It is quite rare to be 100% satisfied after visiting a wildlife sanctuary in India. The thick green cover, clean air, eerie atmosphere, wildlife sightings, great resort, lip smacking food……all these make for a lovely vacation but I have always felt the visit remains incomplete if I have not spotted the ‘big cat’. Elephants, rhinos, bisons, hyenas….none of them can make up for the absence of a tiger or a leopard or a lion. But during my recent visit to Sasan Gir, I could not have asked for more.
Over the years, I have been to several wildlife sanctuaries in India but clear sightings of the big cat have remained elusive. The closest I came to was the sighting of the tail of a leopard hanging from a tree branch and a 5 second sighting of a tiger before it disappeared into thick vegetation. Too quick to even click a picture! But providence was with me during a visit to the Gir National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary in December 2024. Not only did I sight two leopards which is said to be rare even at Gir, a pack of 3 lions literally led my safari jeep for almost 20 minutes before disappearing into the forest. Another rarity. Wow! What a feeling!
Gir is the only natural abode of Asiatic lion
Gir National Park is unique because it is the only abode of Asiatic lions, and the only place where lions can be seen in their natural habitat outside Africa. The deciduous forest is also home to leopards, many species of deer(sambhar, chital, chousinghas, etc.), vultures, wild boar, and marsh crocodiles, all of which I saw, plus hyena, big mongoose, and many other species of reptiles. There are over 300 species of birds but by and large, they are harder to spot. I learnt there are over 650 lions inside the forest today, including cubs. But for the lions, Gir National Park would have probably made for a great bird sanctuary.
Notable wildlife absent in Gir includes tigers, elephants and bisons. Today, nowhere in the world, lions and tigers co-exist together in the wild. But in India, we are lucky to have one national park safeguarding lions and many others protecting tigers.
Gir National Park is spread over 1400 sq. kms
Open jungle safaris are available from ‘Sinh Sadan’, located near Sasan Gir village in Gujarat. About 12kms from Sasan Gir village, there is a fully fenced safari park called Devaliya Safari Park. Spread over 4sq. kms, it was built mainly to take human pressure off Gir National Park. Also called ‘Gir Interpretation Center’, Devaliya Safari park has ~10 leopards in a secure enclosure and few lions in the open. These animals were caught and re-located here after they turned man eaters.
Few villages continue within the Park
I was surprised to see few villages continue to exist inside the park. The villagers protected their huts and livestock enclosures with thorny bushes but I guess they are most vulnerable when out grazing and/or carrying out agricultural activity. Villagers often lose their livestock to the carnivores but have continued to live here. Many of the employees at Gir, including guides and drivers, come from these villages and are therefore passionate about preservation of the Gir forest and its population of lions.
The process and cost of safari at Gir
One needs to obtain a permit first which is only available online. Costs INR 800 for upto 6 people. The Reception Centre is located at ‘Sinh Sadan’ near Sasan Gir village. I was advised to report at the counter about an hour before the scheduled safari time though the counter opens ~30 minutes before the safari time. The Q built up in no time but when the counter opened, it moved quickly. The permit was first verified and thereafter, I paid for the safari jeep(INR 3500 for upto 6 people) and guide charges of INR 400.
I also had to pay INR 200 for the camera(a DSLR) that was valid for 24 hours from the time of issue. Since my 2 safaris were within a span of 24 hours, I simply got the camera receipt re-validated at the counter for the second safari. There is no fee for clicking pictures on the mobile phone.
The above charges apply only to Indians. Foreigners pay much more.
Jeep need not be shared
Safari jeeps need not be shared so each family or group can book one for itself. A guide accompanies every jeep. During the safari, both the guide and the driver shared several interesting nuggets of information and appeared very keen to ensure we had good sightings.
As per my guide, around 50 jeeps are allowed for the safari during every session out of which few are kept for spot booking.
There are 13 safari routes
Gir National Park has 13 safari routes and each jeep is assigned a random route at the time of booking. The actual route and time are monitored through GPS and both the driver and the guide may be penalised for deviations and/or late exit. All the routes criss cross at several points. Route 3(and 1) is the longest and my Jeep was allotted Route 3 the first time. I requested for a different route at the time of booking the jeep the second time so I could explore other parts of the forest. Ultimately, the route does not matter as the safari duration is 3 hours on all routes and the probability of spotting lions or leopards is also the same.
