Mysore Zoo Guide: Timings, Ticket Price, Battery Vehicle and Karanji Lake

The zoo, officially Sri Chamarajendra Zoological Gardens, sits inside the city on Zoo Main Road, Indiranagar. Sources put it anywhere from about 700 m to 2 km from Mysore Palace depending on the gate and the measuring point, so treat it as a short auto ride or a longer walk. That makes it an easy add-on to a palace day: our Mysore Palace guide covers the other half, and the Mysuru 2-day itinerary shows where a zoo morning fits.

Prices here come from the zoo’s own tariff page, which reflects the 20 per cent increase the Karnataka Zoo Authority approved in July 2025, and we cross-checked them against news reports of that decision. Older listings elsewhere still quote lower rates. Confirm at the counter before you queue.

Open8:30 am–5:30 pmClosedTuesdaysLast entryreported as 4:30 pmPhone0821 244 0752

The zoo’s site states the 8:30 am to 5:30 pm hours and the Tuesday closure. A tourism listing adds that entry stops at 4:30 pm, which only that one source mentions, so plan to be through the gate by about 4 pm and you will not have to find out. If your only free day is a Tuesday, spend it on the palace and Chamundi Hills instead; the Chamundi Hills guide has the timings.

Booking and concessions

Tickets can be bought at the counter or online through the booking link on the zoo’s official site, mysuruzoo.info. The tariff page lists no separate senior-citizen entry rate, only a senior rate for the battery vehicle. School groups get discounted rates, and the zoo notes that student concessions are stopped during the Dasara period, so a school trip in Dasara week should enquire first. The page does not list a foreign-visitor rate, so ask at the counter.

What changed in 2025

In July 2025 the Karnataka Zoo Authority board approved a 20 per cent increase in entry fees at the Mysuru and Bannerghatta zoos and turned down a proposed 50 per cent rise. Safari ticket rates were left unchanged. That is why a ₹100 adult ticket quoted on older pages is now ₹120. If you are also planning Bengaluru’s zoo, see the Bannerghatta Biological Park guide.

Is the battery vehicle worth it?

It depends on who is walking. The zoo is large, and a visitor review on a travel platform calls the vehicle useful, while another says it covers the zoo in roughly an hour with little time at each enclosure. Our reading: take it if you have a grandparent, a toddler in a pram or a hot afternoon to beat, and skip it if you are fit and want to stand at the enclosures. The online 7-seater at ₹2,400 works out near ₹343 a head for a full vehicle, so it costs more than individual tickets and is worth it only if you want a private ride for a group.

A still camera costs ₹100 for the day, so a phone is the sensible choice for most visitors. Check the current rule on phone photography and flash at the gate, since the tariff page lists only the camera charges.

These totals are our own arithmetic from the listed tariff above. They assume everyone buys the same ticket, children are aged 5 to 12, a car (₹70) or two-wheeler (₹40) is parked once, and nobody buys a camera ticket. Food and water are extra.

For perspective, a family of four on foot spends ₹430 on entry and parking, which makes the zoo one of the cheaper paid attractions in the city. If you are building a wider Mysuru budget, our Karnataka trip cost guide and the family travel guide show where the money goes.

Areaabout 157 acresFounded1892Time needed3–4 hours on foot

The zoo has no single numbered trail that we could verify, so rather than invent a route, plan by time of day, which is the advice the zoo itself gives. Its site recommends visiting early for birds and reptiles and in the early morning or evening for the big cats, which rest through the day. Most visitors reach the cats at midday and see sleeping animals.

Early morning: birds, reptiles and primates

The tourism board lists a walk-through aviary, a reptile house with pythons, cobras and turtles, and a primate area with chimpanzees. These are the enclosures that reward the cooler, active hours. Wikipedia describes Mysuru as one of very few Indian zoos to keep gorillas, orangutans and white rhinos, and that is part of why a morning here feels different from a district zoo. Species and head counts change with transfers and breeding, so treat any number as a snapshot: the encyclopedia cites over 168 species and an October 2019 inventory of 1,413 animals.

Midday: elephants, giraffes and the shade

The elephant enclosure, giraffes, zebras and the crocodile and hippo area suit the hot middle of the day, when you want to keep moving and the big cats are asleep. The zoo’s site places a refreshment centre near the middle of the grounds, although some visitors report that the main food outlets are towards the far end, so carry water and eat when you reach a counter.

Late afternoon: tigers, lions and leopards

Save the Royal Bengal and white tigers, lions and leopards for after about 3:30 pm, when they are most likely to be up and about, and keep your exit time in mind because the gates close at 5:30 pm.

Karanji Lake lies on the eastern side of the zoo and covers about 77 acres, fed by runoff from the Chamundi Hills. The Public Works Department handed the tank to the zoo in 1976, and an Asian Development Bank-funded restoration created an artificial island for nesting birds. The lake has its own ticket (₹60 adult, ₹30 child), but the combo at ₹150 and ₹80 saves ₹30 and ₹10 per person over buying both separately, so buy the combo if you will visit the lake at all.

It makes the most sense for bird-watchers and for families who finish the zoo by early afternoon and still have energy. If you are chasing birds seriously, Mysuru has a better option a short drive away: see the Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary guide and the state list of bird sanctuaries in Karnataka.

The penguin park proposal

In July 2025 the forest minister proposed converting the aquarium near Karanji Lake into a penguin park. News reports gave no cost, size or timeline, so do not plan a visit around it.

A half-day plan that works

Reach the gate for 8:30 am and walk the birds, reptiles and primates while it is cool. Take the elephants and giraffes through late morning, then have lunch outside the zoo, because on-site choices are limited and some visitors find non-South Indian options scarce. Return after lunch for the cats, or skip the second entry by finishing the whole loop in one go and leaving by 1 pm. Then switch to the palace in the afternoon. For lunch ideas, the Mysuru food guide lists the dishes worth the detour.

Pairing it with other sights

Brindavan Gardens is a half-day outing on its own; the Brindavan Gardens guide explains the evening fountain slot. Chamundi Hills works as a sunrise or late-afternoon stop around a zoo day. For the whole district, start from the Mysuru district guide. Visiting during the festival? Read the Mysore Dasara guide first, since crowd levels and closures differ in that week.

Visitor reviews on a major travel platform are consistent on a few points. Outside food and plastic water bottles are reported as not allowed, lockers are issued against a ticket, and washrooms get mixed reviews. We could not confirm each rule from the zoo’s own pages, so check the notice board at the entrance.

Practical tips

• Arrive at 8:30 am. Entrance queues build later, and school picnic groups are common on weekdays.
• Carry a refillable bottle if the entrance staff allow it, and keep cash for parking and the luggage counter, since one reviewer reported trouble with a foreign card at the ticket window.
• Wear comfortable shoes. A full walk is long, and several visitors say they needed three to four hours.
• Keep to the barriers and do not feed the animals.

What visitors criticise

Some reviewers feel certain enclosures are small or sparse, and a few were uncomfortable seeing an elephant kept on a chain. These are individual impressions, not audited findings, but they are worth knowing if you are visiting with children who will ask questions. The zoo also runs a Rescue Center at Kurgally and an adoption scheme where donors fund an animal’s feeding for a year, and you can read more on the official site, mysuruzoo.info.

A short history

The zoo began in 1892 as the private menagerie of Maharaja Chamaraja Wadiyar X, on about 10 acres of the Summer Palace grounds. It took its present name, Chamarajendra Zoological Gardens, in 1909, and in 1979 management passed to the Zoo Authority of Karnataka, described as India’s first autonomous zoo-management body. It now spreads over roughly 157 acres.