Salem Kuruvampatti Zoological Park – A must visit spot near Yercaud foothills

Salem in Tamil Nadu, is popularly known as a city surrounded with hills. This bustling town is never dull for a moment even with its balmy weather. Kuruvampatti (Kurumbapatti) zoological park is a great relaxing spot in this city.

Yercaud’s neighbor

With the sleepy hill station of Yercaud as its neighbor, Salem has many lovely  weekend getaways and refreshing spots to visit.

Including a zoological park at Kuruvampatti and a bird sanctuary at Mookaneri, a beautiful lake, Salem is indeed blessed with wonderful spots for relaxation.

Disclosure: This post may have affiliate link(s). They do not cost anything extra to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Travel Tips

How to get there:

The Zoo is at Kurumbapatti. It is about 20 minutes by car from Hasthampatty junction.

You should travel on the Yercaud road and take a left turn at Gorimedu (into the Kombaipatti Main Road), travel for about 4 kilometers down the road to reach the zoo.

Though this Zoological park has less number of animals at present (more animals enclosures are planned for the near future), still it a good place to visit with family.

You need to spend at least two and a half hours or so in the zoo to fully enjoy all the sights.

Inside the zoo, the pathways are mostly stone paths and the area has a refreshing forest feel.

Zoo timings: 9 AM to 5 PM

Holiday:           The Zoo is closed on Tuesdays.

Entry Fee:       Rs. 10/- per adult

Rs. 5/- per child

Still Camera and video Camera fees are separate.

Parking Fee:   Rs. 25/- for Four wheeler

Rs. 10 for Two wheeler

Best Time to Visit: Because the area is full of trees, it feels pleasant enough, but still avoiding summer visits is better as the weather can get unbearably hot.

The Zoo

The park area is large and suits very well for young children to run around and play while watching exotic birds and animals.

The Zoological park is built into a forest area, so has many natural enclosures for the wild animals. Especially, the areas with Sambar deer, Antelope and Spotted deer are very spacious and pleasant.

We would feel that we are in an enclosure in the zoo and watching the animals in their natural habitats. This is what I like about this zoo as I am actually not a big fan of animals being enclosed.

The Kuruvampatti Zoo has an Elephant, a Turtle, a few Parrots and many other beautiful birds;

Also, the zoo has Snakes, Crocodiles, Spotted deer, Sambar deer, Peacock, White Peacock, Monkeys, Pelicans, Herons, Ducks. This zoo has natural enclosures complete with watering holes to boot.

The park has a beautiful lake also in it. It even has a pleasant Bamboo plot.

I took so many pictures with my awesome instant Fujifilm Instant Film Camera and loved it!

The view from the lake is amazing. I was especially enthralled with the awesome view of the surrounding hills from the lake.

The serenity cannot be captured by camera and has to be enjoyed first hand.

Facilities: In the Zoo, apart from the animal and bird enclosures, there is a visitor’s shed, though I did not see anyone using it.

Children’s play area is a small ground with the usual slides and other such things. Restroom facility is available.

Animal enclosures to bring in many more exotic animals are being planned and hopefully in the future there would be a full selection of animals including the King of the forest, the Lion, Tiger and other animals.

Other Places of Interest in and around Salem:

• Mookaneri Mini Bird Sanctuary – in Salem
• Yercaud Hill station – 26 kms
• Kiliyur Falls – 30 kms
• Mettur Dam – 51 kms
• Kolli Hills – 57 kms

Have a great trip. Share your experience too.

Also read: Wayanad wonders in Kerala