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| General Information about GIR |
Gir :
Area : 1412 sq. km.
Language : Hindi, English and Gujrati.
Best Time to Visit : Winters Season - November to March.
State : Gujrat.
STD Code : 02877. |
About Gir
Gir Forest, located in southern Saurastra in Gujarat - the west most state of India, is the last home of Asiatic Lions(Panthera leo persica). An area of 1412 Sq. Kms. provides home for about 307 lions, 268 leopards, 137 hyenas, 32000 deer and about 30 other mammals and 24 species of reptiles. The forest is of dry, deciduous type which remains green during Summer only, and otherwise provides a matching color of lion's skin. The most important aspect of the Gir is that it has become a very stable ecosystem with tremendous regenerating, self-supporting and sustaining power due to its rich and diverse fauna and flora.
CLIMATE
Gir has tropical Summer climate, which is very hot during the summer. Three seasons: summer, winter and Summer are clearly distinct. Late November to early March is the cool dry followed by hot dry season. The temperature drops down to about 10C in winter and rises to about 43C in summer. Mid June to September is the Summer period and bulk of precipitation is received during July and August. Rainfall data of past 28 years received at Kamaleshwer Dam shows that the average rainfall is 1000mm. Due to irregular Summer and uneven distribution of rainfall, drought years are not uncommon.
HOW TO REACH
By Air : The nearest airport from Gir is Keshod 90-kms via Veraval. Visitors can easily catch daily flights from Mumbai to Keshod.
By Rail : The nearest rail connection is the meter gauge rail line of 395-kms from Ahemdabad.
By Road : Gir is situated at a distance of 400-kms from Ahmedabad via Rajkot, Junagadh and Mendarda.
MAIN ATTRACTIONS IN GIR
• Jeep Safari : The best way to observe the big cats is, of course, in their natural surroundings, at dawn and dusk, when they are on the prowl. Wildlife viewing in the Gir's is best done, by driving via jeep around the forest
• Sightseeing : Famous world over as the only refuge of the majestic Asiatic lion (Panthera leo), the National Park or the lion sanctuary makes a must visit for the nature lovers. The Asiatic lion measuring 2.75 meters in length and with a bigger tail tassel, bushier elbow tufts and more belly folds than his African cousin is a main attraction of this place. Besides the king of the jungle, Sasangir is also a natural habitat of some of the exotic flora and fauna of this peninsular region. Moreover, it also has some of the important reservoirs like the Nalsarovar lake that provide the much needed moisture to the flora and drinking water to the native animals. Sasangir also has some of the dry deciduous and tropical thorn forest and an evergreen corridor along the river sides. Among the common variety of trees you can find here are the teak, laburnum, acacia tendu, ber, jamun, amlosa, and bael. The crocodile farm developed in the forest is also one of the main attractions of the place.
• Marine National Park : Gujarat has the distinction of creating the country's first Marine National Park spread over an area of nearly 458 sq.kms. in the Gulf of Kutch, 30 km. from Jamnagar. Here you will find plants that look like animals and animals that look like plants. Turtles, shrimp, sponge, eels, sea urchin lurk among the corals and huge schools of fish create a brilliance of colours that are unknown, unseen and unimaginable to us.There are fisher to be seen which puff-up when threatened, octopuses that mimic the colour and texture of the surroundings in the blink of an eyelid so as to vanish without a trace. There are gobies which clean parasites from other fish and fishes who burrow so deep only their eyes are seen. You will easily spot fishes that look like stars and spot dolphins herding schools of fish for a hearty meal. Dugong, a marine mammal which resembles a seal and the rare Boralia species are found in these protected areas.
• Black Buck National Park : Black buck N.P. Velavadar in the Bhal region of Saurashtra is a unique grassland ecosystem that has attracted fame for the successful conservation of the blackbuck, the wold and the lesser florican. Once found in open plains throughout the country and the state of Gujarat, its largest population at present occurs in Velavadar N.P. This exclusively Indian animal is perhaps the most graceful and beautiful of its kind. It has ringed horns that have a spiral twist of three to fours turns and are up to 70 cm long. The body's upper parts are black and the underparts and a ring around the eyes are white. The light brown female is usually hornless.
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