Neamț Bison Reserve

About Neamț Bison Reserve

At a glance: Zoos and aquariums in Vânători-Neamț, Neamț County. Opening hours: daily 10:00 – 18:00. Ticket: 15 lei. The visit takes 1 – 1½ hours. Information verified on 10 October 2026.

The “Dragoș Vodă” Bison Reserve is the most accessible gateway to the bison of Vânători-Neamț Nature Park. It was founded in 1968, ten years after bison reappeared in Romania at Hațeg, and is run by Romsilva through the park. The bison had vanished from the country about 200 years earlier. Since 2012, thanks to reintroduction programmes, part of the animals live free in the surrounding forests: in 2025 the park's director spoke of more than 80 bison in total, of which more than 70 free-ranging, 10 in the 180-hectare acclimatisation enclosure and 6 in the zoo.

The visit to the reserve itself is short and effortless, suitable for families with small children and for anyone who cannot walk on rough ground. The bison are in an enclosure with pasture and old trees, and the zoo also has deer, wild boar and birds. The place was also used as a set for a few scenes of the films “Frații Jderi” (1974) and “Ștefan cel Mare – Vaslui 1475” (1975).

Good to know before you go

Getting there

By car: the reserve is on DJ155C, in the village of Vânători-Neamț, about 8 km from Neamț Citadel and Neamț Monastery and about 35 km from Piatra Neamț. From Piatra Neamț you get there via Târgu Neamț (DN15C), and from Suceava via Criștești (DN2) and then DN15B towards Târgu Neamț. Neamț Citadel is the nearest attraction in the list, at almost 8 km.

Public transport: I found no confirmed line to the reserve; ask at the park's visitor centre (0233 206 001).

Fees & discounts

Zoo admission: adults 15 lei, children 7 lei; groups of at least 10: 12 lei adults, 5 lei children (the park's tourism website). The visitor centre's page gives an older rate of 10 lei for adults, so take 15 lei as the reference. Bison Safari: 100 lei per person, free for children up to 10, booked online or by phone at least 48 hours in advance (the park's website; in February 2025 the press quoted 50 lei).

Rules

Do not feed the animals or frighten them; do not go closer to the enclosure fences than the signs allow. For the Bison Safari you need hiking footwear, clothes suited to the weather, water and something against ticks and mosquitoes, and quiet is kept on the route.

Facilities

zoo and ponds in the grounds · bison museum, interactive exhibition and walkway at the visitor centre · souvenir shop at the visitor centre · no information on wheelchair access