The Gir National Park is the natural home to the Asiatic Lions covering an area of 1150 square kilometers with 300 kilometers forming the core area of the National Park. The Sasan Gir Lion Sanctuary lies on the South Western fringes of the Saurastra Peninsula. Though created in 1913, the Park was granted the national park status in 1965 to protect the last surviving population of the “Asiatic Lions”.

The Park is made out of three adjoining reserves-the Nalsarover Lake, the Little Rann of Kutch, and the Flamingo Island. Located in the Junagarh district of Gujarat, the Gir National Park is a mixture of deciduous forest with Teak, Banyan and the Acacia. The Asiatic Lions are slightly smaller in size than their African counterpart, and the best way to see them is in their natural habitat at the fall of dawn. Gir offers its visitors a pleasant drives through the hilly tracts with river side views.

The effort by the then Nawab of Junagarh to save the lion population has yielded results as there are about 300 Lions presently in the park. The obsession for shikar or hunting was greatly seen in the Ancient Rulers to show off their bravery and the tradition was kept alive by the British Dignitaries . But the end of the 18th century saw the Nawab imposed a ban on the shooting of lions and from 1950 it was completely stopped and protected by law.


Wild Life Attractions
Flora - Teak, Sal, Ber, Jamun, Babool, Tendu , Banyan and the Dhak trees are spread among the large patches of the grassland. Gifted with rugged terrains and low hills, enveloped with the thorny forest with few springs flowing in the seasons, it is a sight worth viewing. Some of the rarest tree species are found here for instance Karanj, Umro, Kalam, Charal, Sirus and Amli are found here abundantly

Fauna - The Asiatic lions attracts a lot of visitors to the park every year. Considerable numbers of Leopards are also seen in the Park making Gir the best place to watch the Big Cats. The sanctuary is also the home to other species like Chital,Chinkara, Four Horned Antelope,, Nilgai, Spotted Deer, Wild Boars, Wild Ass and Monkeys. Adjacent to the Sadan lodge is the Crocodile Rearing and Research Center where hatchling are reared and released in to their habitats.

Birds - The Nalsarover Lake and Sanctuary fall within the Gir forest area and different species of birds like Back Headed Cuckoo, Paradise Flycatcher, Pied Wood Pecker, Bush Quail, Eagles, Bonelli's Eagle Flamingo, Painted Sand Grouse can be seen. More than 200 species of birds hover in the Gir National Park.


Park Trips
Wildlife Viewing in Gir is best done in the Jeep Safaris . Lion show is organised every Sundays by the forest official for the tourists. The best wild life drives from Sasan are to Baval Chowk and Kankai, to Chodavdi and Tulsisyam. The Sasangir National Park also boast of Antique Ancient Temples like Kankai Mata and Tulsisyam.


Best Time
The ideal time to visit the Sasangir Wildlife Sanctuary is between November to June, but the best period to enjoy the beauty at its best is around December to March. The Park remains closed from June to October.