Safari time and charges

Devalia Safari inside the Gir National Park in Gujarat is conducted on a bus from Monday to Sunday. The morning shift timing is from 7.30 AM to 11 AM. In the evening the service is available from 3 PM to 5 PM. However, the GIZ Devalia Safari is not available on Wednesdays.

The bus safari in the Gir Park is available for both the Indians as well as the foreigners. From Monday to Friday the bus fare is INR 150 for Indians and INR 2800 for the foreigners. On Saturdays and Sundays and any occasion, the safari fare is INR 190 for Indians and for the foreigners the cost is INR 3500.

Devalia Safari Park booking

The Devalia safari park is built with the sole aim of reducing tourist pressure in the main park and to offer the opportunity to the tourists to watch lions and other wildlife within no time. You need to book e-tickets for visiting Devalia.

Using one log-in ID you can book tickets for 6 persons and 1 child. Make sure the child is 3-12 years of age. Keep your ID proof ready while booking the safari online. Also, make sure to carry the same ID proof while traveling in the lion park. Do not forget to carry a proper print out of your e-ticket. A torn or wrong will not be encouraged.

You must report the safari spot near about 30 mins before the commencement time. The online charge of the ticket excludes the guide charges and the vehicle charges. So make sure to carry the extra amount with you. However, to avoid all these hustles you can simply get your safari permit from the tourist reception center at the National Park.

The don’ts while on safari

Your safari to the well-known lion park in Gujarat is sure to be a memorable one, provided you keep yourself away from the following activities.

Lastly, do not show up your frustration if you fail to see the wild cat. Many other wildlife species are there to quench your thirst. Visiting the Sasan Gir National Park and availing the Devalia safari is a must when on a vacation to Gujarat.

Avail the Kankai Safari

The Kankai temple safari is a trail through the wild Sasan Gir National Park. The Kankai Mataji Temple is, in fact, the only temple lying in the vicinity of the forest. Safari vehicles, basically Innova car, are available every day. The Safari timing is between 6.30 AM to 12 AM. In normal days the charge of the safari is INR 5000. During the festival days, the safari tour will charge you INR 5500. Each vehicle will allow 6 passengers and one child of 3 to 12 years old.

Situated at the heart of the Lion Park, this temple has a natural charm of its own. If lucky, you might spot an Asiatic lion on your way to the temple.

Booking procedure and refund

To book the Kankai Temple safari online, you need to fill in a proper form. Initially, you should fill in details like passenger name, contact number, e-mail id and your date of journey. You should also specify the number of adults and children. Once you proceed to the next step and make the payment your booking is sure to get confirmed.

Once your booking is confirmed, you cannot transfer it to someone else. However, if you need to cancel your trip due to some unavoidable circumstances, try to make it before 10 days. You can expect to get a 75% refund in such cases. If done before 5 days you can get a 50% refund. Cancellation before 2 days will fetch you a 25% refund. No refund is possible if the trip is canceled in less than 2 days.

Accommodation for visitors

Every year this temple witnesses thousands of visitors and devotees. Sometimes, meals are arranged for the devotees and the tourists inside the temple. The temple trust is always to donations in both cash and kind. Being situated in the middle of the dense Gir Sanctuary, the tourists are requested to leave the temple before sunset. People, who wish to visit other nearby places, can go to Banej. This is another religious place located 15 km from the Kankai Mataji Temple. Tulsishyam is another local area worth visiting.

Whatever, your plans are you are bound to avail safari cars from the main center at Sasan Gir. The journey might take 2 long hours, but the pristine landscape inside the jungle is sure to offer you the best jungle trail. However, discard the idea of taking a selfie amidst the jungle.

So, what are you waiting for? Pack your bags today and book your safari. You might get lucky to see quite a good number of wildlife with the blessings of Kankai Mataji.

Traveling by air

Two airports lie close to the Gir National Park – Rajkot and the Keshod Airport. The Rajkot airport lies at a distance of near about 160 km. The Keshod airport, on the other hand, is situated near about 70 km away from the park. After reaching the airports, you can avail of a bus or a cab to the Gir National Park. If you are traveling from Jaipur (Rajasthan) you can easily avail the train to Rajkot.

The best way to come to the reserve via air is through the Mumbai International Airport. You can get down at the Diu airport from Mumbai and then take a cab from Diu to Gir which is a 2 hours drive. People traveling from Somnath can also avail flights till Diu airport. Flights are also available from the Mumbai airport to Porbandar, wherefrom you can take a cab to the park. It will take near about 2 and a half an hour to reach Gir Park.

Traveling by rail

The nearest railways stations to the Gir Park are Veraval and the Junagadh railway stations. Both are located at the same distance from the forest. Both Veraval and Junagadh stations lie on the state-driven railway tracks and are connected with the major cities by express trains. Cabs and taxis are available from each of the stations traveling to Gir. By road, it will be a 2 hours journey from the station.

Another station to avail is Rajkot which lies near about 165 km away from the national park. Cabs are available from Rajkot to Gir which is a 4 hours journey. Rajkot is an equally important station and remains well connected to other major cities through connecting or express trains.

Traveling by road

Availing the roadways is always an appealing journey indeed. To the adventure lovers traveling by road is considered to be the best option to reach their destination. The roads of Gujarat are comparatively in good condition and your journey is ought to be a comfortable one. The Gir National Park is well connected to the other parts of Gujarat through the well-maintained roads.

