Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park, Darjeeling

The Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park in Darjeeling is the best-known zoo in the Eastern Himalaya for red pandas and snow leopards. This guide notes ticket and timing figures that sources disagree on.

The Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park, usually called the Darjeeling Zoo, opened in 1958 and covers about 67.56 acres at around 2,134 m (7,000 ft). Wikipedia describes it as specialising in high-altitude species, with successful breeding programmes for snow leopards, red pandas and the endangered Himalayan wolf. It recorded 156 animals in 2006 and draws roughly 300,000 visitors a year.

The park is on Jawahar Parbat, close to the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, and visitors often combine the two on one outing. Walking paths run down the hillside past enclosures for animals of the Himalayan region; photographs on Commons show Bengal tigers, leopards, Himalayan tahr, blue sheep, yaks and deer as well as red pandas and snow leopards. The slopes are steep, so allow time and wear good shoes.

The zoo's own website, pnhzp.gov.in, could not be reached during research, so ticket prices and hours come from a travel site and may be out of date: that source lists Rs 30 for Indian visitors and Rs 100 for foreign visitors, with 8:30 am to 4:30 pm opening, while other pages mention a weekly closure on Thursdays. Confirm timings and the closed day before you go.