The Statue of Unity jungle safari is not a jeep ride through a forest. It is a walk-through zoological park, officially the Sardar Patel Zoological Park, built on hill terraces about 3 km from the statue at Ekta Nagar (Kevadia). Most Ahmedabad families add it to a Statue of Unity trip without knowing how long it takes, how much walking there is, or that it is closed on Mondays. This guide answers those questions with the official rate chart and timings as of November 2026, and explains how to fit the safari into a day trip or a one-night plan from Ahmedabad.
Statue of Unity jungle safari at a glance (as of November 2026)
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Official name | Sardar Patel Zoological Park, Ekta Nagar (Kevadia), Narmada district |
| Ticket | ₹200 adult (16 years and above), ₹125 child (3 to 15 years), under 3 free |
| Days and hours | Tuesday to Sunday, entry 8:00 am to 6:00 pm, everyone out by 7:00 pm. Closed every Monday |
| Best viewing hours (official) | 8 to 11 am and 3 to 5 pm |
| Time needed | 90 to 120 minutes per the official page; 2.5 to 3 hours if you walk every zone and both aviaries |
| How you move | On foot on hilly paths; free e-cart only if one is available, cannot be reserved |
| Food rule | No outside food, drinks or plastic bottles; snack counters inside |
| Payment at counters | Cashless only (UPI or card); online booking on soutickets.in or the app |
Source: the official Ekta Nagar rate chart and the Jungle Safari attraction page on soutickets.in, checked on 4 November 2026. Prices and timings change by season, so re-check before you travel.
What the safari actually is: a 56-hectare walking zoo on seven levels
The official page describes the park as a 56-hectare zoological park (many blogs quote 375 acres for the wider site). It is laid out on terraces cut into the Vindhya foothills, so you keep climbing and descending between enclosures. Animals are grouped roughly by region. On the African side you see giraffe, zebra, wildebeest, gemsbok and hippo. The Indian side has deer and antelope species, gaur, the one-horned rhino, sloth bear, dhole (Indian wild dog) and wolf. Big cats have their own stretch, and a serpentarium holds the reptile collection.
The two walk-in dome aviaries are the part most Gujarati families talk about afterwards. You walk on a path inside the dome with no bars between you and the birds, one dome for Indian species and one for exotic birds such as macaws and cockatoos. Give the aviaries at least 30 minutes between them; children usually want longer.
Tickets: what ₹200 covers and what it does not
One Jungle Safari ticket covers every zone, both aviaries and the serpentarium. It does not include the main Statue of Unity entry (₹150 adult, ₹90 child), the Viewing Gallery (₹380 and ₹230, sold in two-hour slots from 8 to 10 am through 4 to 6 pm) or the small Pets Zone next door (₹50 adult, ₹25 child, open 9 am to 1 pm and 3 to 6 pm). The whole township is closed on Monday, so a Sunday-to-Monday weekend does not work.
Book online on soutickets.in or the official app and carry the QR code on your phone. Offline counters exist but accept only UPI or card, and on Saturday, Sunday and school-holiday weeks the queue for the safari gate can be long by mid-morning. We book the safari and the Viewing Gallery slot together for every Vibrant Holidays guest so the two timings do not clash.
If anyone in the group cannot manage slopes, the rate chart lists a paid golf-cart service for the whole township at ₹5,000 per cart for the full day. The free e-carts inside the zoo are first come, first served, and on a crowded day you may wait or walk.
The walking question: can parents and small children manage it?
This is the point most reviews raise, and the one we are asked about most at our C G Road office. The paths are paved but hilly, there is a stretch on foot before any e-cart pick-up point, and the full loop is a few kilometres with climbs. A fit senior who walks 30 minutes a day manages it with rests in the shaded seating areas. For parents with knee trouble, our honest advice is to do the aviaries and the first few enclosures near the entrance, then sit at the food court while the rest of the family finishes, or take the paid golf cart for the day. Toddlers go in a stroller on the paved sections, but expect to lift it on ramps and steps.
