Guindy National Park

The Guindy National Park covers 2.82 square kilometers. It is India’s smallest national park. This park was formerly owned by the Gilbert Rodericks during the British rule in India. During the time of the British Raj, this served as a game reserve.

This is a protected environment and it is part of the Raj Bhavan, which is the official residence of the Governor of Tamil Nadu. It is situated on the outskirts of the southern part of Chennai, behind the Gandhi Mandapam, Kamaraj Memorial and Rajaji Memorial on Sardar Patel road. The rear area of the park adjoins Chennai’s prestigious IIT campus.

This ark covers an extensive area of this estate. It is surrounded with scenic places such as forests, scrub lands, lakes and streams. These features make a visit to this park very interesting. It has a rich natural diversity and is home to 350 different plant species, 24 different tree varieties, 14 mammal varieties, and a large variety of insects.

Arignar Anna Zoological Park

Vandalur Zoo or Arignar Anna Zoological Park is located in Vandalur which is a suburban area, situated 30 kilometers away from the city of Chennai. Named after Tamil Nadu political leader Arignar Anna, this zoo was the first of its kind public zoo in India. It was first exhibited in the year 1855. It houses around 170 species of mammals, birds and reptiles.

This zoo is open from 7.00 AM to 8.00 PM on all week days except on Tuesdays. Visitors can explore the park by walking along the entire 10 – 15 kilometers or else they can hire a battery operated vehicle, which is which can hold about 15 to 20 people. Since the beginning of 2008, elephant safari has been introduced in the zoo enabling visitors to take even elephant rides here.

Guindy Snake Park

The Guindy Snake Park is situated next to Chennai’s Guindy National Park. It houses a large variety of snakes such as Cobras, Pythons, Vipers and so on. It is a must-see for those who wish to know about the various snake varieties that are native to this region. It can also be a delightful knowledge tour for children and adults.

Children’s Park

This park has been carved out of 22 acres of the Guindy National Park. It is a fun place for children to come and enjoy themselves.

Chennai is the capital city of the state of Tamil Nadu and the fourth largest and a metropolitan city in the country. The British started the East India Company in 1639 at Chennai which was in those days called by the name of Madraspatnam. Thus the city was called by the name of Madras and recently it was changed to Chennai. There are lots of temples and churches in the city. The Kapaleeswarar temple in Mylapore is the most famous one. The first place the tourists visit in Chennai is the Marina beach, that is the second largest beach in the world. In the Guindy, is located the Guindy national park which is a wild life sanctuary. The park is famous for the fauna variety of the spotted dear. The world famous Shore temple of Mahabalipuram is located about 60kms from Chennai. The rock temples in Mahabalipuram are very famous. The park dedicated to Crocodile, is the Crocodile Bank situated about 44kms from Chennai. There are lots of entertainment related parks and water sports park in and around Chennai. The other notable places in the city are the Valluvar Kottam, the Vandalur zoo, the Vedanthangal bird sanctuary, St.George fort, the Birla Planetarium and the government museum.