Gir National Park & Sanctuary
Ahmedabad-Junagadh-Gir National Park
Day 01: Ahmedabad-Junagadh-Gir National Park
Meals: breakfast, lunch & dinner
Arrive Junagadh by train no. 9221 at 0425 hours (starting previous day from Ahmedabad at 2125 hours). You will be met and transferred to Gir Birding Lodge (60 km / 1½ hours).
Morning nature walk and orientation with a guide.
Afternoon safari into the park for lion tracking, birding and wildlife viewing.
Audio-visual show in the evening followed by dinner.
Overnight stay in a cottage.
Day 02: Gir National Park
Morning drive to the jungle for lion tracking and bird watching. The jungle visits lasts for about three hours. Return to the resort for breakfast & lunch. One can walk around the surroundings or bird-watch. Afternoon drive to the jungle for wildlife viewing. Overnight stay at the lodge
Day 03: Gir National Park-Junagadh-Ahmedabad
Meals: breakfast, lunch & dinner
Morning safari into the park for lion tracking, birding and wildlife viewing.
Afternoon activities (optional, on direct payment): nature walk / jeep safari / crocodile farm visit / Devaliya visit.
Drive to Junagadh at 1930 hours to connect overnight train 9222 at 2145 hours (arriving at Ahmedabad at 0525 hours).
Overnight in train. Tour Ends.
General Information
Location: Gir, 42-kms From Junagadh, Gujarat.
Area: 1412.13-sq-kms.
Best time to visit: December- April
Nearest Town: Junagadh (42-kms)
The Lion King :
Gir Sanctuary is the last and only home of the critically endangered Asiatic Lion. These lions are a smaller more compact version of their African version, and are best viewed at dawn or dusk when they are on the move. The major difference between the two is that the African Lion appears larger than the Indian Lion because of its large and luxuriant mane.
How to Get there
Air : The nearest airport from Gir is Keshod 90-kms via Veraval. Visitors can easily catch daily flights from Mumbai to Keshod.
Rail : The nearest rail connection is the meter gauge rail line of 395-kms from Ahemdabad.
Road : Gir is situated at a distance of 400-kms from Ahmedabad via Rajkot, Junagadh and Mendarda. State Transport buses are easily available from Junagadh and Veraval to Gir, between November and June.
Climate
From the three common seasons of summer, winter and monsoon, summer takes the longest stretch, in which the average minimum and maximum temperature ranges between 10ºC to nearly 45ºC. The hottest months recorded in Gir are April and May. The rains bring some relief from the heat during the monsoons period of, starting from middle of June and September. The maximum recorded during this period in the area is around 1,866 mm and the minimum recorded being 199mm. Because of less rainfall water always remains a critical factor in the well being of the forest. At times the waterholes are required to be replenished through water tankers from outside and the park staff maintains around 350 of such waterholes.