Darjeeling Tourist Lodge

An enjoyable visit to the Himalayan wild animals, birds and species. It was indeed great. This zoo doesn't contain a lot of animals but some remarkable ones. It has the endangered Red Panda, the snow leopard, the common leopard, the black panther, the clouded leopard, the Himalayan bear, the wolfs, the Royal Bengal tiger as pivotal attractions. It also has a dome consisting of different bird species such as the Macaque, the parrots, the pheasants and the Cockatoos. It has many other deer species, buffaloes, etc. It has many species such as salamanders, snakes, etc. A museum is also present inside and a mountaineering institute. All these at the cost of 60/- only. And it closes at 4:30 pm so you shouldn't be late.The place is so open and without cages. The animals are separated by boundaries though. It feels so fresh and good to visit such a beautiful place full of flowering plants and surrounded by mountains. I enjoyed visiting the Red Panda the most, about which I have only studied in books. It was so cute. I loved this visit and would love to revisit it soon. I would strongly recommend you to give it a try and especially if you have children along with you.

An enjoyable visit to the Himalayan wild animals, birds and species. It was indeed great. This zoo doesn't contain a lot of animals but some remarkable ones. It has the endangered Red Panda, the snow leopard, the common leopard, the black panther, the clouded leopard, the Himalayan bear, the wolfs, the Royal Bengal tiger as pivotal attractions. It also has a dome consisting of different bird species such as the Macaque, the parrots, the pheasants and the Cockatoos. It has many other deer species, buffaloes, etc. It has many species such as salamanders, snakes, etc. A museum is also present inside and a mountaineering institute. All these at the cost of 60/- only. And it closes at 4:30 pm so you shouldn't be late.The place is so open and without cages. The animals are separated by boundaries though. It feels so fresh and good to visit such a beautiful place full of flowering plants and surrounded by mountains. I enjoyed visiting the Red Panda the most, about which I have only studied in books. It was so cute. I loved this visit and would love to revisit it soon. I would strongly recommend you to give it a try and especially if you have children along with you.!!

Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park (also called the Darjeeling Zoo) is a 67.56-acre (27.3 ha) zoo in the town of Darjeeling in the Indian state of West Bengal. The zoo was opened in 1958, and an average elevation of 7,000 feet (2,134 m), is the largest high altitude zoo in India. It specializes in breeding animals adapted to alpine conditions, and has successful captive breeding programs for the snow leopard, the critically endangered Himalayan wolf and the red panda. The zoo attracts about 300,000 visitors every year. The park is named after Padmaja Naidu (1900–1975), daughter of Sarojini Naidu. The zoo serves as the central hub for Central Zoo Authority of India's red panda program and is a member of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

Visiting the Zoo was a good experience, it's not a very large but I'd say medium sized Zoo, despite that it was very clean. Zoo security is high and one could see a police officer every 50m. Other than some big cats majority of enclosures had very similar type of animals. Red panda is the crown jewel of the Zoo and is famous for the same. This year the Zoo got recognition of best Zoo of India.

Everyone should visit this zoo while in Darjeeling. It has all these beautiful birds along with some of these majestic animals like Leopard, Black Panther, Red Panda, Bear, Tiger, Wolves among others. We were just so lucky as all except Tiger gave us a full active view in winter as shown in pics here. Just Rs 110 per person and you can have a have day picnic with your family n friends here without any worry. The snake section is closed for winters.

Although the Red Panda is the star of the zoo, the other animals and birds are beautiful too. Ranging from the Royal Bengal Tiger to the Golden pheasant, the zoo boasts a large variety of species of animals.

Advice in advance:- Try to explore the zoo in a relaxed manner, as the terrain is a bit rough for the elderly. Also, follow the path set by the authorities to enjoy the zoo to the fullest.

Entry ticket price is Rs.110/head, with Rs.10 for taking a camera inside.

One of the best zoos I have visited. Few endangered species, and few species like red panda and Himalayan wolf which can only be seen here other than that there is Himalayan mountaineering institute which is a very good visit for museum buffs.

This is the animal zoo in the city of Darjeeling. We saw Bengal tiger here and variety of birds like peacock, parrot, piegion and others. A variety of plants are also here. India's on of the famous mountaineering institute is established here since 1980s. A museum is inside the zoo, with full of thrill experience. Different items of the people who climbed the mountains have kept here. An amazing surrounding and wonderful feeling, I felt after visiting the place. There is an entry fee for the place of Rs.150/- each. Definitely plan to visit for all who want to see some adventure in life.