Hyderabad - Parks and gardens

The city of Hyderabad has various gardens and park, the most prominent being the Nehru Zoological Park, the Lumbini Gardens,  the NTR Gardens etc.

Nehru Zoological Park, one of the biggest zoos in India, was established in 1963 and named after the first Prime Minister of India, Pandit Nehru. It is well-maintained and does not stink like the usual zoos of our country. It is spread over 380 acres and so it is advisable to go through the zoo by car to save time. Still it takes nearly 3-4 hours to go through all the sections of the zoo, but it is a must visit.

  This is a video of the Himalayan bear inside the zoo, which was walking up and down over the little stream of water inside its enclosure. It looked as if it was exercising!!

The zoo is closed on Mondays, so please keep that in mind while planning your itinerary.

Lumbini Park is situated on the banks of the Hussain Sagar Lake in Hyderabad. It lies opposite the NTR Gardens.  It is famous for the monolithic statue of Lord Buddha and the musical fountains. Every evening there is a laser show where the fountains dance to the tune of bollywood songs and the story of the city is projected on a screen of water from the fountains.  There are a number of eateries and a manmade waterfalls inside the Lumbini Park and also a jetty where one can take a boat ride to the Buddha statue. The boat ride takes about 10 minutes. One can purchase a combined ticket costing around Rs 85 to the laser show, the boat ride, the entrance to the Lumbini Park and also the NTR Gardens.

NTR Garden

Close to the Lumbini Park and the Hussain Sagar Lake lies the NTR Gardens built adjacent to the NTR Memorial. It is a well maintained garden consisting of cascading waterfalls, bonsai and desert gardens, along with various flowering shrubs and plants. Also has several eateries and shops selling different wares. A visit to the MESH outlet is recommended if not for the reasonably priced handmade bags, books, ornaments, and other accessories, then at least to support the noble cause of the organization.

Birla Mandir, Eat street and the Necklace Street are the other attractions near the Hussain Sagar Lake.

Recommendations: 
1. The famous biryani from Paradise which has numerous outlets across the city.
2. Spicy chicken 65 Andhra style from Hyderabad House.
3. If its Chinese, its got to be Aromas of China!!! The best Chinese food I have had in a long time!!!
4. The famous fruit biscuits from Karachi Bakery. We visited their Mozzamjahi outlet. It is open on all days except Sundays when it is open only from 2pm to 9pm. They have prepacked boxes of the biscuits costing Rs 200 for 900gm. The same boxes cost double the price at the airport!
5. Bargain!! Bargain!! Bargain!! From the rickshawallas to the pearl shops....bargaining is a must!!