Having finally spotted not one but four tigers at Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve six months back, we were itching for some more wildlife adventure. The winter vacation was perfect time for us to plan a visit to the hometown of another member of the cat family. It was the time to see the King of the Jungle. The last successful encounter with wildlife made us even more hopeful and excited this time around. So here is our detailed post on how we went Looking for Lions at Gir National Park.

Gir National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary

“Gir National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary” or Sasan Gir is the only place in India to spot the Kings of the Jungle. As per 2015 census, with 109 males, 201 females & 213 cubs, the lion population has comfortable increased to 523 in the 4 districts of Gir National Park namely Junagadh district (268), Gir Somnath district (44), Amreli district (174) & Bhavnagar district (37). The Gir National Park is spread over 1412 sq km area out of which 258 sq km is the core area. Apart from Asiatic Babbar lions, many other animals like hyena, spotted deer, Sambar deer, Blue Bull (Nilgai) and Black buck are found in huge numbers. There are also 300 leopards in the area. The Gir foxes can be seen aplenty running around all over the jungle. and also on the roads outside.

Gir National Park is the only place apart from Africa where you can see the lions in its own habitat. Established in 1965, the lions in this park were protected by the Nawab of Junagadh who ensured that their numbers keep increasing. Therefore the conservation of Lions started. The forest is mainly dry deciduous with some parts of Savannah. With teak trees covering about 90 percent of the flora. Making it a perfect habitat for these large cats. The dam built on river Hiran acts as a natural breeding ground for not only crocodiles but also other reptiles and migratory birds too.

How to Book the Safari at Gir National Park

Gir National Park is the only place where you can view the majestic lions in India. Here there are 3 different options of Safari to choose from, namely:

Option 1: Gir Jungle Trail (Main Sanctuary area)

Option 2: GIZ Devalia Gypsy Safari (Gir Interpretation Zone – “Gir in a nutshell”)

Option 3: GIZ Devalia Bus Safari

Gir Jungle Trail is open to visitors from 16th October to 15th June however, GIZ Devalia is open all year round with Wednesday as a weekly off.

Asiatic Lions and other wildlife sightings can happen anywhere either in Gir Jungle Trail or GIZ Devalia. Although it is more easier in GIZ Devalia. Even the “shy” leopard sightings easily occur in GIZ Devalia as a few (“man-eater”) leopards have been kept in a separate enclosure. As for the big cats, it is their wish if they want to be seen . However, if you manage to enter early in the morning safari or exit late in the evening safari, then there is a better chance of sighting them. Also, summers are best for wild life sightings including lions and leopards as they come out more often in search of water bodies.

Gir Jungle Trail

Gir Jungle Trail is the Main Sanctuary area. There are 13 well-managed trail routes in Dedakadi and Sasan ranges. Each route is within the tourism zone of the Sanctuary and has an average length of about 35 km. With artificial water-holes developed along the route facilitating wildlife sighting and well-trained local guides, lion sightings are a pretty common occurrence. It is not uncommon to see wildlife photography enthusiasts at Gir as Asiatic Lion sightings are a usual occurrence.

Here is the jungle safari timings at Gir Jungle trail:

Safari Tip #1: Book at least 2-3 Safaris for maximizing your chances of big cat sightings. Book either the Morning or Evening Safari or both but avoid the 8:30-11:30am Safari as the lion sighting chances reduce during this time.

Basically the safari cost consists of 3 items which you need to arrange to visit the Gir National Park – Jungle Safari Permit (INR 800 – 1,000 per Safari Vehicle – Single seat permit not possible at Gir), Vehicle Hire charge (INR 1,700) and the Guide fees payment (INR 400). There is a difference between Indian and Foreign tourists only for the Jungle Permit charges however the charges for the Vehicle hire and Guide fees remain the same.

Vehicle Permit Booking for Jungle Safari at Gir Jungle Trail

Private open Gypsies, registered by the Forest Department are available locally along with the well-trained local Guide. All the Permits are issued online by the Forest Department at the Reception Counter, Sinh Sadan, Sasan.

