Hingolgadh Nature Education Sanctuary

Think of a place where you can hear the melodious sound of birds chirping …the bulbul’s metallic calls and catch a glimpse of the typical hanging nests of weaver bird. Think of a place where you can see the gigantic Asiatic lions and different types of exotic snakes. Yes, you can see all this and more in a fascinating nature education sanctuary in Gujarat i.e. “Hingolgadh Nature Education Sanctuary”.

Hingolgadh Nature Education Sanctuary is situated in Jasdan Taluka of Rajkot district. Hingolgadh sanctuary is a piece of grassy haven in the dry tableland of Saurashtra. The forest stretches over an area of 654 square kilometers. The sanctuary constitutes deciduous shrub. The forest is craggy, rugged and wavy. The forest if viewed from the top looks like a magnificent mosaic of grassland. The real view of the sanctuary is during the rainy season with beautiful shades of green color and life buzzing all over in various forms. Savannah type of grassland and scrawny forest amalgamates into each other on wavy and craggy tracks through the lower berth to small hillocks.

Contact: – Shri R. M. Shukla, Range Forest Officer, Hingolgadh Sanctuary
Post: – Amarapur, Taluka: Jasdan,
District: – Rajkot, Gujarat
Cell: – +91-07573022120

S.N	Opening Day	Time
1.	Sunday	8:00am – 6:00pm
2.	Monday	8:00am – 6:00pm
3.	Tuesday	8:00am – 6:00pm
4.	Wednesday	8:00am – 6:00pm
5.	Thursday	8:00am – 6:00pm
6.	Friday	8:00am – 6:00pm
7.	Saturday	8:00am – 6:00pm

S.N	Entry Fees For (Per Entry)	Indians (Rs.)	Foreigners (US $)
I	Adult	10.00/-	5.00/-
II	Children (Age 3 to 12 years)	2.00/-	5.00/-
1	Entry Fees For Vehicles (Per Entry)
I	Car, Jeep, Matador Car	20.00/-	5.00/-
II	Minibus, Tractor	50.00/-	10.00/-
2	Medium and Heavy Vehicles
I	Two and Three wheelers	10.00/-	2.00/-

History

Hingolgadh nature education sanctuary was declared a “private forest” in the year 1973 and a sanctuary in 1980. “Motisari Vidi “was the name earlier given to this sanctuary. It was an ex-princely state/ zone of Jasdan. It was an area specially meant for the royal family members for their hobby….hunting. Due to this sanctuary’s unique nature and its educational scope, it was given to Gujarat Ecological and Education Research (GEER) Foundation, Gandhinagar in 1984 for its further development and its management. From that time the Hingolgadh sanctuary is managed by the GEER Foundation statutory control of The Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (wildlife), Gujarat.

Famous For

Hingolgadh sanctuary has an exceptional combination of wildlife, due to the comportment of grassland and bush forest. The species found here are chinkara, blue bull, Indian porcupine, Indian hare, mongoose etc. in the herbivore category. There is an interesting selection of carnivores too with wolf being the main predator of the sanctuary along with hyenas, jackals. The occasional presence of leopard is also seen. The sanctuary has a great population of birds with 230 species. Apart from this 19 varieties of snakes out of which 3 venomous and 16 non-venomous snakes are also found in this sanctuary. The factors like savanna type of grassland, bushy landscape, attractive fauna, remarkable varieties of avian species, has made the sanctuary an apt place for nature education. The sanctuary also is good in geological and hydrological features, therefore, attracting the attention of geologists and scientists. The physical feature of the sanctuary is used aptly by the forest authorities and the Govt to enhance educational value and awareness of the public about forest and wildlife conservation.

Things to Do

The Hingolgadh nature education sanctuary in collaboration with GEER foundation organizes 50 to 75 nature education camps for school and college students approximately 2500 to 3500 students and 100 to 150 teachers every year. The duration of the camp is 3 days 2 nights. Each camp on an average comprises of 50 students and minimum 2 teachers. This sanctuary also has camping sites for the students and the teachers. A cacti house and a snake house exists inside…its developed for the students who want to gain knowledge about these unique species.

Things to Know

End of the monsoon till the beginning of the winter is an apt time to visit this sanctuary. Apart from participating in camps, you can also visit Hingolgadh Nature Education sanctuary along with your family members or friends group. As there is no cafeteria inside the sanctuary you need to carry food and water along with you. If you are planning to visit this sanctuary, you can also club another weekend get-away. There are different places near this sanctuary that are worth visiting. Some of them are Swaminarayan temple, Aishwarya Garden, Kaba Gandhi No Delo, Dolls museum, Watson museum, Aji Dam garden, Jubilee garden etc.

This sanctuary offers an unmatched eco-education oasis that provides the worthy opportunity for discovering physical features such as billowy hill slopes, different patterns of soil, the flow of water etc. it’s interesting to observe the effect of these characteristics on the food chain comprising of the vegetation and the wildlife depended on it.

Some tips to remember as a responsible citizen are – No smoking inside the sanctuary…as it is definitely injurious to any living organism. Tourists should not use flash or such type of photography which irritates wildlife. Other instructions are not to move close to the animals, no petting, no littering etc. Trash should only to be disposed of in allotted places.

Places to Visit in Hingolgadh

In Hingolgadh Sanctuary, you will find two beautiful places; this is one of the best-known places.

Hingolgadh Nature Education Sanctuary
Hingolgadh Castle Museum

How to Reach

If you are traveling by road, then you can reach here from the nearest bus stop at Jasdan ….that is 15 kilometers away from this sanctuary. You can also travel by your own vehicle as the road connectivity to this sanctuary is very good. The closest railway station is Gondal which is 32 kilometers away. The nearest airport is Rajkot which is 70 kilometers away from Hingolgadh Nature Education Sanctuary.

Accommodation

You have many hotels and lodges, even homestays in Rajkot. Homestays provide you delicious food preferred by the visitors. And if you are arranging for camps then you can stay in the campsite. The sanctuary also provides lodging facilities but you need to take prior permission for that from the Range Forest Officer of the Hingolgadh Nature Education Sanctuary.

Best Time to Visit

An attempt to visit this sanctuary is advisable immediately after the monsoon, as the scenic beauty will be at its best, there is ample greenery throughout. Winter is also considered a good time as the climate will be pleasant.

Conclusion

If you are looking for a true meeting with nature…amidst the call of the wild… Hingolgadh Nature Education Sanctuary is an ideal place for it. The authorities of this sanctuary are trying to strike a balance between the whole ecosystem and the environment at large, by undertaking tree plantation projects and breeding of the indigenous species.