Private buses and state buses also ply across the city to Gir at regular intervals. Cab and taxi services are also available which will take you to the Lion Park from various cities of Gujarat.

Reaching Gir from major cities

If you are wondering how to visit Gir National Park from Ahmedabad, here’s the best way. The distance of Sasan Gir Forest from Ahmedabad is about 343 km and they are well connected through railways and roadways. However, the best way is to avail buses or cab from Ahmedabad to Sasan Gir which will take near about 6 hours 40 mins. Ahmedabad is connected to Gir through the Veraval and Junagadh stations.

People traveling from Delhi can also avail of the options available from Ahmedabad as there is no direct connection available from Delhi to Gir. If you are from Kolkata, you can take any connecting transport either to Mumbai or Ahmedabad. Both trains and flights are available from Kolkata to Mumbai and from Kolkata to Ahmedabad.

No matter from which part of the country you are, reaching Gir National Park is easy.

Early history

No written records could be found about the early history of the Indian state of Gujarat. The earliest recorded history that can be read is about the great Chandragupta Maurya and his reign from 322 to 294 BC. Pushyamitra was deputed by him who thereafter ruled the entire region starting from Junagadh. The rock carvings near Junagadh bears evidence of Emperor Ashoka being ruled the region.

During this period, Demetrius of Greece too tried to invade Gujarat but could not emerge victoriously.

Approximately during 10 AD, several parts of Gujarat came under the rule of Sakas and they were in power for near about 400 years. Extended regions of Bharuch and Punjab were under the rule of the Mahakshatrap Rudraman 1, the founder of the Kardamaka dynasty.

After the decline of the Gupta rule, Gujarat went under the rule of Senapati Bhatarka who was the general of the Gupta army. Under his rule, the Maitraka dynasty came into existence near about 470 AD and they established their capital in Valabhipur at Bhavnagar. The Maitraka dynasty ruled till 767 AD and their kingdom extended till the Malwa plateau. The Pratiharas dominated the region from 8th – the 9th century and followed by their rule came the Solankis.

The early history makes it clear that apart from the Gujarat lion safari, the city has more to offer.

Medieval history

With the advent of the Muslim rulers in India, started the medieval history of Gujarat. The very first Muslim conqueror to list his name was Mohammad of Ghazni. Before conquering the whole of India in 1298, the Muslims centered their rule mainly along the coastline of Gujarat. Initially, there were two small Muslim settlements in Bharuch and Khambhat. Abdulla, the founder of the Bohra community of Muslims came to Gujarat during the same time from Egypt.

With time, Gujarat came under the Delhi Sultanate. The period during the 13th century saw the repeated attack from Alauddin Khalji. The Delhi sultanate finally came to an end following Timur's attack on Delhi. With the gradual weakening of the Delhi sultanate, the last governor of the Tughluq, Zafar Khan stated himself to be independent in 1407. The Gujarat Sultanate came into existence with this event. Ahmad Shah, the next sultan took the Sultanate rule further by leading the foundation of the capital, Ahmedabad in 1411.

Ahmad Shah’s successor Mahmud Shah proved to be a good administrator and he was even successful in repulsing a naval attack by the Portuguese. He was also known to set up a separate naval base at Diu. During his rule, Gujarat emerged as the earliest seat of Hindu education with the beginning of the preaching of Islamic disciplines in Patan. However, the Patan infrastructure was extensively exploited by Mahmud Shah. Finally, with the assassination of Sikandar Shah, the Gujarat Sultanate came to an end.

The Mughal armies started invading Gujarat which marked the beginning of the rule of Akbar and the Mughal rule lasted for near about 185 years. The medieval age finally saw the end of the Muslim rule with the coming of Chhatrapati Shivaji, the greatest of the Maratha rulers. His military invasions, however, came to an end with the advent of the European regal powers. The first-ever European powers to have ruled the city of Gujarat are the Portuguese.

The detailed discussion makes it clear that you need to know the factual history before searching for the Gujarat Lion Safari booking website.

From the British rule till the present time

As you deck up to visit the National Park in Gujarat, make sure to go through the pages of history and get a clear picture of the path traveled. Extensive areas of Gujarat were under British rule until the beginning of the Quit India movement. This movement led by Gandhi Ji finally marked the freedom of India in 1947. The majority of Gujarat after that was under the Bombay Presidency jurisdiction except for Baroda.

The regions like Kutch, Gujarat, and Saurashtra came under the Bombay State as they were initially a part of the Bombay Presidency. The state of Gujarat saw the first spark of a movement demanding full freedom on 1st May 1960. It was initiated by Indulal Yagnik. Gujarat emerged as a separate state with Ahmedabad being the capital.

The people of Gujarat were peace-loving people and were interested mostly in business. Political upheavals, however, flared up often. Few communal riots too broke out in the state with the worst one being the one that took place in 1969. The initial years of the modern era saw Congress in power. The political scenario has however changed with BJP coming into power marked by the grand victory of Narendra Modi. He later became the Chief Minister of Gujarat followed by the Prime Minister of India.

So once you have spotted the best time to visit Gujarat, delve deeper to study about the colorful history of the state. Make sure to include some historical locales in your sightseeing in Gujarat.