Guindy National Park

Guindy National Park is an urban national park in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. It was designated a national park in 1976 and covers about 2.7 square kilometres.

The park is a compact patch of dry evergreen scrub, thorn forest and lawns hosting mammals such as spotted deer, blackbuck and macaques, plus reptiles and a variety of urban-tolerant birds. Trails are short and visitors commonly combine a walk with visits to the small reptile collection and the adjacent children’s park.

The area was progressively set aside as a green reserve and recreational area and was formally declared a national park in 1976 to protect the remaining natural habitat within Chennai. Over time parts of the site have been developed for public education and small animal exhibits while the core remains protected for wildlife.

Guindy National Park sits inside the metropolitan area of Chennai near the neighbourhoods of Adyar and Kotturpuram and adjacent to the campus of the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras. It is within the city rather than in a remote landscape.

• Best time to visit: Best experienced early morning or late afternoon when mammals and birds are most active; trails are short so visits typically last 1-2 hours.
• Urban location: One of India's smallest national parks, set inside a major city which makes it an easy urban green space for wildlife viewing.

What to See #

• Guindy Snake Park and Children's Park: Contains two visitor-oriented areas inside or adjacent to the park: a small reptile collection and education facility focused on snakes, and a children's park with lawns and playgrounds that sit beside the protected scrub and woodland.