Unlike other national parks, at Gir National Park, only Full Vehicle permits are available. Single seat permits are not available.

The vehicle Permit Booking for the Gir Jungle Trail can be done in a relaxed way online on the Gujrat government’s website for Gir National Park. This is definitely better than trying to getting it when you are already at the park entrance, where things become a bit tedious. The manual paper work involved in filling the permit forms coupled with the hassle of standing a long slow-moving line while the family and friends are waiting for you in the safari jeep is in my opinion … a sure shot way to kill all the fun!

Once you are on the Gujrat Govt Girlion website, click “Booking” tab and select “Gir Jungle Trail” and fill up the details.

Full Vehicle permit: The Full Vehicle safari permit for the whole jeep costs INR 800 on weekdays and INR 1,000 on weekends/festival days. A safari Jeep can seat up to six adult tourists + 1 extra child (3-12 years) excluding the driver and the guide. Extra child permit costs INR 100 on weekdays and INR 125 on weekends/festival days. While booking the Safari permit, you will not be able to choose the route. The route is decided at the reception area when you reach there with the receipt. Single seat permits are not possible at Gir National Park.

Safari Tip #2: Try talking to other safari guests / guides / gypsy drivers to find out in which route the last big cat sightings have taken place giving you the best chance for the sightings too.

Vehicle hire charges – Jeep booking

Once you have completed the permit booking online, then the Safari Jeep booking is done easily once you reach Gir National Park. At the Reception desk of Gir National Park, the permit booking details will be verified by the forest official with the ID proof you mentioned while booking the permit. Then the route and vehicle number will be mentioned on the vehicle permit booking printout. The vehicle hire fees needs to be paid directly at the Gypsy. The hire charges for the vehicle i.e. a 4×4 Jeep safari is INR 1,700 per jeep.

Guide Fees

Also, guide fee of INR 400 per safari vehicle needs to be paid directly to the guide.

Now you will need to board the allocated safari vehicle and the guide will accompany you for the jungle safari.

Safari Tip #3: It is better to come up a bit early say 30 minutes to an hour before the scheduled entry time, to complete these formalities in time before the safari starts and avoid any undue delays.

Best time to visit Gir National Park

Gir National Park is open for visitors from 16th October to 15th June every year. The winter months are pleasant and best to visit. The summer months of April and March are scorching but best to view the wildlife as they prefer lazing around the water holes.

How to Reach Sasan Gir

However, we were on a 3500 km long road trip from Delhi to Gujrat in our own vehicle. We found the roads connectivity awesome and comfortable to drive most of the time except in and around Talala and Rajkot.

Where to stay at Sasan Gir

Sasan Gir has only a handful of good family friendly hotels and kid friendly resorts to choose from.

The Fern Gir Forest Resort: The only 5-star resort at Sasan Gir. The best part about this resort is that it is only 5 kms from the city center. All points of interest including the Reception Desk at Sinh Sadan, can be easily reached from here. The resort also houses a family room, playground and babysitting services.

The Gateway Hotel Gir Forest: This resort a short distance away from GIZ Devalia. The resort boasts of a great garden area offering stunning views of the countryside which can be explored by leisure walks or on rental bicycles.

Woods at Sasan: This resort is also near the GIZ Devalia. The resort has a library which is the best place to unwind after a grueling safari.

If you need any assistance, you can contact Tosif (9687235622) who made our trip worthwhile. It was entirely his efforts to access the best information on routes which made the difference in our big cat sightings.

Have you been to Gir National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary? Did you see any Big Cats there? What was your experience? Do let us know or if we are missing something, please contact us or comment below and I will update this blog soon. Your comments and/or feedback are welcome.

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Singapore Night Safari – A Family Night Out

Sariska National Park – Where The Tigers Roar (for few lucky ones)!!

Wildlife Jungle Safari at Kanha National Park

Essential Guide to Wildlife Jungle Safari at GIZ Devalia Sasan Gir