Nandankanan is in Orissa. Being the largest zoo in India, it should’ve had tourists all year round. But the place is not that tourist-infested, at least I didn’t find it so. Most people visit Nandankanan as a part of their Puri trip; I also did the same.
I went there in January 2014. If the last time you visited this zoo was at least five years ago, you’d have a hard time recognizing it on your next visit. That’s because the place has improved a lot over last four or five years. The locals told me all these when I talked to them.
The zoo spans across a large area. It was huge; it took me more than four hours to reach from one corner to another. The zoo assists tourists with electric cabs, but some still prefer to walk it.
You’ll find a great variety of animals there. A home so big has to have a lot of inhabitants. Almost all zoos have Tigers, lions, deers, crocodiles and snakes. But Nandankanan, in addition, has some exotic animals such as blue bull, orang utan, zebra grant, pangolin, civet, etc. Various unfamiliar birds like kite black, hornbill grey, fascinated me.
“I grew up reading ‘The Jungle Books’ and loving them.”
– – Salman Rushdie
Just a short line of advice; visit this zoo in the morning or in the afternoon to enjoy the view of the animals. The zoo has separate feeding timings for separate animals, contact the authorities to know the timing in details.
The Bus Safari is the zoo’s prime attraction. For less than hundred bucks, you can see four safaris; the lion safari, the deer safari, the tiger safari and the bear safari. It has started only recently; it’s fun as you can see uncaged carnivores from a distance of a few feet. The experience was thrilling, I didn’t miss any animal and saw all of them.
Other than such an excellent collection of animals, the zoo has a botanical garden, after which the zoo was named. I’ve been to the place and it’s nice and tranquil. All in all, Nandankanan is home to many ostrich, emu, rhino, hippos, leopards, bison and giraffes. Want to be near to them? Then visit this place.
Kolkata to Odisha 4 nights and 5 days tour plan :
Date – 22.01.2014 – 27.01.2014
Tour Members :- 8
Hotels information : Coal India holiday home. Coal House, 13, R N Mukherjee Road, Kolkata-1 Ph: 22486266
Tour plan :
Day 1 : Night : Kolkata to Puri
Day 2 : Puri Local Sight scence, Walking in sea beach
Day 3 : Sightscene : Konarak, Nandankanan, Uday giri.
Day 4 : Jagannath temple visiting, Back to kolklata
Day 5 : Reached Kolkata
Some more info :
Packing list :- All daily wears, Extra Dress, Water bottle, Camera and umbrella.
Shopping – Handmade seashell product is available just start from 10rs. Kotki cloth, Hindu God Ideol and Photoframes.
Do and Don’ts :- Try to start early the sightscene (Day 3). Nandankanan is the best tour for the family trip.
You can also visit our full album : Click here.
Nandankanan Tour Map
Thanks
Team Exploretours
My name is Supriya Kumar Mitra. It is the diary of travel experiences of some passionate travelers. We are sharing our tour experience in this site. As the name Exploretours is a blog on everything that leads to travel. To us, tour is not memory or images its connect to nature.. This website is dedicated for those who love to travel..
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