The Gir National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary (also called Sasan Gir) is a wildlife sanctuary and forest located at Talala Gir, Gujarat. It is the only known habitat of the Asiatic Lion having a population of approximately 680 big cats. Last week, I spent 4 days close to wildlife on a short trip to Gir with my family.
In the Jungle, the mighty jungle, the Lion roars tonight.
I took a short, one hour flight from Mumbai to Rajkot which is 160 Kms from Gir. One can take a flight to Diu which is 75 Kms from Gir, but the flights are very limited. We landed at about 11:30 and went straight to the Somnath Temple. The road to Somnath is mostly a double laned one except for a few patches and for security purposes, you cannot take anything metallic inside the temple. They provide you with lockers to deposit all your belongings like wallets/mobiles/cameras etc.
Somnath is a very well maintained temple located just adjacent to the Indian Ocean Shore making it a visual treat. This was the second time I visited the magnificent Somnath Temple. The Evening Aarti was as soulful as it had been when I visited 25 years ago making one feel spiritually connected to the Almighty Lord Shiva. After having the prasad we headed for Gir which was around 50 Kms away. One can visit the Somnath beach too which is just 10 minutes’ drive from the temple, with the darkness setting in, we found it prudent to avoid visiting the same.
The overwhelming spiritual and soulful aarti at the Somnath Temple makes one feel so connected to God!
We stayed at a property called the Asiatic Lion Lodge- it is a 3 star property with just 18 huge garden facing rooms The place also had a restaurant which served good vegetarian food at reasonable prices. The property had all the basic amenities with neat and clean rooms along with cycles, swings, badminton rackets and other activities for kids to have fun and pass time. Hot water and clean washrooms with good housekeeping facilities kept us fresh. The property was reasonably priced at 30000/- including taxes and Breakfast for 3 nights for 2 rooms.
We went on 4 Safaris in 3 days. The Gir Safari had 12-13 routes and since I had asked somebody to book tickets for Gir I was free from a lot of hassle.
During the first 2 safaris we spotted two lions early in the morning and one Leopard just beside a washroom.
Our 3rd Safari was exciting and we found one Lioness casually wandering about. Little did we know what was in store for us ahead. After a 20 minutes’ drive, we encountered a pride of lions. It was unimaginably huge with 7 Lionesses, 11 Cubs and 3 Lions. To our surprise, the lions brought home a fresh kill and we were gatecrashing their feast!
The mighty lion feasting on it’s prey
Witnessing the true essence of wildlife, we parked ourselves there for 10 minutes observing the playful cubs and protective lionesses. I captured some of my best wildlife pictures till date during these 10 minutes. Unfortunately, the forest observer came and asked us to leave.
On the next Safari we were extremely luck to spot the same Pride and spent a good 20 minutes watching them mingle about. Watching the ferocious lioness caress her cubs with such tenderness was a heart-warmingly unforgettable moment.
Captured such a delicate moment between a Lioness and her cub!
The washroom seemed to be a wild hangout place for the animals because we once again spotted a big cat, this time a lioness near it.
The place was very airy and the forest was dense. In fact at night, a lioness was roaming around our property with 4 cubs. Their pictures were taken and shown to us the next day.
I also spotted few birds – Eagle Hawk, Owls and Paradise female flycatcher.
Now we know where the phrase as wise as an owl comes from!
The Asiatic Lion Lodge had a very limited menu and so, one night we went to Club Mahindra for dinner which was only a walkable distance of 500 meters from our property. We were advised against walking by the authorities and hence took a cab. Roaming on feet particularly after dark was strictly unadvisable in Gir.
The morning safari started at about 6 and we needed to reach the ticket counter by 5:45. The evening safari started at 2:30 and finished by 6. The morning safari was preferred as the probability of being greeted by the cats was more. Around 80 jeeps were allowed into the forest daily for both the safaris and charges were about 2500 for an open jeep with a Guide and Driver. They charged an extra Rs 1000 for pick up and drop services.
The naughty cubs playing mischievously…
The Asiatic Lion Lodge was relatively far away from the Gir forest entry and it took us about 20 minutes to reach. The road was bad and our drive was bumpy. Resorts like The Fern and Sarovar Portico are 5 star properties which are quite close to entry points of the Forest.
Overall, if you want to have a 4 day wilderness break- Gir is the perfect place for you.
Some interesting facts about the Gir Forest:
- The area of the Gir National Park was once a hunting ground for the British rulers during their reign in India and it was considered a matter of great pride when many kings and maharajas of the region hunted these large numbers of tigers and lions
- It was in the year 1899, that the dominant lion population declined sharply in the Gir due to the effects of the famine and Lord Curzon advised the authorities to protect the species.
- Since the establishment of the Gir National Park in the park and its surrounding area, the lion breeding program has led to the birth of about 180 lions under its protection.
Here are a few moments I captured.