At the entry gates to the Park, the IDs are checked. Original hard copy is normally required but even the electronic versions stored on mobile phone are accepted. The ID should be the same as that indicated in the permit booking but in my case, a different ID was accepted.
Highlights of my 2 open jungle safaris
My first safari was in the morning at 6.30pm and the second at 3.30pm, both with different routes. The general recommendation is to go for a minimum of 2 safaris to improve chances of spotting the big cat.
Fabulous sunrise and sunset at Kamaleshwar Dam
On both the routes, there was a 15 minute halt at Kamaleshwar Dam. Toilets have been thoughtfully built here. There is a viewing platform that provides a great view of the lake on one side and the forest on the other. Nice place for photos and a fabulous spot for watching both sunrise and sunset. I even spotted a crocodile swimming in the lake. Many crocodiles can be seen on banks of the lake during summer.
Sighting of 2 leopards
During the morning safari, just few minutes after departing from Kamaleshwar dam, and after crossing a culvert, I spotted a fully grown leopard, looking to cross the road. It was visible for over 5 minutes or so before it disappeared behind the thick vegetation. Unfortunately, due to certain camera setting, the pictures turned out to be hazy. In the afternoon, I had a good view of another leopard trying to take a nap under a tree but kept raising its head, providing a perfect opportunity for a photograph. After 10 minutes or so, we moved on.
Sighting of 3 lions
It was the final 20 minutes of morning safari and my Jeep was making its way to the exit. I had given up hopes of spotting a lion when my guide indicated there is a movement ahead. And as the Jeep turned a corner, I saw 2 Jeeps parked on the side and a little ahead, a pack of 3 lions stood on the vehicle track. For couple of minutes, all of us on the Jeep literally held our breath. The lions turned around and looked at us but obviously, we were neither a threat nor a prey. So they turned and started walking again, with my Jeep following close behind. One or two of them would often lie down, roll over, smell a tree and what not. After ~20 minutes, they turned into the forest.
For those 20 minutes, nothing else in the world seemed to matter, so intensely focused we all were.
Other sightings
Several colorful birds and 2 marsh crocodiles basking in the sun. The rest were usual species of deer, langur monkeys and wild boar. If I exclude the lions, I think the total wildlife sightings were not much really.
Dusty when vehicles pass
Every time safari vehicles crossed, or there is movement of domesticated animals near the villages, lot of dust would get kicked up. I was glad I was carrying a facial mask. Very much needed.
Gir safari timings
There are two in the morning, at 6.30am and 8.30am and one in the evening at 3.30pm. All lasting 3 hours which appears fairly long but the time passes by like a breeze. This is during winter. Animal sightings are believed to be better during the safaris at 6.30am and 3.30pm.
Devaliya safari park
Unlike Gir which is an open park, Devaliya is a fully fenced park. It is located 12 kms away from Sinh Sadan and the drive takes 15-20 minutes. The safari ride lasted about an hour and because of the short duration, there are 7 safari rides in a day.
If you have spotted lions during Gir safari, you can skip Devaliya safari park. If not, take this safari where the probability of sighting lions is rated high. I spotted 3 lions. About 10 leopards are housed inside another secure enclosure but yes, that is as good as seeing them in a zoo!
The overall cost was INR 5650 that included INR 800 for permit, INR 400 for guide and INR 2500 for jeep(6 seater), the balance being the premium for booking through private operator. There is also an option for a bus that is much cheaper. The safari jeep picked us up at Sinh Sadan but the bus operates from Devaliya safari park entrance. Check out this official link for more details.
Devaliya safari park is closed on Wednesdays.
When to visit Gir?
Gir National Park is closed between mid June to mid October. My safari guide said the best time to visit is summer – April to mid June or so. During those summer months, the vegetation dries up thereby increasing the field of vision. Also, the animals tend to congregate around water bodies and hence sightings are more probable than any other time. But it will be quite hot. The peak period is December to March.
I visited in the first week of December when the weather was very pleasant and cool. But quite chilly inside the forest early morning and late evening.
