Go Wild In Gujarat

The dazzling diversity of India’s spectacular Natural Heritage holds the promise of the world’s most thrilling wildlife experiences. It’s a virtual paradise of wilderness delights that can be accessed and explored by jeep and elephant safaris, trekking trails, and boat rides to bring you to that superb banquet of faunal, avifaunal, and botanical plenitude

At hand are knowledgeable naturalists and expert outfitters who are happy to facilitate these memorable experiences. Eco-friendly resorts, forest rest houses, and basic campsites are at the ready to take care of your food and accommodation needs.

The state of Gujarat’s rising importance as an eco-tourism destination can be readily explored in three geographic regions, each of which offers a cavalcade of distinctive physical and climatic features which support the most exciting wilderness experiences for the traveller.

                                                                                           The Saurashtra peninsula features a picturesque setting of low hills; the Kutch region in the northeast is dry and rocky and marks the mystical terrain of the Rann (desert) of Kutch, the Greater Rann in the north, and the Little Rann in the east; the mainland stretches from the Rann of Kutch and the Aravalli Hills to the plains of the Damanganga. The secluded landscape of the Rann is home to the Little Rann Sanctuary, Indian Wild Ass Sanctuary, Kutch Bustard Sanctuary, Kutch Desert Wildlife Sanctuary and the Banni Grasslands Reserve, and several other protected habitats.  

The 1659 km long coastal belt, the longest among the Indian states, features a diverse range of eco-systems

The Thar Desert stretches across the states of Gujarat and Rajasthan. In Rajasthan, the area covers about 180,000 sq. km, and about 45,000 sq.km in western Gujarat home to the Rann of Kutch. Common denizens of this hot and varied terrain are the desert fox, the desert cat, endemic varieties of sand grouse, black buck, chinkara, and caracal. On your travels in the region, you will discover that the flatlands (broken by small islands or bets) of the Little Rann and Great of Kutch are a contrast to the sandy expanses of the Thar desert. Kutch is one of two remaining bastions in India for the endangered Great Indian Bustard. For the endangered Saras crane Gujarat is the third most important state for keeping the species from extinction. While the Great Rann is a major breeding habitat for large colonies of lesser flamingos, the Little Rann secures one of the world’s the last habitats of the wild ass.

Let’s go safari in these unique territories, which are the natural habitat of some of India’s most exotic animals and avifauna.

Gir National Park

Did you know that Gujarat is the only place where you will find the Asiatic lion in its natural habitat? All over India, this regal beast fell to the bullets of greedy hunters, so this is the only place you can find it lording it over the jungle with its mighty roar and innate cunning. The Gir forest in Saurashtra is where you will need to be as it’s now the only habitat of the globally-threatened wild lions in all of India.

Located southwest of the Saurashtra peninsula, 65km from Junagadh city Gir National Park and Nature Reserve spread over an expanse of 1,421 sq. km. Ideally, prepare to book ahead for a jeep safari tour; they also have a bus safari on offer.

                                                                                               It was the Nawab of Junagadh who played a pivotal role in helping save some of the last of the species. On gauging how extensively the breed was nearing extinction he took serious measures to protect the remaining few lions in his jungles in Gir, by initiating a project to this end. The Indian government also banned lion hunting in 1955. Ten years later Gir was given the status of a lion sanctuary; in 1974 the government declared this protected habitat the Gir National Park and Nature Reserve. Furthermore, the Gujarat government also extended the area of the protected habitat for the lion to an area of 1,421 sq. km and an additional 500 sq km as its buffer zone. According to the records of the first census in 1968 of independent Gujarat state it had 177 lions in this solitary protected habitat in Junagadh district.

Covering an area of 1412 sq km the game park includes the national park area of 258 sq km. The remaining 1154 sq. km is protected as a wildlife sanctuary. Today Gir forest is the second-largest habitat for the regal species outside of Africa. In May 2020, the state government estimated the lion population at 674, a 29% increase over the figure provided in 2015. Their pawprints are found in almost all districts of Saurashtra except Morbi and Devbhumi Dwarka.

  August 10 is celebrated as World Lion Day to raise awareness about the big cats and to support their conservation.  Current estimates indicate that only 30,000 to 100,000 lions are remaining on Earth

Sasan Gir is also home to over 300 avifaunal species making it a big draw for birding buffs bird species.

