Zunyi Zoo
⭐ 4.60
Next to Changzheng Subdistrict Office, Honghuagang District, Zunyi City, Guizhou Province, China
Zunyi itself carries extraordinary historical weight. In January 1935, the city hosted the famous Zunyi Conference, a pivotal meeting of the Chinese Communist Party that fundamentally reshaped Mao Zedong's leadership during the Long March—a watershed moment often compared to the wartime conferences at Yalta or Casablanca. While Zunyi's old town preserves this revolutionary heritage with sites like the Red Army Conference site, the surrounding countryside now offers contemporary attractions like this reinvented zoological park, where visitors can balance historical sightseeing with modern family entertainment.
The park's most distinctive feature is its pioneering vertical layout, organized into four thematic mountain zones—Beast Mountain, Deer Mountain, Monkey Mountain, and Herbivore Mountain—that cascade down the natural hillside. Imagine a combination of Madrid's historic Casa de Campo park and a terraced Mediterranean hillside village, where stepped pathways replace flat concourses. This design replaces traditional cage-style exhibits with ecological immersion, letting visitors ascend and descend through overlapping habitats. Interactive experiences like tiger diving demonstrations and deer feeding zones transform passive viewing into participatory adventure.
The animal collection holds genuine conservation significance. Among the 10-plus nationally protected first-class species, the François' leaf monkey stands out as a Guizhou endemic, making this one of the few reliable places outside specialist reserves where visitors can observe these striking primates. Other crowd favorites include white lions—rarities that even many European zoos lack—alongside familiar crowd-pleasers like giraffes, hippos, and red pandas. Daily performances featuring a Royal Circus and the unique "single-bamboo drifting" tradition, where performers balance acrobatically atop slender bamboo poles, add cultural flair rarely found in conventional zoos.
Practical planning is refreshingly straightforward. Admission follows a single-ticket policy: approximately 49 yuan for adults and 35 yuan for children, with kids under 1.2 meters entering free, and no compulsory secondary charges. The park operates daily from 09:00 to 17:00, with final entry at 16:30. Located in Minzheng Village within the Long March subdistrict, it's most easily reached by car via navigation to "Zunyi Zoo," or by public bus routes 12 and 35 to the "Zunyi Zoo" stop. Calling 0851-25502703 before departure confirms daily opening status and circus schedules.
The ideal visit begins between 09:00 and 11:30, when animals are most active before the midday heat, and should prioritize the leaf monkey, white lion, and deer pavilion first, before enjoying performances later. Only park-provided carrots or leafy greens may be used for feeding in designated zones—outside food is strictly prohibited to protect animal health. Given the park's sloped terrain and gravel paths, sturdy walking shoes are essential, and during peak seasons like Spring Festival or summer holidays, popular interactive areas may require queuing, so budgeting extra time ensures a relaxed experience.