How to get to Sasan Gir
I flew from Bengaluru to Rajkot and drove down to Junagadh for an overnight stay before heading to Sasan Gir. From Junagadh, Sasan Gir is ~70kms with a driving time of close to 1.5 hours. Rajkot airport is ~100kms from Junagadh but it took me almost 3.5 hours. Traffic congestion, not so great condition of the road with constructions on the way slowed down my car. But the return from Sasan Gir to Rajkot was much quicker by taking the Junagadh bypass.
Rajkot is the nearest big airport. Another option is to take the train from Ahmedabad. If there is no stop at Sasan Gir, alight at Veraval/Somnath.
While driving to Rajkot from Junagadh, one can shop at the textile town of Jetpur, known for dyeing, block printing and textile designing. It is not much cheaper than say Bengaluru but one will find lot of variety.
Beware of private online portals
If you search for Gir National Park or Gir Safari or anything similar, you will encounter several private websites which appear official until you read the disclaimer in small print. They all charge a premium over and above the official rates. They will obtain permits and also book the jeep with guide. These private operators have their representatives on ground to ensure everything goes smooth.
I paid a total of INR 4,700(800+3500+400) for Gir Safari through official route. Private websites charge a minimum of INR 6200. The premium is ~INR 2k for Devaliya jeep safari.
Although very convenient, there is no need to book through private portals. One can book for the permit at the official website https://girlion.gujarat.gov.in/ and thereafter book the jeep upon arrival, just after the permit is verified. I would tend to believe that all permit holders should normally be provided jeeps for safari.
Avoid hiring private vehicles which are parked at smaller hotels/dhabhas outside. They are not allowed to enter the National Park and will only take you on the periphery roads.
Where to stay in Gir
There are several resorts/hotels nearby. I chose to stay at Kings Kraft River Side Resort, a newly built resort. It was ~15-20 minutes by road from Sinh Sadan. The rooms were very spacious but there were not much of in-house activities beyond a small pool and board games. In the evenings, the sky was quite clear and with very less light pollution, I enjoyed few moments of star gazing after dinner.
How many days?
Stay a minimum of 1 night so you can do 2 safaris and also visit Devaliya safari park if needed. There are couple of options for day trips for those staying longer.
Day trips from Sasan Gir
I recollect visiting Kankai Mata temple that is located in the heart of Gir forest many many years ago. If you have spare time, consider a visit. Locally quite famous but I am suggesting this more for the exhilarating journey through the forest area. I had then stayed next to the temple overnight and still vividly recollect the nervous night I spent due to constant roars of the lions and leopards.
Somnath
Somnath is an hour by road from Sasan Gir. I left my resort after breakfast and was back for a late lunch. Somnath temple is the first of the 12 Jyotirlinga temples and bears a striking resemblance to the newly built Ram temple in Ayodhya. The entire temple and the surrounding area has been renovated in the same way as other Jyotirlinga temples in Ujjain and Varanasi. The present structure was built in 1951. Though there was a crowd, I was able to exit in about 1.5 hours.
Some development work is still ongoing near Somnath beach. There are couple of other temples and the Triveni sangam in Somnath that are normally visited by devotees. Besides the Somanth temple and beach, I preferred to do the sightseeing from the comfort of AC car, without alighting.
Junagadh and Diu
Junagadh is 1-2 hours away. The Uparkot Fort is a nice place to visit but not a must see. The key attraction in Junagadh is Mt Girnar, a holy pilgrimage centre for both Jains and Hindus. It is accessible only by cable car but the day I visited, it was closed due to windy conditions.
Diu is another option for a day trip. About couple of hours by road.
Is Gir National Park a must visit destination?
Gir is the only place to see Asiatic lions in their natural habitat. An African safari is the best option for sighting lions in the open but if that is out of bounds, Gir will be a must visit destination. Sasan Gir is a bit of drive from the nearest airport and therefore, combine Gir with a longer trip to Gujarat. But keep in mind that beyond lions and leopards, sightings of other wildlife may be limited.
For more information
https://www.gujarattourism.com/saurashtra/gir-somnath/gir-national-park.html
https://www.girnationalpark.in/ (private)
