Travel information on Gir National Park Gujarat

by Nisha Parmar SEO Executive

It's one thing to go on a jeep safari through Gir National Park; rather another to live inside the park's buffer zone and find out about hair-raising lion encounters from your Gujarati hosts on moonlit nights!

Living in the buffer zone of Gir: That experience of casually strolling outdoors on a moonlit night and seeing a pair of shining eyes moving through the bushes, looking right at you! Living in a lovely home on a natural farm, with just a fence separating me from the territory of Asiatic lions, was the emphasize of my time in Gujarat.

Saurashtrian (vegan) food: In the Saurashtra region of Gujarat, which has actually generally been famine-prone, the guideline, is that nothing gets lost. That implied I feasted on sev tamatar by night, and on poha and saunf (fennel) packed roasted tomatoes for breakfast. My host household veganized their tasty traditional meals, and I promised to come back, stay longer and indulge further in the cooking delights of Saurashtra.

Jeep safari through Gir National Park (Sasan Gir): I might score a booking for a jeep safari in Gir thanks to somebody's heads up on Instagram; bookings can just be done online and as far as 3 months beforehand. I decided to pay a bit extra and have a jeep and guide all to myself-- and I'm thankful I did, due to the fact that there is a lot more because dry teak forest than lions. All other jeeps zoomed previous us looking for lions, while we took our time, enjoying birds, smaller sized mammals and talking about the lives of people who live inside the park without electrical energy. Just as we were on our method out, a stunning lioness crossed our course, and led us to a tribe of 8 lions-3 lionesses and 5 cubs! Exactly what a sighting.

Please prevent: Even if you see no lions on a safari, please don't go to the nearby Devaliya Park-- which is basically a zoo of Asiatic lions where older lions are kept in enclosed locations and fed by hand. What a pity that the forest department motivates this kind of vicious wildlife tourist-let us be accountable and not support it.

Where to stay: Staying at Aranya Eco Farm, a natural mango farm in the buffer zone of Gir National Park, hosted by a sweet Gujarati couple-- was totally worth the splurge! I hung out with their good friends in the town, cooled off in the swimming pool on warm days, saw stunning sunsets on the hill close by, valued their approach to natural farming and environmentally friendly living, and assured to come back in the rains and stay longer!

For more information on Gujarat tour packages contact Swan Tours one of the leading tour operators in India.