs alongside tigers, lions and leopards, and the large mammals include Asian and African elephants, Indian and southern white rhinos, hippos and gaur. The zoo is about 700 metres from Mysore Palace, so the two fit easily into one day.

The zoo suggests arriving early, spending the morning with the birds and reptiles, then moving on to the larger enclosures. It provides battery-operated vehicles, a food court, wheelchairs and umbrellas, and lists a child care unit and a luggage room among its amenities.

Etawah Safari Park: the scale, seen from a vehicle

Etawah is a drive-through safari park, opened to the public in November 2019. It has a lion safari, a deer safari, an antelope safari, a bear safari and a leopard safari, plus an Asiatic lion breeding centre and a visitor centre with a multimedia museum and a 4D education theatre. It is also far quieter than Mysuru: 110,023 people visited Etawah in 2023-24, against 34.84 lakh at Mysuru in 2024-25.

Tickets and saving money

Prices as of September 2026, from each zoo's own website:

• Tirupati: ₹70 for adults over 12 and ₹30 for children aged 3-12; foreign visitors pay ₹200 and ₹100. The safari costs ₹50 for adults and ₹30 for children.
• Vizag Zoo: ₹70 per adult and ₹30 per child aged 3-12. The 90-minute battery vehicle costs ₹70 and ₹50, and each 30-minute safari trip ₹50 and ₹30.
• Mysuru Zoo: ₹120 for adults and ₹60 for children aged 5-12, with under-5s free. Battery-operated vehicles cost ₹240 for adults and ₹180 for children and senior citizens.

For Nehru Zoological Park, check current prices at the gate.

One combination ticket is worth buying. At Mysuru, the zoo and Karanji Lake combo costs ₹150 for adults and ₹80 for children, against ₹180 and ₹90 for the two tickets bought separately. Vizag Zoo gives free entry to people with disabilities.

Best time to visit

India's meteorological department counts four seasons: winter from December to February, summer from March to May, the south-west monsoon from June to September and the post-monsoon from October to November. April is the hottest month in western and southern India, and May and June in most of the north. Heat matters at a zoo: Tirupati warns that on hot summer days its animals rest inside their night shelters, and Mysuru's temperatures reach up to 35 degrees in peak summer and fall below 20 in winter.

The time of day matters as much as the season. Tirupati names 10am to noon and 3pm to 4:30pm as its best hours, with birds active in the morning and mammals towards dusk. Mysuru advises coming early in the morning or in the evening if you mainly want the big cats, because they rest during the day.

Opening hours, as of September 2026:

• Tirupati: 8:30am to 4:45pm all year, closed on Tuesdays.
• Vizag Zoo: 9am to 5pm Tuesday to Sunday, closed on Mondays.
• Mysuru Zoo: 8:30am to 5:30pm, closed on Tuesdays.

Getting there

• Tirupati: parking costs ₹30 for a car, jeep or auto.
• Vizag Zoo: 16km from the airport, 11km from the railway station and 8km from the bus stand. It has gates on opposite sides, one towards National Highway 5 and the other towards Beach Road at Sagar Nagar.
• Nehru Zoological Park: Bus routes 7Z and 49 run from Secunderabad Railway station to the Mir Alam Tank area.
• Mysuru Zoo: 3.2km from the railway station, 1.9km from the suburban bus stand and 10.7km from the airport.
• Etawah Safari Park: about a 2-hour drive from Agra or 3 hours from Lucknow.

Other wildlife nearby

Each of the big zoos has wild habitat within reach. Opposite Vizag Zoo, the Kambalakonda Wildlife Sanctuary covers 70.70 square kilometres of dry evergreen forest, scrub and meadow, and its indicator species is the Indian leopard. Near Tirupati, Sri Venkateswara National Park is known for waterfalls such as Talakona; the leopard is quite common there, along with the wild dog, and sloth bears are frequently encountered.

Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary, the largest bird sanctuary in Karnataka, is 16km north of Mysore. In Hyderabad you need not leave the zoo: the Mir Alam Tank next door attracts hundreds of migratory birds. From Etawah, the National Chambal Sanctuary protects the gharial, the red-crowned roof turtle and the Ganges river dolphin, and Etawah is one of the towns with hotels and eco lodges for visiting it.