This Weekend, Take Your Kids to Noida’s ‘Jungle Trail’ With 650 Animals Made From Waste

On most weekends, families in Noida head to the usual places: a mall, maybe a movie, dinner at the same familiar spots. But just a short drive away, something different is waiting. You step inside the park, expecting the usual trees and benches. Instead, you pause.

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Right there, standing under the soft afternoon light, is a full-grown elephant. Next to it, a giraffe stretches its neck to the sky. A lion rests nearby, calm but watchful. And then you notice something strange. None of them move. None breathe. And yet, they feel oddly alive.

It takes a moment before your eyes catch the detail. The elephant’s broad ears are sheets of metal welded together. The giraffe’s long legs are slender rods. Every animal here has been built entirely from old scrap: metal that once sat in junkyards, now carefully bent, hammered, and shaped into life again.

This is Jungle Trail, Noida’s ambitious experiment in turning waste into a walkable wildlife world. It is part art gallery, part jungle safari, and part reminder of how creativity can give even discarded things a second life.

What began as a plan on paper in 2024 is now a finished public space. Jungle Trail opened to visitors on 1 December 2025, after an inauguration by local leaders and the Noida Authority in Sector 94.

Spread across about 18.27 acres, the park has transformed a once-barren patch of land near the Mahamaya Flyover into a dense, themed landscape filled with metal wildlife, thick greenery, and family-friendly corners.

A city jungle built from scrap

Jungle Trail has been developed under a public–private partnership between the Noida Authority and private partners. Reports now estimate that around 400 tonnes of scrap metal have been repurposed into more than 650 sculptures of animals and birds.

Old iron rods, vehicle parts, electrical poles, wires, chains, and other discarded materials have become elephants, tigers, sharks, penguins, owls, and more. Many sculptures are life-sized, which gives the impression of walking through an actual wildlife trail, even though there are no real animals here.

The park is designed as a kind of world map for wildlife, with zones inspired by different continents and ecosystems. As you move through each stretch, the animals and the mood change.

Six wildlife zones to wander through

1. Asia Zone

Here you see tigers in mid-prowl, elephants with gently curved trunks, rhinos, and even pandas. Tigers appear poised to spring, deer peer through metallic leaves, and colourful birds perch overhead. Each piece captures a moment of movement, even though every feather and muscle is made from reclaimed metal.

2. Africa Zone

This area evokes African savannahs. A lion pride rests as if guarding its territory, giraffes stand tall, and zebras and cheetahs seem to be frozen mid-stride. Look closely at the surfaces and you notice the textures of rods, nuts, and plates that once had completely ordinary uses. 

3. Australia Zone

Kangaroos stand ready, emus stride forward, and other Australian species dot the path. All of them are fashioned from iron rods and nuts. The rugged shapes and muted metal tones make the space feel like a dry, sun-baked landscape, even if you visit on a cool winter evening.

4. Europe Zone

The Europe section highlights forests and colder terrains. Brown bears, deer, and owls appear among trees and wooden-looking installations. The animals are sturdy and solid, yet their surfaces reveal layers of welded parts when you step closer.

5. North and South America Zone

This zone brings together grizzly bears, jaguars, condors, and other species from across the Americas. It feels a little like stepping into scenes from nature documentaries, only the fur and feathers have been swapped for scrap metal and carefully layered paint. 

6. Aqua Zone

In the Aqua Zone, you look up at sharks, whales, dolphins, and octopuses created from pipes, tanks, and curved metal forms. The scale of some pieces makes it feel as if you have ducked under the surface of an ocean made entirely from steel.

Across these zones, the trail invites children and adults to treat scrap art as something to walk through, not just look at from a distance.

Miyawaki forest and a jungle that glows at night

To give the place the feeling of a real forest, the Noida Authority has used the Miyawaki method to plant around 3.5 lakh native saplings around the trail. Within a short span of time, they have grown into a dense green belt that wraps around and between the sculptures. 

