Central Zoo in Kathmandu

Located at Jawalakhel, the only zoo in Nepal, Central Zoo was established as a private zoo in 1932 by the late Rana Prime Minister Juddha Samsher. Its management was entrusted to NTNC since 1995 on the occasion of Golden Jubilee birthday celebration of the Late Majesty King Birendra Bir Bikram Shah, after it remained under control of various government departments due to political instability.



The trust aims to develop the zoo and work for the conservation and protection of the animals. With an area of about 6 hectre, the Central Zoo provides shelter to various species of mammals, birds, fish and reptiles and also serves as a recreational center for the visitors of the zoo. Many people visit this zoo every day with their friends and family. It is also popular place for dry picnic and educational visit among small school children where they come together with their teachers and classmates as a part of educational day out.

‘Friends of Zoo (FOZ), a special membership based program operated by the Central Zoo for raising public awareness and participation in nature and wildlife conservation is run successfully with a network of schools in Kathmandu valley. Also the animal management unit is improving and working to provide better habitats for the zoo animals with the operation of newly established ‘Animal Hospital’. The zoo also adds new displays of national and international species in order to educate and introduce the visitors to different wild species. The main source of income for the Central Zoo is the revenue collected from the entry ticket charges that differs on the basis of age and nationality with discounts for students on displaying their id cards. There are many benches and shades for sitting and relaxing, the cafés inside the zoo caters to the taste of the visitors, swings and Ferris wheel lets the children enjoy their time inside the zoo along with the elephant ride offered. Keeping in mind the conservation of environment, the zoo has prohibited the use of plastic bags inside its perimeter. Also fishing is opened from 1st of Chaitra till 30th of Kartik and the pond in the middle of the zoo offers paddle boating services throughout the year.

The Central Zoo stays open from 10:00am to 5:00 pm from Sunday to Saturday, i.e. seven days a week.