Arignar Anna Zoological Park, Chennai: How To Reach, Best Time & Tips

INR ₹

Arignar Anna Zoological Park Overview

Known popularly as a beautiful and alluring spot for picnickers in Vandalur, Arignar Anna Zoological Park happens to be one of the best places for exploring fauna and flora of this region. Calling on to adults and children for weekend getaways, Arignar Zoo gets a heavy influx of visitors each year. Located at an approximate distance of around 32 km from Chennai and spread across an average area of about 1260 acres, it is known as South East Asia’s largest zoo.

Sheltering more than 138 species of creatures, Arignar Anna Zoological Park is a paradise for every nature and animal lover. This park houses umpteen varieties of animals, including mammals, amphibians, reptiles, birds, fishes, and butterflies. In addition, the place also has a small Jurassic Park that adds to overall excitement offered by the destination. Other special aspects of this park include a children’s park, a learning centre, and Elephant joy rides.

Arignar Anna Zoological Park is frequently visited by photo fanatics, wildlife lovers, nature lovers, peace seekers, and experience seekers. The park provides its visitors the opportunities to go on safaris and watch the various animals closely. The park also houses a small library where children as well as adults can get to read and learn more regarding the habitat and living styles of the different animals living in this place. In addition to all these exciting experiences, visitors can also indulge in nature and wildlife photography during their visit to Arignar Anna Zoological Park.

How To Reach

1. By Air: The nearest airport to Arignar Anna Zoological Park is Chennai International Airport, which is located at a distance of 16.1 kilometers from the destination. Once tourists reach the airport, they can take a local taxi to arrive at the park.

2. By Bus: Regular bus services are available from various parts of Chennai to Arignar Anna Zoological Park.

3. By Rail: The closest railway station to Arignar Anna Zoological Park is located in Vandalur. The distance of Vandalur station from the park is approximately 2.8 kilometers. Once you reach the railway station, you can easily take a taxi or an auto to arrive at the destination.

Best Time To Visit

Although Arignar Anna Zoological Park can be visited at any time of the year, the winter months of November to February are considered as the most ideal time for visiting this place. The park gets its real vibrant colors and acquires the maximum number of visitors during this time.

It is highly suggested for tourists to avoid visiting the zoological park during the monsoons as it rains very heavily in the city at this time, which can make it difficult to experience the real scenic beauty of this destination.

Tourists planning to visit Arignar Anna Zoological Park should consider heading to the place during the morning or evening hours as these are the best periods to journey inside the park peacefully.

Other Essential Information

Location: Grand Southern Trunk Rd, Vandalur, Tamil Nadu 600048

Timings: Arignar Anna Zoological Park is open for visiting from 9 AM to 6 PM, on all days except for Tuesday.

Entry fee: The entry fee for visiting Arignar Anna Zoological Park is INR 30 per head for adults and INR 10 per head for children aged between 2 to 12 years. There is no entry fee for children under 2 years of age.

Places to Eat around Arignar Anna Zoological Park

1. Punjabi Nation: Located at a small distance of around 4.9 kilometers from Arignar Anna Zoological Park, Punjabi Nation is a popular food joint specializing in Indian and Asian cuisines. Welcoming tourists and locals for lunch and dinner, this vegetarian-friendly restaurant serves excellent North Indian delicacies. Some special preparations of Punjabi Nation include Pudina Paratha and Lacha Paratha.

2. Sangeetha Vegetarian Restaurant: Situated at an approximate distance of about 0.5 kilometers from Arignar Anna Zoological Park, Sangeetha Vegetarian Restaurant happens to be a budget-friendly food joint. Specializing in Indian dishes, the restaurant serves south Indian delicacies and vegetarian meals. Sangeetha Vegetarian Restaurant is known for its prompt service, clean environment, and tasty snacks and meals.

3. Sree Agarwal Bhojanalaya: Located at a distance of around 6.9 kilometers from Arignar Anna Zoological Park, Sree Agarwal Bhojanalaya is a decent restaurant serving mouth-watering south Indian as well as north Indian dishes. Known for its courteous staff, good food, and nice interior, this food joint invites guests for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

4. Shri Balaajee Bhavan: Situated at a distance of about 5.2 kilometers from Arignar Anna Zoological Park, Shri Balaajee Bhavan happens to be a budget restaurant, welcoming people mainly for breakfast, brunch, lunch, and dinner. Specializing in Asian cuisine, this restaurant is known for its pleasant ambience, polite staff, and widespread menu.

