GIR

The Story of Asiatic Lions

Almost all wild lions live in sub-Saharan Africa, except for India’s Asiatic lions, a subspecies of Panthera leo leo just like African lions. This tiny population of endangered lions lives solely in Gujarat’s Gir Forests. They’re slightly smaller than their cousins the African lion, weighing between 110 to 190 kgs unlike African lions weighing 125 to 272 kgs. Male lions also have shorter, sparser manes and a fold of skin running across their bellies unseen in African lions.

According to the World Wildlife Fund, only 523 Asiatic lions remain.

But for now, this is a success story.

The historic range of Asiatic lions once spanned Saudi Arabia, Iran, Mesopotamia, eastern Turkey, Pakistan, and India. But by 1940, the last known Indian lions outside of India were killed by hunters in Iran. In 1893, just eighteen Asiatic lions were found in India’s Gir Forest.

Locals say the Nawab of Junagadh, one of the last princely rulers of India, noticed less lions on his walks. When he ordered an official count, only twelve lions were spotted. The Nawab put an end to all hunting in the Gir Forests. Without intervention by him and the establishment of Gir National Park, Asiatic lions likely would have gone extinct.

From those twelve lions, the lions of Gir have grown to 674 in 2020.

What to Expect on Safari in Gir National Park

Only 150 jeeps are allowed in the park a day. To lessen the impact on the animals, only 250kms of the park are open for tourists. Each jeep is randomly assigned a route of the thirteen routes in the park. Each route is 35 to 40kms long.

It’s just before 3:00pm when we leave for Gir National Park. Sitting in the top seat of our private gypsy, we round our way through one of Gir’s 13 routes, route number 10. Then we see them.

Just ahead, about two hundred meters from the patrolmen, a lioness lays in the shade beneath the teak trees, just near a small pond. Beneath the tree-shade, two lion cubs look at the visiting jeeps and flick their tails. They’re two-and-half months old.

Like Mom, they rub their cheeks on a teak tree, learning how to mark their scent.

Unlike other national parks we visited in India, Gir National Park tracks their jeeps’ activity by GPS. No jeep is allowed to stay too long at one sighting. It’s one of the many ways the park lessens the impact on wildlife, along with closing four months a year during monsoon season.

The next morning, a lioness, seemingly alone, lays down on the forest floor. She grooms herself and lets out a low call. After a few minutes it’s answered. The voice of another lioness echoes through the forest. She’s spread out with her pride on the hunt.

Lions aren’t the only big cats in Gir National Park. On our last safari, less than 50 meters from the road, a leopard stands among the teak’s tall, thin silhouettes, completely silent. On either side, two herds of spotted deer graze in the dewy, morning grass, completely unaware they’re being stalked. With the two jeeps there, the leopard changes course, slinks into the forest with complete silence, one of over 800 leopards to prowl the Gir Forests.

We pinch ourselves. Every chance to see a leopard is a blessing, and this happens to be our first time seeing a leopard in India after tries in Jaipur’s Jhalana reserve.

How to Book a Safari in Gir National Park

Bookings for the Gir Jungle Safari can be made online through the government website (girnationalpark.co.in). As of 2024, we were able to book with our international card successfully.

If your international card doesn’t work, you can book over Whatsapp at +91-70433-66302 and pay by Paypal with an extra Paypal transaction fee.

When booking the Gir Jungle Safari, you’ll be asked to choose a date and time-slot, morning (6:30am or 6:45am), afternoon (8:30am), and evening (3:00pm or 4:00pm). (Times vary slightly in summer versus winter).

As a foreigner, you have to book a six-person jeep. (A child less than 12-years-old can also join as the seventh person). The catch is you need to enter the ID details of every passenger when booking, so there’s no sharing jeeps with travelers you may meet later.

How Much Is a Safari in Gir National Park?

This isn’t a budget activity. For foreigners, it’s expensive for a 3-hour safari, especially if you don’t have a large group to share costs with.

As of 2024, the cost of booking a jeep for foreigners is 15,000 to 17,000 INR (about $178 to $202). This includes the permit, driver, vehicle, service charges, and GST.

If you have a camera other than a phone, you’ll also have to pay 1,600 to 1,800 INR per camera. There’s no way around this either.

(If you have a camera), the total cost is 16,800 INR (about $200) for a 3-hour safari.

Why Is Gir NationalPark So Expensive for Foreigners?

