GIR - THE ONLY LIONS' DEN IN INDIA

 

It was around 04.30 hrs in the morning. The calling bell with its shrill sound warned us to get out of the hotel room. As we opened the door, a chilled breeze with its full blow dashed against our body. It was pitch dark outside. The solar light of the hotel helped us to identify our driver and guide who were waiting outside our room with their vehicle parked in a distance.

“Sir, we have to proceed a little early to be the first entrant in the forest. Are you ready?”

We were already advised to get ready to reach the forest gate within five o’clock for probable animal sighting. So we came out in jackets, comforters, and other accessories including a camera.

Within ten minutes we reached the entry gate of the forest where the tickets and passes would be issued. We were so early; still, we were number five in the queue. The ticket counter was yet to be opened. The guide was standing beside me enquiring our details and checking the permit paper which was obtained online.

When the next person arrived, my guide asked me to leave the number five position for him and advised me to stand in the number six position. When I asked him the reason he made a signal to keep quiet.

The ticket counter opened exactly at 05.00 hours and I was issued a ticket for gate no.6.

Yes, we were going to enter Gir National Park, the only forest inhabited by Asiatic lions. The forest is located covering the Gir, Junagadh, and Amreli districts of Gujrat.

Having obtained the ticket, we proceeded to gate no.6 by our vehicle and stood in the queue, ready for entry at 5.30 hrs in the morning. It was still dark as the season was peak winter and late sunrise because the forest was located in the extreme western part of India.

We could hear the roaring of lions from outside the gate. The guide explained to me that the chance of animal sighting was more in the portion where gate no.2 and 6 were located. That was the reason he asked me to sacrifice the entry ticket for gate no.5.

There were eight gates and tickets were issued in seriatim and only five vehicles were allowed in each gate in each session. The first vehicle entering the forest had the chance to locate animals more than the next vehicle as the forest remained silent throughout the night.

Since it was dark, we had to satisfy ourselves watching the area within the visibility of the headlight of the vehicle. Further, the road was dusty and the movement of our vehicle created the dust to whirl in the air.

After moving around a kilometer or so, suddenly there was a shrill sound. Our guide told us to remain silent as it was a deer call and lion or lioness was expected to be very near.

Within a couple of minutes, we found few deer crossing the road at the top of their speed around 50 meters ahead of our vehicle. Soon a lioness with its robust structure appeared from the darkness on our right and moved ahead along the road. Our vehicle started following but the majestic figure did not bother our presence. After around 100 meters, the animal took a ninety-degree turn towards the left and disappeared into the darkness.

We were thoroughly excited and delighted to have a lion sighting within the first half an hour of our entry. We could clearly shoot videos and photographs from such a close distance and it was our first gift of the morning.

Our vehicle started moving through the forest. By that time, the sky had become clear and we could see the movement of deer, sambars, jackals, and various types of birds. We reached a water hole in search of more animals but could not find any.

The duration of our trip was three hours after which we were to leave the forest for allowing the next session of animal sighting which would start at 9.00 hrs in the morning.

On the way, we could see a few local people on a motorcycle moving the forest in white dresses and white headgears. It was learnt the people were residents of the villages within the core area of the forest and they had peaceful co-existence with animals. It was very common, that these people, mostly tribals, frequently lost their domestic animals as prey of lions and other carnivorous species of the forest.

One such person in the two-wheeler told something in the local language and our driver sped up the vehicle to the highest possible limit. After a few minutes, we reached a spot, where a pride with a lion, three lionesses, and eight cubs resting under the shed of the tree. They seemed to be relaxed and our presence did not make them any change in their behaviour. Only the lion, head of the family, warned us with its roar, to maintain a safe distance from them. The cubs were inquisitive to know the details of aliens remaining in the safeguard of their parents.

On our way back, we could see a single lion, seemed to be aged, and was found to be polishing its nail on the trunk of a tree. Since it was from a safe distance, we did not take much time to irritate it.

The scorching heat had forced other animals to take shelter below the shaded trees and we could see a flock of peacocks and peahens searching for their breakfast in an open field near a water hole.

Within 500 meters of our exit gate, we could see a young couple of lion and lioness adoring each other with gestures and sound seemed to be ready for mating.

We did not want to disturb the young couple and gradually moved towards the gate completing our successful jungle expedition.    

How to Reach Gir

The major railway station to reach Gir Forest is Veraval which is about 70 km away from the core area. Though there is a railway station at Sasan Gir only a few trains stop there. Veraval is the major town near Gir though bus service is there in two nearby small towns Viz. Sasan Gir and Talala.

There is Keshod Airport around 40 km from Gir Forest but the service is not regular. The major airport near Gir is Porbandar which is around 170 km.

Boarding & Lodging

There are very good resorts and hotels in the buffer area of Gir National Park which can be booked online. Few homestays have also come up in Sasan Gir but they are yet to become popular.

Major stand-alone restaurants provide vegetarian food with few exceptions. But cuisine with all types of tastes is available in the hotels and resorts.

Sight Seeing

The major attraction is Gir National Park with a lion habitation of around 700 along with some other species of animals. The best sighting time is morning, despite there are four sessions of trips per day. The tourists can visit nearby tribal villages and get an idea of their lives and livelihood.

There is also a separate visit in the caged vehicle in an enclosed area where few lions are kept in their natural environment.

The tourists can also make a visit to Somnath Temple (80 km) and the beaches of Diu (66 km) in the day time.

My experience

Sighting wild animals in their natural habitat is always a pleasure. The most charming experience about Gir is that the colour of the soil of the forest and the colour of the skin of the lion is almost similar which has helped the animals to remain camouflaged despite being very near to human beings.

As far as we know, human beings are not allowed to stay within the core area of the forest. But Gir National Park is an exception where there are many villages within the core area where not only the residents stay, but they are communicating to the nearby towns in their two-wheelers for marketing their products and purchasing consumables. Sometimes the residents by-passes the wild animals resting on the roads like we carelessly ignore domesticated animals in the streets.

There are many tiger reserves in India. But the tour of Gujarat may remain incomplete without a visit to Gir National Park, the only habitation of the Asiatic lion in India.