As day turns into night, the park shifts character. A light-and-sound system recreates roars, bird calls, and ambient jungle sounds. Soft lighting outlines the shapes of each sculpture, throwing dramatic shadows on the ground. Children point out glowing tigers and penguins, and visitors slow down for photographs along the pathways.

The idea is to give people a night-safari-style experience in the heart of the city, without real animals and without the usual crowds of a mall or market. 

Adventure, food and family spaces

Jungle Trail goes beyond sculptures and walking paths. Across its different zones, you will find:

• Adventure activities such as zip-lining, zip cycling, rock climbing, boating and other setups that add a thrill element to the outing. These are ticketed separately from the main entry. 

• A food court with multiple kiosks, where families can sit down after the trail.

• A 1,000-seat amphitheatre that can host events and performances. 

• A dedicated children’s play area for younger visitors.

• Drinking water points and toilets across the site.

• Parking for buses and cars, along with an internal e-cart service that is free for those who need mobility support. 

These details make it easier to spend a full evening here, not just rush through for photos.

Why this park matters

Seeing how recycling can come alive

Instead of reading about recycling in a textbook, children and adults can stand next to a life-sized elephant or shark made from discarded metal. It turns abstract ideas like “waste management” and “circular design” into something you can touch and walk around.

Moving beyond the usual weekend routine

For families, couples, and groups of friends in Noida and Delhi-NCR, this offers a new kind of outing. It combines a walk outdoors with art, play, and a mild sense of adventure, without requiring a long drive out of the city.

Watching a landfill-stage idea become a green space

When Jungle Trail was first reported, the focus was on how around 500 tonnes of scrap would be turned into a wildlife park. Today, updated figures from the Noida Authority and city media show that about 400 tonnes of scrap have already become more than 650 sculptures, supported by lakhs of plants and a complete visitor experience. 

The transformation shows how city authorities can rethink unused spaces, especially in fast-growing urban regions like Noida.

Before you set off: Practical details 

Location

• Jungle Trail Park, Sector 94, Noida, near the Mahamaya Flyover.

• Close to Botanical Garden and Okhla Bird Sanctuary, the nearest metro station is Okhla Bird Sanctuary station on the Aqua Line and Magenta connectivity route. 

• Entry is through the dedicated gate located under or just off the Mahamaya Flyover.

Timings

• Open every day

• 11 am to 10 pm 

Entry cost

• Rs 120 per person for general entry.

• Free entry for children under 3 years.

• Tickets can be bought at on-ground counters or through online options highlighted by the authorities. 

Adventure activities such as zip-lining, rock climbing and boating carry separate charges.

Best time to visit

• Late afternoon to evening works well. You can see the sculptures and greenery in daylight, then stay on as the lights and sound systems come on for the night-trail experience.

Suitable for

• Families and school groups

• Visitors interested in sustainability and design

• Photographers and content creators

• Anyone looking for an outdoor alternative to the usual mall-and-movie routine in Noida

Facilities

• Food court and kiosks

• Rest areas and seating corners

• Children’s play area

• Amphitheatre

• Toilets and drinking water

• Parking for buses and cars

• E-cart mobility support within the park

Scrap art parks across India

Jungle Trail joins a growing list of Indian parks that turn waste into public art:

• Delhi’s Waste to Wonder Park, where scrap recreates the Seven Wonders of the World.

• Chandigarh’s Rock Garden, built from broken ceramics, tiles, and discarded materials.

What sets Jungle Trail apart is the scale of its scrap jungle and the way it invites you to walk through continents, ecosystems, and an entire artificial safari made from waste. It is both a family outing and a case study in how cities can give industrial scrap an unexpected second life.

If you are looking for a new place to visit in Noida this season, Jungle Trail now sits ready, open, and lit up in the evenings. You can stroll through creative spaces, see how scrap becomes something meaningful, and turn a regular weekend into a small journey through a man-made forest of metal and light.

All pictures courtesy Jungle Trail