Tour location: Bongobondhu Safari Park, Indropur, Bagher Bazar, Sripur Road, Gazipur, Bangladesh which is about 85 km away from central Dhaka [Gulistan] and 44 km away from Uttara [my location in northern Dhaka]

*Got to saw a male peacock display its beautiful feathers in order to attract a passing by female peahen, also got to see a kangaroo jump for the first time!

Tour details: Bongobondhu Safari Park is Asia’s largest safari park in terms of premise area [around 3700 acres of land] where wild animals like tigers, lions, zebras, bears, elephants, and giraffes are kept open in a form that resembles their natural habitat. The park is made in accordance with Thailand’s Safari World in Bangkok.

The park is still not yet fully functional [around 50% of it is now operating and still is quite large in terms of premise area] and renovation works are going on as usual, also more new animals will be added to the park in due time. The only fully functional safari park in Bangladesh is in Cox’s Bazar but that park is quite small compared to Bongobondhu Safari Park in Gazipur.

The park is clearly divided into different zones, the wildlife African safari, lizard park, Birds aviary, Fish Aquarium, Snake [Python] corner, Swan corner and lake, Mammals section and Elephant zone. The park does not look bad in its primary stages and if the renovation is finished properly, then it will be as attractive as any other international safari park. The authorities also plan to hold various animal shows like Tiger show, Elephant show etc. after the park is fully functional. The only cons of this park is its location, the Gazipur highway is quite dilapidated and the park is not that easy to find, you need to keep asking local people about which way to go to reach the park finally.

How to get there: Board on a Gazipur, Sripur bound bus [for example, Provati Bonosri] and stop at Rajendrapur bus stand. Hire a CNG auto rickshaw to go inside Indropur and reach the park. Bus fare as per fixed rates and CNG fare not more than 300 Taka.

Park fees per person: 50 Taka for park entry, 400 Taka ($5) for foreigners, 100 Taka for jeep ride or 50 Taka for bus ride into the wildlife safari section, Butterfly park entry 20 Taka, Fish Aquarium entry 20 Taka, Elephant Ride 3 minutes 30 Taka, Bird Avairy, Peacock Aviary, Hornbill Aviary entry 10 Taka each, boat ride at Swan Lake 100 Taka [30 minutes], car parking 60 Taka, bus parking 200 Taka, microbus/jeep parking 100 Taka, no parking allowed for motorbikes/bicycles

Park times: 9am till 5pm open every day except public holidays

Bongobondhu Safari Park, Gazipur on Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/safariparkgazipur