We started our journey early in the morning to Gir national park from Jamnagar via junagadh. Early morning journey makes you cover a good distance before you get slowed down by the traffic.There are plenty of bus services available from Jamnagar to Sasan Gir. As this was our sudden plan we decided to keep it a budget trip and try out local modes of transport.
Note: It is extremely difficult to get ticket for the safari online as it get booked very quickly. Also there are limited number of gypsies available. So when sagnik was scrolling through the Girlion.in page he got 2 seat for the gypsy and without even thinking he booked them.
We got our ticket from Shiv Shakti travels at 100 rs each.The bus halted for a light breakfast which was tea and dhokla. At about 10 am we reached Junagadh. It took us 3 hr to reach junagadh from jamnagar. From Junagadh it was another 55km which took 2 hr for our rickety local bus to reach.
Cheap Hotels in Gir -
Hotels Umang
At 12.30 pm we reached Sasan Gir and checked into Umang Hotel which we booked online. A comfortable hotel in budget.It is extremely difficult to get rooms at Sinh Sadan and you definitely do not want to stay away from the periphery of the National Park . Umang hotel was the best choice for us.
Picture of Hotel Umang :
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| The Room Copyrights-@Sagnik Sarkar |
After a quick refreshing bath we headed towards the dining area of the hotel, the baba dining hall.
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| Copyrights-@Sagnik Sarkar |
The veg thali was 120rs.
We didn't book any safari in the afternoon and so decided to take eat rest, and stroll around the nearby areas.
Time slot for Gir:
There are three slots for the game ride
6-9 am
9-12pm
And 3-6pm .The best time to see the lions is early in the morning. Also it increases your chance of encountering different wild animals and birds.
Gir Safari : Cost of the entire gypsy - Rs 2100.
You can share with someone. We shared with a family. Maximum number of people 6.
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| Simple Roti Chicken for dinner Copyrights-@Sagnik Sarkar. |
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| Sinh Sadan |
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| The reception Center Copyrights-@Sagnik Sarkar. |
Safari 1.Morning :
The jeep came to pick us up a little early than the schedule time as the entry points gets chaotic due to permit check in .The morning sun rays made the jungle look beautiful. The forest was dry and looked more like the Savannas. This type of grassland is excellent for the lions to roam freely and hunt. The dry leaves made a crunching sound as our vehicle passed by in search of the lion.
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| Copyrights-@Sagnik Sarkar |
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| Changeable Hawk Copyrights-@Sagnik Sarkar |
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| Yes my Adrenal Rush ! Copyrights-@Sagnik Sarkar |
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| Copyrights-@Sagnik Sarkar |
. At the entry point we were greeted by a samber deer. A little further we got a glimpse of a spotted deer but no traces of lion. Infact we saw a changeable hawk a spotted owlet and a mongoose. But No luck of sighting !! I was very disheartened. I know sighting a wild animals in the jungle is sheer luck but still wished to see a glimpse. While we were returning back as our time was getting over we saw other gypsy's rushing on to one direction. Our driver with excitement followed the others.We waited for few minutes when from a bush came out the lioness. What a beautiful creature. It walked around , sat for a while and then went inside the jungle. What a great satisfaction I had ! As our time was over without further roaming around we returned back to the entry point and back to our hotel.
We didn't do the evening safari and thank god we didnt as it rained crazily that night. I was pretty sure that the next morning safari would be a flop.
Safari 2: Morning:
Yeap, I was absolutely correct. With the heavy downpour the animals took shelter. The jungle was empty. We couldn't even spot a single bird . Just enjoyed the jungle and returned back.
In the afternoon we had our return ticket to Jamnagar. So after a heavy breakfast we checked out of the hotel and took a bus to junagadh. By 12 we reached Junagadh. Our bus to Jamnagar was at 2pm,therefore we had some time to explore Junagadh fort.
By 2 pm we were on the bus to Jamnagar. Brewing with fresh memories we promised to return back to see the Lion King.
