Highlights
- Glass Skywalk — 85 feet above the valley floor, 25 m out from the cliff.
- Zipline & suspension bridge — A 500 m zipline across the valley; a swaying rope bridge and a 'Burma bridge' for the brave..
- Zoo Safari — Five fenced ranges by bus — bear, leopard, tiger, lion, herbivores.
- Ghora Katora lake — 6 km vehicle-free road from the Safari gate — cycle, tonga or walk.
Rajgir's five hills were a fortress for Bimbisara; today they are a playground. The Nature Safari, opened in 2021 on 500 acres of forest between the Jethian and Rajgir valleys, is the first thing in Bihar built for pure fun outdoors — a glass-floored skywalk that juts 25 metres off a cliff, a zipline that runs the length of a valley, suspension bridges, archery, a rifle range, a wall-climb and tree huts to sleep in.
Next door the Zoo Safari is a different idea: you stay in the cage. Buses with mesh windows take you through fenced ranges for lion, tiger, leopard, bear and herbivores, and the animals are close and unbothered. It is a good, well-run morning, and far better than it sounds.
Then the thing most visitors miss. From the Nature Safari gate a 6-km road, closed to motor vehicles, runs through the hills to Ghora Katora — 'horse's bowl' — a lake in a horseshoe of ridges with a 70-foot sandstone Buddha on an island at its centre. You go by bicycle (hire at the gate), tonga, or on foot; the road climbs gently through dry forest full of peafowl and langur and arrives, suddenly, at water. It is the quietest place in Rajgir.
Chapter 01
How it came to be
The valley between the Rajgir hills and the Jethian range was forest department land and, before that, the route the Buddha walked from Bodh Gaya to Rajgir — a path still followed by a December pilgrim trek. In 2019–21 the state built two things on it: a zoo safari in the old Rajgir forest, and an adventure park on the ridge, with the glass skywalk as its showpiece.
Ghora Katora lake was already there, a natural reservoir in a horseshoe of hills used by the villages below; the forest department closed its approach road to vehicles, added the 70-foot Buddha on the island in 2018, and let the quiet take over.
Chapter 02
What it's like now
The skywalk is the big moment — stepping out onto glass with the valley 25 metres down and the hills all around — and the zipline and rope bridges follow. The Zoo Safari is a slow mesh-windowed bus through five large enclosures; the bears and the lions are close. Both are well organised and clean, which in Bihar's tourism is itself news.
Ghora Katora is the counterweight: twenty minutes' cycling through dry forest, no engines, peafowl calling, and then the lake with the Buddha on it and the ridges mirrored. Hire a pedal boat, sit on the bank, come back at dusk. Together they make the best outdoor day in the state.
Chapter 03
What to see
- 01
Glass Skywalk
85 feet above the valley floor, 25 m out from the cliff. Shoe covers provided; 15 people at a time.
- 02
Zipline & suspension bridge
A 500 m zipline across the valley; a swaying rope bridge and a 'Burma bridge' for the brave.
- 03
Zoo Safari
Five fenced ranges by bus — bear, leopard, tiger, lion, herbivores. Book slots online.
- 04
Ghora Katora lake
6 km vehicle-free road from the Safari gate — cycle, tonga or walk. Boating at the lake; sunrise is the time.
- 05
Nature Safari night stay
Tree huts and tents inside the park, with the forest to yourself after the gates close.
- 06
Jethian valley
The Buddha's walking route to Rajgir — a 14-km trek with a December pilgrim walk.
Chapter 04
A perfect day
9:00
First Nature Safari slot — skywalk before the wind picks up, then zipline and bridges.
11:30
Zoo Safari bus (book the 11:30 or 12:00 slot).
13:30
Lunch at the Safari canteen or in Rajgir.
15:00
Cycle or tonga to Ghora Katora; boat on the lake; sunset from the bank.
18:00
Back to Rajgir for Brahmakund at dusk, or stay in a Safari tree hut.
Chapter 05
Things to do
Glass Skywalk
Included in the Nature Safari ticket; shoe covers provided.
Zipline
Separate ticket; weight limits apply; closes in wind.
Suspension & Burma bridges
Included; a short, swaying forest crossing.
Archery & rifle range
Separate tickets, 10 shots each.
Cycling to Ghora Katora
12 km return on a car-free road; gentle gradients.
Jethian–Rajgir trek
14 km Buddha-path walk; organised each December, or self-guided with a local.
Chapter 06
Stay, eat, celebrate
Where to stay
Tree huts and tents inside the Nature Safari (book via the website); otherwise Rajgir's hotels, 8 km.
Where to eat
Canteens at both safaris; carry water and fruit for Ghora Katora (nothing beyond the gate, and no plastic).
Festivals & seasons
Dhamma Walk from Jethian to Rajgir (mid-December), joined by monks from across Asia.
Practical
Getting there
Fly
Patna Airport (PAT) 100 km; Gaya (GAY) 78 km.
Train
Rajgir station, 8 km from the Nature Safari gate.
Road
Safari gate is on the Rajgir–Jethian road, 8 km from town. E-rickshaws and tongas wait at the Rajgir bus stand.
On the map · Rajgir Nature Safari & Ghora Katora is at 25.0019°N, 85.4437°E in Nalanda district, about 96 km (2 h) by road from Patna.
Before you go · Best time to visit · Safety, dress code & money · What to eat nearby
Practical
Distances from Rajgir Nature Safari & Ghora Katora
Road distance and realistic driving time on Bihar roads — plan around these, not the straight line on a map.
From the gateway cities
To nearby places
Estimates: road ≈ 1.3 × straight-line, ~40 km/h average. All Bihar distances →
Practical
Rajgir Nature Safari & Ghora Katora tickets, entry fee & timings
What visitors have been paying recently. Fees change without notice — treat these as a planning guide and check the official page where one exists.
Rajgir Glass Bridge & Nature Safari
- Hours
- 9:00 – 17:00 (last entry ~16:00) · closed Mondays
- Fee
- Nature Safari entry ~₹100; glass skywalk ~₹125 per person; zipline, suspension bridge, archery and cycling priced separately (₹50–150 each). Zoo Safari is a separate ticket: ~₹250 adult / ₹125 child (Indian), ~₹1,000 foreign nationals.
- Booking
- Book online — the glass bridge has a daily cap (~1,000 visitors) and weekends sell out by mid-morning. Counter tickets exist but are first-come. Carry the booking SMS/PDF and a photo ID.
