Scraggly, brown, dry and thorny. Gir, the last bastion of the Asiatic lion, is a beautiful but harsh teak dominated habitat in the Junagadh district in Kathiawar, Gujarat. Far from the stereotypical vision most people have of forests in the tropics, Gir is anything but ‘lush’. It is, nevertheless, one of India’s most precious and vital biodiversity vaults.
A semi-arid wilderness emblazoned by rust, beige and the occasional scarlet, when the flame of the forest and silk cotton trees are in bloom, Gir brings to mind visions of distant Africa, despite the fact that it lacks the extensive grasslands of the Masai Mara. Yet, something in these ecological circumstances proved to be just what the lions needed, for it is only here, in relatively small fragments of forests, supported by ‘poor quality’ teak, that one of the world’s rarest large cat survives.
The best time to visit the forest is any time between December and April. The weather is hot and dry, and in summer (February to June) temperatures can soar to over 430C. Winter (October-February) temperatures can be as low as 50C.
Monsoons last from June to October, when the park is closed to visitors. Gir is semi-arid with scanty rainfall (1,016 mm.) and almost every third year there is a drought with less than 500mm. of rainfall
Transport:
By Air:
Keshod is the closest airport about 60 km. away. It is well connected by road to Gir.
By Rail:
Junagadh railway station is 65 km. from Gir and is well connected by road. Sasan is the closest railway station, on the meter-gauge line. Slow steam trains run to Veraval twice daily, and to Delwada and Junagadh once a day.
By Road:
Sasan Gir to Ahmedabad 895 km., Rajkot 160 km., Junagadh 65 km., Veraval 43 km. State transport buses make the two-hour trip between Junagadh and Veraval via Sasan Gir throughout the day.
