Gir National Park is one of the most renowned wildlife reserves in Gujarat’s Junagadh district in vicinity to Talala Gujarat. This is one destination in the country which conserves the famous Asiatic lions, one of the most endangered lion species in the whole of the world. Gir’s ecosystem is a thriving ecosystem enriched with some really rare species of interesting and extensive range of fauna and flora. A visit to Gir demands time as well involvement on the part of the visitor. It is rather impossible to explore Gir or its wildlife in just a few hours. One would need at least 3 days time to explore the National park to the fullest.
Gir Getting There
If you have plans to visit Gir here are some of the ways by which you could reach this wildlife sanctuary-
By Air:
The airport lying in close proximity to Gir is the Keshod airport; about 90kms away from Gir. Another airport is located at Rajkot, about 140kms away from Gir. Both the airports are connected to the rest of India via frequent, regular flights and one can then hire a cab to reach the forest reserve. If you have plans to fly to Keshod airport you must know that the airlines connecting Keshod to Mumbai or Porbandar is Jet airways.
By Rail:
There’s a rail head at Gir. It is the Sasan Gir railway station. Local trains connect this railway station to other towns/stations of Gujarat such as Veraval railway station, Junagadh railway station, Delvada railway station. However the most ideal rail head terminal to reach Gir is the Rajkot railway station. Express trains from different parts of the country will take you to Rajkot from where you can avail road transport to reach Gir.
By Bus:
Also, one could reach Gir by road. There are well developed road networks between Gir and all other major cities of Gujarat. Regular buses; both state as well as private buses ply between Gir and all the other major cities of Gujarat such as Ahmedabad, Junagadh, Surat, Jamnagar, Dwarka etc. Bus route is the most availed route to reach Gir and most visitors make a 7hrs journey by road from Ahmedabad to reach Gir.
Local Vehicles:
Local vehicles such as Jeeps, carts etc can be hired at Gir for the purpose of wildlife safari. Some of best safari routes are Sasan- Kamleshwar dam route, Sasan-Chodavdi route, Sasan-Tulsishyam route and Sasan-Kankai route. Early morning safaris should be availed as chances of spotting wild animals are quite high during that time when compared to the other times of the day.
Google Route Map of Gir national Pak
Gir Route Map from Some Major Cities
- Ahmedabad-Sasan Gir; 89kms, approx 7hrs of drive
- Mehsana-Ahmedabad (75kms)-Sasan Gir (89kms)
- Mahesana-Anand(150kms)-Keshod (389kms)-Sasan Gir (83kms)
- Vadodara-Sasan Gir; 313kma, approx 7hrs of drive
- Vadodara-Keshod (428kms)-Rajkot (146kms)-Sasan Gir (168kms)
- Dwarka-Somnath (236kms)-Diu (82kms)-Sasan Gir (66kms)
- Rajkot-Gir 168kms; 3hrs 52mins
- Surat-Gir; 531kms, 10hr 29mins
Reaching Gir from Delhi and Mumbai
If you wish to reach Gir from the capital city of Delhi, you can fly to Ahmedabad and then avail the road route or railway route to reach Gir.
If you wish to reach Gir from the city of Mumbai, you could fly to Diu airport and then avail road transport to complete the rest of the journey.
Essential Information on Gir National Park
List of wildlife sanctuaries of Gujarat
- Gaga Wildlife Sanctuary
- Jambughoda Wildlife Sanctuary
- Thol Wildlife Sanctuary
- Rampara Wildlife Sanctuary
- Pania Wildlife Sanctuary
- Hingolgadh Wildlife Sanctuary
- Khijadiya Wildlife Sanctuary
- Kutch Wildlife Sanctuary
- Nal Sarovar Bird Sanctuary
- Ratanmahal Sloth Bear Sanctuary
- Jessore Sloth Bear Sanctuary
- Purna Wildlife Sanctuary
- Barda Hills Wildlife Sanctuary
- Narayan Wildlife Sanctuary
- Balaram Ambaji Wildlife Sanctuary
- Shoolpaneshwar Wildlife Sanctuary
- Gir Wildlife Sanctuary
- Wild Ass Sanctuary
- Marina National Park
- Vansda National Park
- Blackbuck National Park
- Gir Forest National Park
- Flora Fauna Gir National Park
- Devaliya National Park
Leave a Reply