my story: Balasaheb Thackeray Gorewada International Zoological Park.

Balasaheb Thackeray Gorewada International Zoological Park.

Balasaheb Thackeray Gorewada International Zoological Park is commonly referred to and known as Gorewada Zoo. Sprawling over a 1,914-hectare forest area adjoining the Gorewada Lake in Nagpur, it is known as India’s largest captive zoo safari. It was inaugurated on 26 January 2021.

We visited it on 1 April 2026.

Tickets can be boobke on line. The bookings and tickets can be seen and are also available on WhatsApp under the name. “Zipr” . The website is user-friendly and good. Cost per ticket is Rs 303.69. No idea why such an odd figure. The safaris are available in the morning, afternoon, and evening slots. We booked the tickets for the first safari, which is at 8:30 AM. Tickets are also available at ticket counters in the complex, which also houses Jumbos Joint which is, a souvenir shop. There is also a Gift Shop. Neither of these was still open till the time of departure of our bus.

Safaris are conducted in air-conditioned buses equipped with a PA system by which the guide announces the information about the progress of the bus and information about the animals of the enclosures through which the bus is passing through.

The Safaries are separated on all sides by service roads and enclosed within 15-20 foot high barbed wire security fencing.

Entry to the safari enclosures is through a double-gate entry system. In this system, there are two gates on either side of the enclosure or space where the bus can be accommodated. To start with, both gates are closed. As the bus arrives, the gate is opened. Once the bus is inside the enclosure, the gate through which the bus entered is closed. Only after this gate is fully closed, the other gate is opened, and the bus passes through the closed space. Thus, achieving entry or exit within different safaris.

All the safaris are spread over an area of 25 hectares, except for the Herbiveros safari, which is 40 hectares. The entire area of the safaris and the park consists of grassland, shrubs, and stunted trees.

The sequence of the enclousers or safaris, followed by our bus, was Leopard Safari, Sloth Bear Safari, Herbivores Safari and Tiger Safari.

Leopard safari.

The guide told us that currently there were six leopards, two males and four females. When I commented on the lack of animals like deer, etc., on which the Leopards can feed, I was told that there was a night shelter constructed for the Leopards, which was also the place where they were fed with meat. Other times, based on opportunities, they do hunt small birds and peacocks, which are plentiful in the park area.

We were lucky to spot three leopards, one at very close range. Beautiful, sleek, impressive animal.

Sloth Bear Safari.

We spotted two sloth bears. One was quite active and wandering around foraging for insects and digging for roots. The other one was sitting by the fence without much movement during our stay,

Sloth bears are also fed in the evenings with fruits, edible roots etc supplimented with eggs.

Herbivores Safari.

A large number and variety of deer are located in this enclosure. The species include Spotted Deer (Chital), Sambar Deer, Barking Deer, and the endangered Sangai Deer. Other herbivores like Blackbuck, rare albono or white blackbuck, and plenty of Nilgai or blue bull are also present. Another notable presence is that of a large number of peacocks.

Tiger safari.

By the time we reached the tiger enclosure, it was almost 9 o’clock. Though fairly early, the sun was very bright and hot, and the temperatures were also in the high 30s degree C.

Presently, there is only one tiger. This about 5-year-old tiger was recently introduced; it has been named 'Ranga'.

Here again, we were lucky. We saw the tiger sitting in the artificially created water pond, enjoying the cool bath. As the bus approached, it turned to look at it, what a fierce and penetrating gaze and the majestic look. No wonder its name includes the word “Royal”. It obliged us by getting out of the water, walking about 100 odd meters to sit under the shade of a tree.

Even though we had done more than 17 safaris in tiger reserves like Pench, Kanha, and Tadoba, this was the first time we saw this majestic creature at such a close range. Truly Impressive.

This was the last of the safari, the bus exited the tiger enclosure and dropped us at the parking lot.

A truly memorable visit, as we were lucky to see all that the park had to offer.