Planning your trip to Gir National Park? Here is all you need to know about the Jungle Safari!

Why visit Gir National Park?

Gir National Park attracts lakhs of visitors each year, just to have a glimpse of the king of jungle, the majestic Asiatic lion! Gir forest is the only place in the whole world where the Asiatic Lion can be found in its natural habitat. The creature was once at the verge of extinction in the early 1900s with only ~20 of them left. By the conservation efforts of the Nawab of Junagadh, regulation by the British administration on hunting, tremendous efforts from the forest department and with support of the locals, the population of Asiatic lion is once again thriving in Gir forest!

According to the latest unofficial count in 2017, the number of Asiatic lions in Gir forest has increased to 650 animals from 523 in 2015 official census. The stable and self-sustaining ecosystem of Gir forest is also a preferred habitat for many animals like leopard, marsh crocodile, antelope, jackal, and deer. Over 300 species of resident birds, 500 species of plants and 2000 species of insects are found here!

The Majestic Asiatic Lion - Gir National Park

Important information about the Jungle Safari at Gir National Park

Gir hosts two types of jungle safari for tourists, namely: Gir Jungle Trail and Devalia Safari Park.

Gir Jungle Trail: This safari is a true jungle experience. It is a 2.5 hours open gypsy ride in the Gir forest which starts from Sasan Gir forest office. The visitors are taken in to the core jungle where they come across many of the animals residing in Gir. There is no guarantee of sighting the Asiatic Lion, it is completely by chance. However, the guides and trackers do try their best that the visitors are able to sight lion. The permit for Gir Jungle Trail can be acquired on the government website: www.girlion.in. The permit can be acquired 3 months in advance and it is recommended that visitors book their safari as early as possible, especially during the peak holidays like Diwali and Christmas. Gir Jungle Trail remains closed from 16^th June to 15^th October every year.

Timings and Fees: Gir Jungle Trail runs three times each day: 6:00 AM to 9:00 AM, 9:00 AM to 12:00 AM, 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM. The permit obtained is for 1 vehicle which allows upto 6 persons. Cost of the permit is 800 INR (4800 INR for foreigners) on weekdays and 1000 INR (6000 INR for foreigners) on weekends and holidays.

Having a guide on your safari is mandatory and the charge is 400 INR. The cost of hiring a jeep is 2100 INR. DSLR camera charge is 200 INR for Indians and 1200 INR for foreigners which has to be paid at Sasan Gir forest office.

So the total cost of Safari for 1 to 6 persons remains the same and comes around 3300 INR to 3500 INR for Indians. And for foreigners, it comes around 7300 INR to 8500 INR i.e. 105 US Dollar to 125 US Dollars (without camera fees which is ~20 US Dollars). Guide and Jeeps are easily available in Sasan Gir and need not be booked in advance.

Devalia Safari Park: It is also called as Gir Interpretation zone, Devalia. It is a concept of providing ‘Gir in a nutshell’. Devalia Safari is a 45 minutes bus ride where most of the animals of Gir forest can be seen for sure, including the Asiatic Lion. The animals are enclosed in a 15 square kilometer area (not caged). Permits are available online on the same government website. However, on the spot permits are also available and visitors need not worry about booking in advance. Devalia Safari is open throughout the year. It remains closed on every Wednesday of the week.

Timings and Fees: The timings for Devalia are from 8:00 AM to 11:00 AM and 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM every day except for Wednesdays. 
The fees, per person are as follows:

·         Weekdays: 150 INR for Indians and 2,400 (36 US Dollars) rupees for foreigners.

·         Weekends and Festival days: 190 INR for Indians and 3,000 (45 US Dollars) rupees for foreigners.

The Asiatic Lion - Wildlife Photography in Gir National Park

When to visit Gir National Park?

Gir National Park experiences large number of tourists during the festivals like Diwali and Christmas. Winter is the best season to visit Sasan Gir (From October to March). If you are looking for a relaxed experience with less crowd, then February to March would be the most suitable time, as the number of tourists goes down and the weather is also quite pleasant, with slow transition from chilly winter to summer. However, the chances of seeing lions are higher during summer (March to May) as they come out to drink water.

Getting to Sasan Gir

Sasan Gir is situated in the Saurashtra (South Western) region of Gujarat state. It is 380 kilometers from Ahmedabad, 56 kilometers from Junagadh, and 45 kilometers from Veraval and Somnath. Gir Jungle Trail starts from Sasan Gir. Devalia Safari Park is at a distance of 12 kilometers from Sasan.

Ahmedabad is the nearest major airport. Private buses as well as taxis are available to Sasan Gir from Ahmedabad. It is a seven hours journey. Alternately, there are airports at Rajkot (150 kms or three hours journey) and Dui (110 kms or two hours journey). Private cabs to Sasan Gir are available from both the locations.

Junagadh and Veraval are the closest railway stations which receive trains from Ahmedabad and other major cities. Both the places are 1.5 hours away from Sasan Gir. Frequent public buses and private taxis are available from both the locations.

Special Tips

Ø  The Identity document that you submitted when booking the permit should be carried with you while going for jungle safari (Aadhaar card or Passport).

Ø  Report at the Sasan Gir Forest office 30-45 minutes before your scheduled safari as you need to get a route allotted. There are 8 routes in total and are allotted randomly.

Ø  Staying in Gir, you can also visit Somnath temple (45 kms) and Diu beach (110 kms).

Ø  For true jungle experience, you can choose to stay at hotels away from the main road.

Ø  You can have yourself picked up from the hotel by gypsy for your Gir Jungle Trail safari by informing at the hotel reception. 

Ø  It is recommended that you do at least two Gir Jungle Trail Safari for better chances of Lion sighting.

Ø  However, many people also prefer to go for one Jungle Trail and keep Devalia as a backup option.

Ø  It is also recommend that you go for the Jungle trail with an attitude of having a feel of the jungle rather than a sole focus on sighting the king. This will make your trip more enjoyable and unfortunately, if you are not able to sight a lion, the disappointment will be less.

Leopard at Gir National Park

Blue Flycatcher near River Hiran in Gir Forest

Honey Eagle near River Hiran in Gir National Park

Bon Voyage!!