For a wider planning checklist, read our guide on travelling with senior citizen parents; the airfare and wheelchair points there apply to every destination.
Best time of day and year
Enter at 8 am. The official best-viewing window is 8 to 11 am, when the big cats, bears and wolves are moving and the sun is still soft. Between noon and 3 pm most animals sleep in the shade and you see very little. The second window, 3 to 5 pm, works if you have done the statue in the morning.
November to February is the comfortable season, which is why Diwali vacation and the Christmas week are also the most crowded. March to mid-June is hot; be inside the gate at 8 am and out by 11. The monsoon (July to September) turns the hills green and the Sardar Sarovar dam overflow is spectacular, but paths are slippery and the Pets Zone and e-carts can be irregular. Weekdays, especially Tuesday to Thursday, are far quieter than weekends.
Getting there from Ahmedabad: train or car
Ekta Nagar has its own railway station (code EKNR), about 184 km from Ahmedabad. As of November 2026 two Jan Shatabdi pairs run daily. Train 20947 leaves Ahmedabad at 7:55 am and reaches Ekta Nagar at 10:50 am; train 20949 leaves at 3:20 pm and arrives at 6:20 pm. Coming back, 20948 departs Ekta Nagar at 11:15 am (Ahmedabad 2:05 pm) and 20950 departs at 8:55 pm (Ahmedabad 11:55 pm). Indicative fares on the morning train are from about ₹130 in second sitting, ₹405 in AC chair car and ₹965 in the executive vistadome coach; fares vary by date and quota.
By road it is roughly 200 km and 3.5 to 4 hours via the Ahmedabad–Vadodara expressway and the Dabhoi–Rajpipla road. A private sedan for a same-day return costs indicatively ₹4,000 to ₹6,000 including tolls, and a car with driver for a two-day trip about ₹7,500 to ₹10,000; both vary with fuel prices and season. Inside Ekta Nagar, shared electric buses and e-rickshaws link the parking, the statue plaza and the safari gate, so you do not need your car between attractions.
How to fit the safari into a day trip or one night
Day trip by train (Tuesday to Sunday)
Take 20947 (arrive 10:50 am). Go straight to the statue for the 12 to 2 pm Viewing Gallery slot, eat a thali at the food court, then enter the safari around 3 pm for the second good viewing window. Leave the zoo by 5:45 pm, watch the laser-and-projection show on the statue after dark, and catch 20950 at 8:55 pm. You will see the safari in the afternoon light rather than the morning, which is the trade-off of a day trip.
1 night / 2 days by car (the plan we suggest to most families)
Day 1: leave Ahmedabad by 7 am, reach Ekta Nagar by 11, Viewing Gallery in the 12 to 2 slot, lunch, Sardar Sarovar dam viewpoint and the Valley of Flowers, evening show, overnight at a tent city or hotel. Day 2: be at the safari gate at 8 am, finish by 10:30, visit the new Rainforest or the Cactus and Butterfly Garden before lunch, and drive home with a stop at Champaner–Pavagadh if the group has energy. Package bands by hotel category are on our Statue of Unity tour packages from Ahmedabad page, and the weekend getaways from Ahmedabad guide compares Ekta Nagar with Mount Abu, Udaipur and Palitana for the same two days.
What is new at Ekta Nagar this season
On 31 October 2026 (Sardar Patel's 151st birth anniversary) 23 completed projects were inaugurated at Ekta Nagar and foundation stones laid for 8 more, together worth about ₹427 crore, as reported by Business Today on 2 November 2026. For visitors the relevant ones are a Rainforest attraction (already on the rate chart at ₹100 adult, ₹50 child, entry until 5 pm), the Ekta Cruise on the Narmada (₹413 adult, ₹207 child, five slots a day), an upgraded Cactus and Butterfly Garden, an eco trail, and a new IRCTC hotel that adds rooms for the winter rush. None of this changes the safari itself, but it makes a second day easier to fill.