I’ll admit when I found out how expensive it is for foreigners to see the world’s last Asiatic lions, I was more than a little peeved. After all, Indians can see these lions for as little as 200 to 250 INR in the Devaliya Safari Park 30-minute bus safari. The cost of the same bus safari for a foreigner? 5,100 INR. That’s over a 25x increase!

But pricing safaris in Gir National Park so local Indians can afford them is one way of both ensuring the future of Asiatic lions and making sure Indians can access what makes India incredible, not only foreign tourists. It’s a bit like charging Indians 50 INR to visit the Taj Mahal and foreigners 1,050 INR.

Among the conservation issues for Asiatic lions and other Indian big cats like the tiger and leopard is conflict with locals. As their populations expand (as they should), they outgrow their parks (parks without fences) and spill out into the rural areas surrounding them, areas populated with people.

If affording a visit to Gir National Park can create a bond between Indians and Indian wildlife, along with ensuring their place in the future, I’ll gladly pay 25x more.

How to Plan Your Trip to Gir National Park

Best Time to Go on Safari in Gir National Park

The park is closed from 15 June to 16 October during monsoon season. After monsoon season, the park is lush and green, making sightings more difficult. The best time to go on safari is during the hot, dry months of April and May.

Where is Gir National Park? How to Get to Sasan Gir

Getting there is an adventure in itself.

For budget travelers, you can take an overnight train to JND Station in Junagadh. From Mumbai, the train takes around fifteen hours.

Once in Junagadh, ask a tuk-tuk to take you to the bus station; it’s about 1km away from JND Station. (A tuk-tuk from the train station to the bus station should cost between 50 and 100 INR but depends on your bargaining skills).

Buses leave for Sasan Gir regularly with the last bus departing at 5:30 or 6:00pm. A bus from Junagadh to Sasan Gir costs 47 INR and takes two hours. This is a local bus without AC and without reserved seating, so you’ll have to board the bus quickly before it fills up. Bus tickets are purchased on board.

Once in Sasan Gir, take a tuk-tuk or walk to your hotel. (A tuk-tuk from Sasan Gir to our hotel 10 minutes away cost us 300 INR).

For non-budget travelers, fly into Diu Airport in Diu Island and hire a taxi to take you two hours away to Sasan Gir.

Where to Stay in Sasan Gir

There are a range of hotels in Sasan Gir for every kind of traveler from budget to high-end luxury. For budget travelers, we stayed at Wildlife Gir Resort’s Gir Garden Residency for $24 a night including breakfast. Along with a pool and garden, they also have lunch and dinner available at the property for just $4.75 each.

Tips for Making the Most of Your Safari in Gir National Park

Be prepared to practice patience. You might have to wait a long time for a sighting OR you might spend three hours searching and not see a lion at all.

Remember this is a wild park, not a zoo. Guides cannot make magically make wild animals appear on-demand. Whatever you see is entirely based on luck on that day.

Be open to anything. Although it’s unlikely, you might book one or two safaris and never see a lion, so visit with an open mind to enjoy whatever experience you might have.

Appreciate the small things. When you can’t spot a lion, look out for small animals and birds you might not get a chance to see anywhere else.

What to Bring for Your Safari in Gir National Park

· Bring a sunhat.

· Wear comfortable, airy clothing.

· Bring a jacket for early morning safaris.

· Wear shoes you don’t mind getting dirty when you get out of the vehicle for a restroom break.

· Bring toilet paper and hand sanitizer.

· Bring bug spray.

· Wear sunscreen.

· Bring binoculars.

· Bring a camera with at least a 200mm zoom lens. 400mm or 600mm is even better!

Travel Insurance for India

Whatever you do, don’t travel without travel insurance. Whether it’s sickness, theft, or lost luggage, something WILL go wrong, and travel insurance is your only way of lessening costs!

India Travel Essentials

Traveling comes with a unique set of challenges. To keep your journey happy, healthy, and safe, I recommend traveling with these:

Addalock (Don’t travel to India without this! It’s an added safety lock that works with any door).

Ear plugs and eye mask (For overnight train rides!)

Hand sanitiser and wet wipes (In India, these are a must.)

Reusable water bottle  (Save plastic by investing in a Grayl water purification bottle, which lets you fill up from any water source, anywhere in the world.)

Power bank (There’s not much worse than running out of phone battery and not being able to find your way home.)

International travel adapter (You’ll need at least one of these for all of your trips.)

For a full list of my travel recommendations, click here!