TempleThemes:SpiritualHeritageCulture
Gujarat
Somnath
First Jyotirlinga, rebuilt six times on the Arabian Sea
- Ideal stay
- 1 day
- Best time
- October to February; Mahashivratri in February or March is the temple's biggest night
West India · Wildlife
Gir National Park
The last wild Asiatic lions, in dry teak forest
- Gujarat
- Wildlife
- Timeless
Photo: 0720reemagupta · CC BY-SA 4.0
- January — a best month
- February — a best month
- March — a best month
- April — a best month
- May
- June
- July
- August
- September
- October
- November
- December — a best month
Best: Dec–Apr
- State
- Gujarat
- Region
- West India
- Kind of place
- Wildlife · Timeless
- Ideal stay
- 2 days
- Altitude
- 180 m
- Coordinates
- 21.12° N, 70.79° E
Gir is the only place on earth where Asiatic lions still live wild. By 1900 fewer than two dozen survived, saved by the Nawab of Junagadh, who banned shooting them on his estate; the 2025 census counted 891 across Gir and the wider Saurashtra landscape, and the forest of teak, dhak and acacia around Sasan has become one of the great conservation stories of Asia. A safari here feels different from a tiger park.
The scrub is open, the light dry and gold, and lions are often seen as a pride at rest under a khair tree rather than as one shadow crossing a road. Jeeps enter from Sasan at dawn along fixed routes, past leopard scrapes, marsh crocodiles hauled out at Kamleshwar Dam, chital and sambar, and the extraordinary chowsingha, the four-horned antelope. Living inside the forest are the Maldharis, buffalo-herding families whose thorn-fenced nesses have shared this jungle with the lions for generations.
If a core permit eludes you, the Devalia interpretation zone gives an almost certain sighting inside a large fenced enclosure. Bring binoculars: Gir counts more than three hundred bird species, among them the Indian pitta and the crested serpent eagle. The park shuts for the monsoon and reopens in mid-October.
What not to miss in Gir National Park
- Dawn jeep safari from Sasan Gir for Asiatic lions
- Devalia Safari Park for a near-certain sighting
- Marsh crocodiles at Kamleshwar Dam
- A Maldhari ness inside the sanctuary
- Kankai Mata temple deep in the forest
- Birding for Indian pitta, painted stork and serpent eagle
Best Dec–Apr
Best time to visit Gir National Park
December to March for comfortable safaris; April and May are hot but give the best sightings.
Give Gir National Park 2 days and it repays the time; with fewer you are choosing between Dawn jeep safari from Sasan Gir for Asiatic lions and Devalia Safari Park for a near-certain sighting. We build the hours around the weather — early starts when it is hot, long afternoons when it is not.
- Ideal stay — 2 days
- Season — Dec–Apr
On the ground
Things to do in Gir National Park
The days we would actually plan for you, in the order that suits the light.
- Two core-zone jeep safaris, one at dawn and one in the afternoon
- Crocodile and bird walk along the Hiran river
- Talala mango orchards in May for Kesar keri straight off the tree
- Sakkarbaug Zoo at Junagadh, where the Asiatic lion breeding programme began
At the table
What to eat in Gir National Park
- Kathiawadi thali with sev tameta and lasaniya bataka
- Bajra rotlo with garlic chutney
- Kesar keri, the Talala saffron mango, in May
- Chaas served cold with every meal
Getting there
How to reach Gir National Park
Keshod Airport is 90 km and Diu 110 km; Junagadh is the main railhead 65 km away with a small station at Sasan Gir; Rajkot is 160 km by road.
Airport pickups, station transfers and the driver for the days here are all part of what we arrange — including the hour you should leave, which is usually earlier than you think.
Travel tips from our trips
- The park is closed from 16 June to 15 October; book core-zone permits online on the Gujarat forest department portal as soon as the window opens
- Only forest-registered gypsies with a guide are allowed inside; private cars cannot enter the core
- Wear olive, khaki or brown, and skip perfume and bright colours on safari
- Mornings in December can be under ten degrees in an open jeep, so carry a windproof layer
- Devalia is a separate ticket and a good backup if core permits are sold out
Next door
Near Gir National Park
Places that join Gir National Park without a long drive — the way a real week is built.
Temple
BeachThemes:NatureHeritageFoodFamily
Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu
Diu
Portuguese fort, hoka palms and Saurashtra's easiest island days
- Ideal stay
- 2 days
- Best time
- October to March
TempleThemes:SpiritualHeritageCulture
Gujarat
Dwarka
Krishna's sea-facing city and one of the four Char Dham
- Ideal stay
- 2 days
- Best time
- November to February; Janmashtami in August or September is the biggest festival
DesertThemes:NaturePhotographyCultureOffbeat
Gujarat
Rann of Kutch
White salt desert that glows under the Kutchi full moon
- Ideal stay
- 3 days
- Best time
- November to February
1 journey
Tours that visit Gir National Park
9 days · 8 nightsThemes:CultureWildlifeHeritage
Easy · Best Nov–Mar
Rann of Kutch and the Gir Lions
Nine days from Ahmedabad's pols to the white desert, the lions and the sea
Route: Ahmedabad → Bhuj → Rann of Kutch → Gir National Park +2 more
- Group
- 2–12 (private)
- From
- ₹82,000 pp
Before you ask
Questions we are asked about Gir National Park
When is the best time to visit Gir National Park?
December to March for comfortable safaris; April and May are hot but give the best sightings. On the calendar that is Dec–Apr. We build Gir National Park into a journey inside that window wherever we can; when your dates are fixed outside it, we re-plan the hours of the day around the weather rather than talk you out of the trip.
How many days do you need in Gir National Park?
We plan 2 days in Gir National Park. That is enough for Dawn jeep safari from Sasan Gir for Asiatic lions, Devalia Safari Park for a near-certain sighting and Marsh crocodiles at Kamleshwar Dam, at a pace that still leaves room for a long lunch. Add a day if you are continuing to Somnath and Diu.
How do you reach Gir National Park?
Keshod Airport is 90 km and Diu 110 km; Junagadh is the main railhead 65 km away with a small station at Sasan Gir; Rajkot is 160 km by road. We arrange the transfer and the driver as part of the journey, so you are met on arrival instead of negotiating a taxi at the gate, and the timings are set around when Gir National Park is at its best rather than around the clock.
What is Gir National Park famous for?
Gir National Park is a wildlife park in Gujarat, West India, best known for Dawn jeep safari from Sasan Gir for Asiatic lions, Devalia Safari Park for a near-certain sighting and Marsh crocodiles at Kamleshwar Dam. Travellers come for wildlife, nature and photography, and most give it 2 days.
Is Gir National Park good for families?
Gir National Park is planned more often for wildlife, nature and photography than as a family stop, but it works well at a slower pace. 2 days, an early start and one unhurried afternoon is the shape we would suggest, inside the Dec–Apr window. Tell us who is travelling and we will pace it around them.
Photograph of Gir National Park: 0720reemagupta · CC BY-SA 4.0
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