Kolkata Zoo /Alipore Zoo, Kolkata - Timings, Safari Cost, Best Time to Visit

At a distance of 11 km from Kolkata Railway Station, Kolkata Zoo is zoological garden located in Alipore locality of Kolkata in the state of West Bengal. Situated near National Library, it is the oldest zoological parks in India and among the must-visit places during your Kolkata Trip.

Popularly called as Alipore Zoo, the zoo was initially established as a private menagerie by the then Governor-General of India, Richard Wellesley, around the year 1800 as a part of the Indian Natural History Project. It was upgraded to a formal zoological garden on 1st January 1876 and was finally opened to the general public on 6th May 1876. The zoo is most known for being the home of the expired Aldabra giant tortoise 'Adwaita', who had lived for over 250 years before he died in the year 2006. The place is a must-visit for nature enthusiasts, or for families with children, to explore the abundant and plentiful wildlife of the country at its best.

Spread over an area of 46.5 acres, Alipore Zoo is home to a variety of exotic animals like Royal Bengal Tiger, African lion, Asiatic lion, jaguar, hippopotamus, great Indian one-horned rhinoceros, reticulated giraffe, Grant's zebra, and Indian elephant. The zoo is also home to several colorful and exotic pheasants like the Chinese silver pheasant, golden pheasant, reeve's pheasant, Lady Amherst's pheasant, green pheasant, and Nepal Kalij pheasant. Other birds found here include the bare-eyed cockatoo, citron crested cockatoo, sulfur-crested cockatoo, spoonbill, Sarus Crane, painted stork, adjutant stork, white stork, and black-necked stork.

The Alipore zoo also has an exclusive Reptile House that is solely meant for the reptiles and is home to the Indian python, Indian cobra, common krait, banded krait, rat snake, checkered keelback water snake, and common wolf snake. Besides, it also boasts a Primate House, an Elephant House, and a Panther House which opens out onto the open-air enclosures for the lions and tigers. A separate children's zoo is also present here, along with the Calcutta Aquarium, which lies across the street from the zoo, but is affiliated to the zoo. It is also home to one of the few captive breeding projects involving the Manipur brow-antlered deer.

The Alipore Zoo becomes especially crowded during the winter seasons when tourists flock to this popular destination in Kolkata in huge numbers. Modernization of the zoo, including the addition of new glass-walled enclosures and building of aviaries, has further led to an increase in the popularity of this zoo.

Timings: 9 AM - 5 PM, Closed on every Thursday

Entry: Rs. 30 for Adults, Rs. 10 for Children, Rs. 250 for Video & Rs. 5 per Person for Aquarium