Andrew Chick Ecology

Our journey in search of Asiatic Lions took us deep into western Gujarat, traveling south for three days on local buses.

Our first stop was Rajkot, a bustling city known for being the ‘6th cleanest’ in India (according to Wikipedia ). Coincidentally, on the day of our arrival, the English cricket team secured a 26-run victory over India in a T20 match in town – big news and all the locals were talking about it! The bus ride to Rajkot lasted seven hours and cost just £2 each on an AirCon Premium Service.

Next, we traveled to Junagadh, home to an incredible Fort and the stunning Mahabat Maqbara Palace. The journey took three hours on a non-AC Express bus and cost just £1 per person.

Finally, we arrived in Sasan Gir, on the edge of Gir Forest National Park—the last remaining habitat of the Asiatic Lion. The final leg of our journey was a breezy ride on an AirCon coach, which swayed so much it felt like riding a whale! The cost? Just 70p each.

Booking the Safari

We had booked our accommodation in Sasan Gir in advance from the UK and had also inquired about safari rides. (We stayed at Gir Birding Lodge… ). To our shock, most safari slots were already sold out! As foreigners, the prices were steep—£139 per ride!! Hopefully, much of this goes toward conservation. If you wanted to take a camera it was an extra 1600IR, so I didn’t… (iPhones were fine!) We managed to secure two mid-morning safaris, though early morning and late afternoon slots—considered the best times for wildlife viewing—were fully booked.

Each safari included a jeep, a driver, a forestry guide, and even our hotel guide, who decided to tag along. Having experienced safaris in some of India’s more famous tiger reserves, we feared that Gir might feel overly commercialized. Thankfully, our worries were unfounded—the entire experience was well-organized and respectful of the environment.

The safari jeeps were modern and well-maintained, and the number of vehicles allowed into the park was strictly controlled. Each jeep was assigned a specific route, ensuring that we rarely encountered other tourists. In a refreshing change from other Indian parks, plastic was completely banned, and the roadsides were free from litter!

The Safari Experience

Even though our safari permits were waiting for us at the hotel, a surprising amount of paperwork still had to be completed before we could enter the forest. Fortunately, the ‘staff’ handled most of it, standing in long queues while we waited in the jeep.

We quickly noticed that western tourists were rare in Sasan Gir. While waiting in our jeep, we amused ourselves watching numerous Indian families posing for photos in front of our vehicle intentionally included us in the background!

First Safari Drive

Once the paperwork was sorted, we were off. For the first hour, we saw very little, until our forestry guide suddenly instructed us to hold on—he had an ‘idea’ where a lioness and her cub might be resting…. Twenty dusty, bumpy minutes later, we found ourselves watching a female lion lying in deep shade, her tiny two-month-old cub beside her. She barely moved….. our first Asiatic Lion.

Second Safari Drive

The next morning, we went through the same entry formalities before setting off on a different route. Though the landscape looked similar…… A highlight was spotting two ‘baby’ Brown Fish Owls perched in a tree, with an adult roosting above them (all massive birds)! Then, after about an hour, our forestry guide announced that two male lions were resting by a waterhole….. We sped off down the track, and 10 minutes later, there they were, sitting right by the roadside. Two stunning male Asiatic lions, brothers, their dark manes giving them a regal presence. Asiatic Lion have very dark but moderate manes and their ears are always visible, distinguishing them from African Lions .

Briefly, we were the only ones there, and spending time in their presence felt like a privilege. Majestic, powerful, and uniquely Asiatic—this was the moment we had come for. At one point one sat up and looked me in the eye….!!

We’ve now seen Tiger, Leopard, Snow Leopard and Asiatic Lion in India… the big four, each a separate adventure!

Time to move on, heading further south to Diu, on the coast, and the only part of Gujarat to serve beer….