Though one can book tours online through the Gir National Park Online Permit website you can optionally try your luck by physically joining the queue at Sinh Sadan Reception (at the forest department complex), for a tour of the Gir Jungle Trail; another option to the jeep safari is a bus safari deployed for the tour of the Devalia Safari Park. The best time to visit is late November-early March

ACCOMMODATION

Tourist hotels, lodges

ACCESS

Air: Nearest airports- Ahmedabad (415) and Rajkot (160)
Rail: Nearest railhead -Junagadh (65km). Taxis on hire, minibuses to Sasangir from Junagadh

Little Rann of Kutch

The untamed harsh seasonal salt marshlands in the relentless summer can be unbearable, but visitors just can’t stay away in the cooler winter months drawn by the promise of the cultural extravaganza that the annual Rann Utsav.

This unique ecosystem offers explorations of several protective habitats for wildlife that have learned to survive in its unique environs. According to UNESCO, the Rann is “one of the most remarkable and unique landscapes of its kind in the entire world.” This stunning world is inhabited by animals like the endangered Asiatic wild ass or local ‘gudkhur’, the Indian grey wolf, striped hyena and, desert fox. It is also a massive breeding ground for avifaunal species like the greater and lesser flamingos.

The Little Rann Sanctuary, where you find the Asiatic Wild Ass also resounds with the everyday existence of 93 species of invertebrates, 4 species of amphibians (frogs and toads), and 29 species of reptiles.

A designated Ramsar Wetland Site the Little Rann stretches over 4,953 sq km across the districts of Kutch, Surendranagar, Patan, Rajkot, and Banaskanta near the Gulf of Kutch. It was established in 1973.

The now range-restricted, IUCN-identified endangered Asiatic wild ass (equus heminous khur), also locally known as ‘gudkhur’, is legendary for its mind-boggling speed of 75 km an hour. In 1963 only 362 of the chestnut-and-white species had managed to survive the loss of habitat. A concerted conservation program in this saline desert and seasonal wetland has resulted in pushing up the number of wild asses recorded to around 6,000 in 2020.

                                                                                           The monsoon transforms the sanctuary into a critical coastal wetland for the feeding, breeding, and roosting of a large community of resident and migratory avifauna.  Its bets interspersing the wintry expanse of salt-rimmed cracked mud and brackish waters, offer a unique habitat for thousands of nesting birds including the Indian and Spotted Sandgrouse, Desert, Pied Wheatear and over 10 species of lark.

Wild- ass – viewing and bird-watching trips are arranged by outfitters to Bajana Creek.

You can enjoy a jeep safari only along the tourist-designated trails from Dasada and Jinjhwada, the chief entry points to the sanctuary. The best time to visit is from October to March.

ACCOMMODATION

Private resorts at Dasada village; Dhrangadhra, another entry point, also offers good accommodation and transport facilities

ACCESS

Air: Nearest airport– Ahmedabad (129km)

Rail: The nearest railhead is Viramgam (34km from Dasada). Resorts arrange pick-ups

Greater Rann of Kutch (GRK)

The Banni Grasslands in GRK are marked by a massive freshwater lake (part of the Chari-Dhand Wetland Conservation Reserve), and serve as an important wintering habitat for the common crane. This is one of the most important avifaunal areas in the desert ecosystems of India featuring 11 globally threatened species, and nine near-threatened species. The Spotted Sandgrouse, a winter migrant to western India, is a rarity in Gujarat, but sightings are possible of flocks of them feeding here from mid-November till almost the end of February.

The Bhuj area featuring the Naliya Grasslands, Lala Bustard Sanctuary, and Chiyarsar Thorn Scrubland is a haven for birders. For the best viewings go with a naturalist.

GRK can be accessed from Bhuj, its nearest airport, while Ahmedabad is the nearest airport for LRK.

Velavadar National Park

Head out for the district of Bhavnagar to explore a splendid sanctuary dedicated to conserving the black buck whose numbers have been diminishing rather alarmingly. Now a national park Velavadar Wildlife Sanctuary was set up in 1976 in Saurashtra’s Bhal region, 50km away from the Gulf of Cambay. Spread over an expanse of 34.08sq km Velavadar Blackbuck National Park is also popular for its wealth of avifaunal species and is now a big magnet for birdwatchers. Highlights of a visit are sightings of the Saras Crane and rare Stolikza’s Bushchat, Pallid Scops Owl, Sykes’s Nightjar, and Macqueen’s Bustard; in winter Velavadar transforms into the world’s largest harrier eagle roosting site.

It might surprise you to learn that it is the only tropical grassland in India to revel in the status of a national park.  While both blackbuck and Indian wolf roam this grassland ecosystem is also home to the greater and the lesser florican, which is also declining in numbers. Open all year-round mid-June to March is best for birdwatching

ACCOMMODATION
Forest lodges, private resorts, and hotels in Bhavnagar

ACCESS

Bhavnagar the nearest airport and railhead is 55km away