Travelers' Tip before visiting Arignar Anna Zoological Park

1. Although many different safaris are available inside the zoological park, yet visitors prefer taking cycles on rent to visit the various sites of the park as it is fun and cost-effective.

2. The visit around the park’s zoo may take hours. Hence, it is highly recommended to carry sufficient drinking water.

3. Carrying food items inside the park is prohibited and a small in-house canteen is available for refreshment.

4. Carrying alcohol or smoking on the premises of the zoological park is strictly prohibited.

5. Do not indulge in feeding, teasing, or hurting the animals inside the zoo. Carrying out such activities can result in serious circumstances.

Arignar Anna Zoological Park FAQs

How do I get to Anna Arignar Zoological Park?

Once you reach the city of Chennai, you can easily hire a local taxi or take a bus to arrive at Arignar Anna Zoological Park in no more than just 1 hour and 5 minutes.

What Animals Can you see at the Arignar Anna Zoological Park?

Tourists visiting Arignar Anna Zoological Park can see umpteen varieties of animals including blackbuck, Sangai, Nilgiri Langur, Hog Deer, Sambar, Nilgai, Jaguar, Hyena, Lion-Tailed Macaque, Hanuman Langur, Leaf-Capped Langur, Baboon, Wolf, Ilama, and Otter. Visitors can also see rare and endangered animals like Nilgiri Macaques, European Brown Bear, Monitor Lizard, Star Tortoises, Muscovy Duck, Lemur, White Tiger, and Bengal Tiger. One can even witness many exotic creatures here like Cassowary and Emu. Furthermore, kids and adults can get an opportunity to spend time watching a plethora of colorful butterflies, insects, and fish.

Where is Arignar Anna Zoological Park located?

Arignar Anna Zoological Park is situated in the town of Vandalur, in southwestern Chennai, in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The park lies at an average distance of about 37.3 kilometers from the heart of Chennai city.

How do I get from Vandalur Zoo to Vandalur railway station?

Vandalur Zoo or Arignar Anna Zoological Park is located at an approximate distance of around 2.8 kilometers from Vandalur Railway Station. Visitors can easily take a local taxi or an auto-rickshaw to reach the railway station from the zoo in no more than just 7 to 10 minutes.

What is Arignar Anna Zoological Park famous for?

Arignar Anna Zoological Park is famous as the country’s biggest zoological park. It is also popular all over the world for its umpteen varieties of fauna and flora exhibits. In addition, the park also lures visitors to witness the rare and endangered animal species that are conserved here, in their natural habitats. Furthermore, Arignar Anna Zoological Park even attracts tourists as well as locals with its different types of Jungle safaris.

Is food allowed to in the park?

No, carrying outside food into Arignar Anna Zoological Park is strictly prohibited. The park has its own in-house restaurant which offers snacks, meals, and beverages to the people visiting the place. Tourists can only carry water bottles to the park.

Is Arignar Anna Zoological Park worth visiting?

Without any doubt, yes. Owing to its awe-inspiring natural beauty, wide display of wild flora and fauna, children’s park, and library, Arignar Zoological Park is absolutely worth visiting at least once in your entire lifetime. This park is a recommended visit in the country as one will never want to miss out on the opportunity of spending time with the rare, exotic, and endangered species of animals and birds. The colorful butterflies in this park can inspire visitors to realize the real beauty of their lives. Furthermore, the scope to enjoy safaris can provide tourists a chance to witness the beautiful animals from a proximate distance and obtain a lifetime worth experience.

Is photography allowed in Anna Zoological Park?

Yes, of course. Tourists can indulge in nature and wildlife photography inside the park. Visitors take closer pictures of the animals during their jungle safari and carry the photographs as souvenirs to remember their experience in Arignar Anna Zoological Park. That being said, visitors who want to carry cameras into this zoological park have to pay a small additional fee of INR 25.