Food: veg, Jain and the no-outside-food rule
Outside food, drinks and plastic bottles are not allowed inside the zoo; the snack counters sell packaged items and water. So eat properly before you enter or after you exit. Within the township, the Ekta Tribal Cafe at Ekta Nursery serves a fixed Ekta Thali at ₹220 and a Tribal Thali at ₹350 in three lunch slots between 12:15 and 3:15 pm, and the Arogya Cafe at Arogya Van has a ₹200 lunch in slots from 11:45 am; both are booked on the same ticket site. The food courts near the statue are vegetarian. For a strict Jain meal (no onion, garlic or root vegetables) tell your hotel or tent city a day ahead, or carry a tiffin for the car and eat it before the safari gate, which is what most of our Jain families do.
Rules and small things that save the day
Carry the ticket QR on every phone in the group, because gates scan per person. Wear closed walking shoes; the paths are clean but the climbs are real. Keep a cap and sunglasses even in winter, as the terraces have open stretches. Personal photography is allowed; commercial shoots need written permission. Do not tap on enclosure glass or feed animals, and keep children on the inside of railings on the aviary walkways. There is a first-aid point at the entrance and staff at every zone. Smoking and alcohol are prohibited across the township.
Is the Statue of Unity jungle safari worth it?
For families with children aged 4 to 14, yes without hesitation; it is the single attraction kids remember most from Ekta Nagar, and the ticket is cheaper than the Viewing Gallery. For couples on a quick day trip who mainly want the statue and the evening show, the 2 to 3 hours are better spent on the Viewing Gallery, the dam viewpoint and the Valley of Flowers. For senior parents who find walking hard, do it only with the paid golf cart or keep it to the aviaries. If you are deciding between Ekta Nagar and other Gujarat trips, our Gujarat tour packages and the Somnath temple timings guide cover the other two weekend favourites.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Statue of Unity jungle safari a jeep safari?
No. It is a walk-through zoological park with paved, hilly paths. You move on foot, with a free e-cart only when one is available. There is no vehicle ride between enclosures like a national-park safari.
What is the jungle safari ticket price at the Statue of Unity in 2026?
As of November 2026 the official rate chart lists ₹200 for adults (16 and above) and ₹125 for children aged 3 to 15; children under 3 are free. The ticket is separate from the statue entry and Viewing Gallery.
What are the safari timings and is it open on Monday?
Entry is from 8 am to 6 pm, with everyone out by 7 pm, Tuesday to Sunday. The entire Ekta Nagar complex, including the safari, is closed on Mondays.
How much time should we keep for the safari?
The official estimate is 90 to 120 minutes. With both aviaries, photo stops and children, keep 2.5 to 3 hours and start at 8 am or 3 pm for the best animal activity.
Can we carry water and snacks inside?
No. Outside food, beverages and plastic bottles are not permitted; snack counters inside sell water and packaged food. Eat before you enter.
Can we do the safari and the Statue of Unity in one day from Ahmedabad?
Yes, Tuesday to Sunday. By the 7:55 am Jan Shatabdi you reach at 10:50 am, do the Viewing Gallery at noon, the safari from 3 pm, the evening show, and return by the 8:55 pm train. Staying one night lets you do the safari at 8 am, which is better.
Plan it with an Ahmedabad team
Vibrant Holidays has planned Gujarat weekends from C G Road since 2015. Every Statue of Unity trip we make is private and customised: your dates, your car or train, tent city or hotel, safari and gallery slots booked together, and veg or Jain meals arranged where the family wants them. Call toll-free 1800-313-4262 or visit tour packages from Ahmedabad to see every short trip we run. 2nd Floor, Ashish Complex, Above Liberty Showroom, Swastik Cross Roads, C G Road, Ahmedabad – 380009.
