The Gir Jungle Trail is what most people mean by “a Gir safari”: a drive of around three hours in an open gypsy through the tourism zone of the Gir sanctuary, on one of several numbered forest routes, with a Forest Department guide on board. This is wild country — dry teak forest, thorn scrub, grassy clearings and riverbeds — and the lions here are not fenced, baited or tracked for you on demand. Many drives produce a sighting; some do not.
Entry is controlled by an e-permit issued only by the Gujarat Forest Department through its official portal, girlion.gujarat.gov.in. One permit covers one vehicle of up to six people (a young child may be allowed in addition — check the current rule). The permit fee, the gypsy hire and the guide fee are separate charges, and rates differ for Indian and foreign visitors and rise on weekends and holidays. Because fees are revised from time to time, we do not print figures here: check the portal for the current ones.
There are normally three safari slots a day — early morning, late morning and afternoon — with exact timings shifting slightly between winter and summer. The route is allotted at the reception centre at Sinh Sadan in Sasan, not chosen by you. The Jungle Trail closes for the monsoon from about 16 June to 15 October each year.
What to see and do at Gir Jungle Trail
Look for Asiatic lions
Gir and the country around it are the only place in the world where Asiatic lions survive in the wild. They are slightly smaller than African lions, with a sparser mane and a distinctive fold of skin along the belly. Early morning and late afternoon, when they are on the move, are generally the best times.
Watch for leopards
Gir holds one of India’s denser leopard populations, but leopards are secretive and far harder to see than lions. Alarm calls from langurs and chital are the usual giveaway — a good guide will stop and listen.
Enjoy the supporting cast
Chital are everywhere, with sambar, nilgai, wild boar, langurs and, with luck, the shy four-horned antelope or a jackal. Do not treat a drive without lions as a failure; the forest itself is the experience.
Go birding
More than 300 bird species have been recorded in Gir, among them crested serpent eagles, changeable hawk-eagles, paradise flycatchers, painted storks, owls and peafowl in large numbers. Winter brings migrants as well.
See Maldhari country
Some routes pass close to the nesses — thorn-fenced hamlets — of the Maldhari herders who have lived among the lions for generations with their buffalo and cattle.
How to get to Gir Jungle Trail
- All Jungle Trail safaris start from Sinh Sadan, the Forest Department campus in the centre of Sasan Gir village. Arrive with time to spare before your slot — commonly at least half an hour — carrying the printed or digital permit and the original photo identity document of every person named on it. Foreign visitors need their passport.
- Gypsies and guides are assigned at the reception centre. If you are staying at a resort outside the village, arrange transport to Sinh Sadan the evening before; some lodges will organise the gypsy to collect you.
Practical tips
- Book the permit only on girlion.gujarat.gov.in. Look-alike websites that charge for “official” Gir bookings are a known problem; if a site is not on the gujarat.gov.in domain, it is not the Forest Department.
- Permits for weekends, holidays and the winter peak are snapped up as soon as booking opens. Book as early as the portal allows and fix your hotel dates around the permit, not the other way round.
- If you buy a safari package from a tour operator, you are paying the operator for vehicle, guide and service; ask to see the actual permit with your names on it before the day.
- Wear dull colours, bring a warm layer for winter mornings in an open jeep, and a hat, sunscreen and water from March onwards.
- Stay seated and quiet, never ask the driver to leave the track or crowd an animal, and take every scrap of litter back out with you.
Best tours for Gir Jungle Trail
These packages are the easiest way to see Gir Jungle Trail with transport and a guide sorted:
Jeep safari package from US$104 per group Gujarat: Gir National Park Guided Jeep Safari
A private operator’s package for the classic Gir safari: a roughly three-hour drive in an open gypsy with a guide, priced per vehicle. It costs noticeably more than arranging the official permit, jeep and guide yourself, and its reviews so far are few and low — read them before you book, and confirm in writing which date, time slot and permit you are getting. Lion sightings can never be guaranteed.
- An open-gypsy drive on the Gir Jungle Trail
- Priced per vehicle for up to six people
- The operator handles the permit paperwork for you
Jeep safari package from US$130 per group Gir National Park: Lion Safari with Hotel Pickup
Much the same safari as the package above with a hotel pickup added, which saves a pre-dawn scramble for transport. It is sold by a private operator, not by the Forest Department, whatever the listing title suggests. There are only a couple of reviews and they are poor, so check exactly what is included and keep your expectations for the booking process modest.
- Pickup from your hotel in the Sasan area
- Jeep and guide for the Jungle Trail
- Priced per group of up to six
Guided overnight tour from US$187 From Rajkot: Gir and Somnath Weekend Tour
The classic Saurashtra pairing packed into two days from Rajkot: lion country and the temple on the sea. Read the inclusions closely to see which safari — the Jungle Trail or Devalia — is part of the price, and whether the permit is covered.
- Sasan Gir and Somnath in one weekend
- Transport from Rajkot, the nearest big airport city
- A night in the Gir–Somnath area
Private multi-day tour from US$400 From Ahmedabad: 4-Day Gujarat Private Tour with Safari
A private four-day loop from Ahmedabad that links the two great temples of the Saurashtra coast with a safari in Gir. Four days is brisk for these distances, so expect long drives. No reviews yet — confirm the hotels and the safari arrangements.
- Ahmedabad, Dwarka, Somnath and Gir in one loop
- Private car and driver throughout
- A Gir safari included in the plan
