A date with the Asiatic Lions of Gir....

Day 2 - 31st January, 2016: Gir

The second day of the trip started early morning at 4:30 getting ready to meet the King of the Jungle. We had booked for the morning 6 am safari. Make sure you book the safari atleast a month in advance. And doing so is quite easy. Go to the official site for booking and register. While booking you need to provide the id details of the people in the safari with you since you need to provide the same ids at the counter to get the permit. Hence, it is advisible to go atleast an hour before the safari so that you get ample time to show the ids and get the permit. Also, a jeep can acomodate 6 people and route is randomly decided. Route numbers 2,5,7 are considered to be good routes. The charge of permit while booking online is INR 1000 which excludes guide and jeep charges. The guide and jeep charges need o be paid directly to the guide at the counter after the route gets decided. The guide and jeep charges were INR 250. Also carry a printout of the e-permit to get the ticket. So the total charge of one safari is INR 1250.

The safari started at 6 am and was for 3 hours approximately. We spotted many birds but the lifers were Collared Scops Owl and Vultures. The guide spotted them really well since the owl was camouflaged in a bark of the tree. Deers, peacocks were also spotted.

Vulture seen during safari

A group of Deers

We were eagerly waiting to meet the Lion King but unfortunately we couldn't see him. We heard some Lion roars quite a few times and at least that made us happy. It's preferable to go for 3-4 safaris considering the fact that Gir is a huge forest and the Lions are scattered all over and also Lions have their territories. we got to know many interesting facts from the guide like Gir is a huge area which covers around 4 districts. Also, Gir is the last home for the Asiatic Lions which are found no where else. The safari ended at 9 am and we were back at the resort by 9:15 am.

Collared Scops Owl

We had theplas, bread and poha for breakfast. And after freshening up, we had a walk along the Hiran river where we spotted many birds. Among all the birds, there was a large population of the Red Naped Ibis and Black Ibis. The other birds were Snake Darter, Common Kingfisher, Pied Kingfisher, Cormorant and Heron. If birding is your hobby, you would love to watch a kingfisher fishing! We were more than happy to see it. By the time we returned back it was lunch time. The delicious Gujarati thali was waiting for us. The thali consisted of a new item called as Kathiawadi dhokli nu shaak. It was very spicy and tasty and must be tasted when in Gujarat. We also observed that irrespective of where you have thali, raw vegetables and cabbage salad are served along with the main dishes.

Red Naped Ibis

Red Wattled Lapwing

Snake Darter

Pied Kingfisher

After lunch, we headed out to Devalia Interpretation Zone which is kind of a zoo with enclosures for different animals. Once you book a ticket for a slot, the bus number is given and you need to go to the bus number specified for the zone tour. There are some lions, leopard, deers, black bucks kept in the zone. We did not enjoy seeing the animals caged. The real beauty of the animals is seen when they are free to roam in the jungles.

Lioness at Devalia Interpretation Zone

We were back at the resort by 5 pm. Later in the evening, we were taken for a ride in the colorful chakdo by the resort. It was a fun ride and I must admit that when in Gujarat, do try the chakdo. Dinner was again the Gujarati thali and we enjoyed it. A guide at the hotel informed us of the Siddi tribe that stays in the Gir forests. They are of African origin but have settled in Gujarat from a long time. They are of Indian nationality and speak fluent Gujarati. They do normal jobs during the day and by evening entertain guests at various resorts by their African tribal dance. The guide took us to a nearby resort where the Siddi tribal dance was going on. The dance was good and was very different. In a way its good to see the dance since it helps the tribals to earn some extra money which helps them and in a way it feels bad to see them getting exploited.

And we were at the end of day 2 in Gujarat.

Gir Jungle Trail details:
Online e-permit fee: INR 1000 for 6 people together accomodated in a jeep
Guide and jeep charges: INR 250
Devalia Interpretation Zone entrance fee: INR 190/person on weekend and INR 150/person on weekday

Must try dishes of the day:
Kathiawadi dhokli nu shaak, cabbage salad