Gir National Park

Gir National Park and wildlife sanctuary in Gujarat is the heaven for wildlife enthusiasts who come here from across the globe. This is the only place in the world, besides Africa, where you can catch glimpses of Asiatic lions. Also known as Sasan-Gir, this sanctuary is one of the most important protected areas in the world. Sprawling across around 1412 sq km, it was established in 1965. It was once the hunting ground of the Nawabs of Junagadh in Gujarat.

The Park’s area is rugged and has steep rocky hills. The large patched of grasslands are punctuated with several water bodies. The Park is laden with dry deciduous forest. There are seven major perennial rivers which flow through the Gir Forest- Hiran, Shetrunji, Datardi,Shingoda, Machhundri, Godavari and Raval.

Attractions of Gir National Park

Animals
Gir boasts of around 523 lions and 300 leopards apart from wildlife such as sambar, antelope, jackal, hyena, wild boar, chital, monkey, wild ass, jungle cat, spotted dear etc. The Gir forest is also a home to Chowsingha – the world’s only four horned antelope.

Birds
Gir is home to around 200 species of birds including the endangered ones, white-backed and long-billed vultures. You can catch glimpses of even rare birds here such as crested hawk-eagle, Indian gray hornbill, bonelli's eagle, great horned owl, Pygmy Woodpecker, Black-headed Oriole, Crested Treeswift and Indian Pitta. It has also been declared as an important bird area by the Indian Bird Conservation Network.

Reptiles
There are around 40 species of reptiles and amphibians in Gir. You can spot marsh crocodiles at a huge reservoir called Kamleshwar in Gir.

Safari
You can opt for a jeep safari to explore the Park.

When to visit
Gir is open for visitors from 16th October to 15th June every year.

How to Reach
Keshod is the nearest airport (70 km) from Gir which offers regular flights from Mumbai. It is also well connected to Ahmedabad (the capital of Gujarat) by train and road.