Established in 1965, as a forest
reserve, primarily to conserve the Asiatic Lion , this
National Park has an area of 1412 sq km.Gir is only
remaining habitat of the Asiatic Lion. The gir has hilly
tracts with plenty of river and offers visitor long
pleasant drives, through the thick forest cover. The
last home of the Asian lion is 54km junagadh via keshod.
There are less than 200 Lions left.
The Chinkara, Wild Boar, Striped
hyena, jackal, Common langur, Porcupine, hare and black
buck are the other animals that can be found in this
sanctuary. Apart from these there are also bears,
hyenas, foxes and a number of species of deer and
antelope. The deer include the largest Indian nilgai,
the grace chinkara gazelle, the chousingha and barking
deer. You may also see parrots, peacocks and monkeys.
The Gir National park is also home
to Marshal crocodile, which can be sighted
Best time to travel: Is
between October and June.
How to get there?
By Air: Nearest airport is Keshod 90-km via
Veraval. One can catch daily flight from Mumbai to
Keshod. Drive to Gir from Keshod or Rajkot (166-kms)
airports.
By Rail: Meter gauge rail line of 395-kms from
Ahemdabad. There is also a railway station at Sasan Gir
(1km).
By Road: Distance of 400-kms from Ahmedabad via
Rajkot, Junagadh and Mendarda. State Transport buses are
also available from Junagadh and Veraval between
November and June.
