Gopalpur Zoo

Gopalpur Zoo is situated in Gopalpur village, Kangra district, Himachal Pradesh in India, en route the Dharmshala – Palampur road. It is surrounded by Dhauladhar Range of the Himalayas. The zoo is adorned with maple trees, horse chestnut trees, chil and greenery .[1] Zoo remains closed on every Monday. Timing 1 November to 31 March:- Tuesday to Sunday 09:00AM – 05:00PM. Timing 1 March to 31 August:- Tuesday to Sunday 08:00AM – 05:30PM.

Gopalpur Zoo
Location in Himachal Pradesh
LocationGopalpur Village, Tehsil Palampur, Himachal Pradesh, India
Coordinates32.1389°0′0″N 76.449°0′0″E
Area0.12 square kilometres (0.046 sq mi)
Governing bodyState Government of Himachal Pradesh
Website164.100.155.49/pages/display/NXNkNGZohTY0ZjY1-zoosaviaries

The major attraction of the zoo are: Asiatic lion, leopard, Himalayan black bear, sambar deer, barking deer, ghoral, wild pigs, Indian crested porcupine, Bhutan Grey Peacocks, Cheer Pheasant, Red Jungle Fowl peacocks, vultures, eagles, etc.

Visiting

One can visit Gopalpur in the month of March till June and in the month of September till November. Cotton clothes can be worn during the summer season. However, there is monsoon season in the first week of July to the end of August that needs necessary protections during the visit. There are winters in the month of December till the end of February. Its proximity to Dhauladhar, Himalayan range makes it necessary to wear heavy woolen clothes. The temperature ranges from 15 to 19 °C (59 to 66 °F).

[Dhauladhar] range of the Himalayas from Kangra Valley

Access
  1. Air: Gaggal Airport, Kangra – It takes about 1 hour 30 minutes to reach Gaggal airport from New Delhi to Gaggal by air. Gaggal airport is barely 37 km away from Palampur and it would take hardly 1 hour 30 minutes to reach the zoo from the airport by road. Flights of Air India (at Indian Standard Time 9:45 a.m.]) and Spice Jet (at IST 12:00 p.m.) departs daily from Delhi Airport to Gaggal Airport, Kangra. The flights take approximately two hours to reach to the airport.
  1. Rail: Pathankot Railway Station is the nearest railway station (115 km) to Gopalpur. Pathankot railway station extends to Malaan, Nagrota Bagwaan through a narrow-gauge line. After reaching these railway stations, one can avail road transport to reach Gopalpur village. There are many trains that run daily from New Delhi to Pathankot.
  1. Road: The zoo is about 14 km away from Palampur on Palampur – Dharamshala Road and it takes about 25 to 30 minutes to reach at Gopalpur village. Himachal Road Transport Corporation buses (state-owned transport) ply regularly to Gopalpur village. It is one of the most common means of transport in Himachal Pradesh. A traveler can also hire a taxi from Palampur.

See also

Zoos and Aviaries of Himachal Pradesh

There are three recognized zoological parks at Gopalpur, Renuka and Kufri and three aviaries at Shimla, Sarahan and Chail. If a traveler visits Himachal Pradesh to visit all these and if he wish to travel by taxi, he should follow GT Road Shimla-Ghumarwin Rd and Hamirpur-Sujanpur-Maranda (384 km). It would be a 7 hours journey.

National Parks in Himachal Pradesh
  1. Great Himalayan National Park, Kullu District: Area 765 km2
  2. Pin Valley National Park, Lahaul and Spiti district: Area 675 km2

References
  1. "Gopalpur Zoo". Discovered India. Retrieved 9 August 2014.
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