Study Tour to GIR wildlife sanctuary, Gujarat by Mr.Jatinder Taneja,(MD) from 11-14 December 2022.

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I undertook a FAM tour to GIR wildlife sanctuary, Gujarat from 11/14 December 2022 along with my son Veer and my nephews. For me and VEER It was a study trip and for my nephews it was a short break.

11/12/2022
We took a very early morning flight from Delhi to Rajkot. We reached Rajkot airport at about 9.15 AM and the Innova was waiting for us at the airport. Rajkot airport is a very small old airport and it was very easy to take the luggage and move out.
We went to the Cafe coffee day for some refreshments and started our journey to Gir at about 11.00 Am.
The journey is about 3.5/4 hours.
On the way we stopped at a town called Gondal to see the Gondal Palace. They have a very nice collection of the Vintage cars. It was very interesting to see the collection however, the cars were not kept very nicely. They also have one vintage train salon which was used for the royal family. It was good to see that too.
They have a small nice 19th century heritage hotel, Orchard Palace with beautiful lawns. Nice large heritage rooms People can stay there too. . We wanted to see Naulakha Palace also but we were late and they are closed between 12/3 Pm and therefore we planned to see that on our way back.

Junagarh
Thereafter we drove and had our lunch at Sarovar Portico, Junagarh. It is a very nice hotel and decent food at a very reasonable price.
Junagadh, which is a city in the western Indian state of Gujarat and After lunch we proceeded to see the 19th century museum which showcases the 19th century paintings, weapons, textiles and chandeliers etc. it was worth watching all the collection. Thereafter we went to see the Girnar hills and the temples by a cable car. This is (Standing tall at 3672 feet, Girnar is an ancient hill in Junagadh. This centuries old hill is covered with 866 Hindu and Jain temples that are spread over the summits. One will have to climb 9999 steps to reach the final summit. We did this by cable car and it was very comfortable. The cable car is very well managed and we reached the top to see an ancient Amba Mata temple. This is dedicated to an incarnation of the mother Goddess Amba.

Thereafter we left for Gir and reached there at about 5.30 PM. The road between Rajkot to Gondal is very good but before Gir for about 2 hours the road is not very good and it is quite bumpy.

We reached at The Postcard resort and had a very warm welcome. It is one of the most beautiful boutique resorts we have ever visited. Stunning rooms, excellent services and scrumptious food. Beautiful swimming pool, a lot of open space and huge mango orchard makes it the finest place to stay. Overnight at the resort.

12/12/2022
Our morning was free to relax. We enjoyed our long late breakfast. In this resort the guests can have their BF at any time. In the afternoon we left at 2.30 PM for a game drive in the Gir forest. The jeep was ready for us and first we went to the welcome centre and took our guide/naturalist Jamial Hassan.
He was very knowledgeable and took us inside the jungle. Our visit to the jungle was extremely interesting and we witnessed quite a good wildlife including two lions. Gir Forest National Park is a wildlife sanctuary in Gujarat, western India. It was established to protect Asiatic lions, who frequent the fenced-off Devalia Safari Park, along with leopards and antelopes. Gir Jungle Trail, outside the fenced area, traverses deciduous forest and is home to wildlife including vultures and pythons. The Kamleshwar Dam has marsh crocodiles and birds, such as Indian skimmers and pelicans little details about Gir) Return at about 6 Pm and evening is free. In the evening we had our dinner and enjoyed the Gujarati Thalis. Again the service was excellent and the food was too good.

13/12/2022
n this day we had booked a morning game drive to the jungle and we had to leave at 6 AM. Same guide accompanied us and we enjoyed the game drive again. This time we had a different route for our visit. There are about 12/13 routes which are allotted by the forest department to the visitors. They don't send all vehicles on the same route as it can become very crowded on that route. However, the guides are in touch with each other on WhatsApp etc and if there is a good site at one place others can also reach if they are nearby somewhere. The photo stop at the Kamleshwar lake was outstanding, the views were too good and we all really enjoyed the game drive.
We came back at about 10 AM. We rested a bit, had our lunch and left for Somnath temple at 3 PM. It is about a 3/4 hours excursion 30 Kms 45 minutes one way. Before reaching the temple we had a photo stop at a place from where we could take some pictures of the fishermen's beautiful boats. The Somnath temple, also called Somanātha temple or Deo Patan, is a Hindu temple located in Prabhas Patan, close to the ancient port Veraval in Gujarat, India. It is one of the most sacred pilgrimage sites for Hindus and is believed to be first among the twelve jyotirlinga shrines of Shiva.

The visit was very interesting, It is a huge beautiful complex situated on the Arabian sea and you can see a beautiful sunset from here. However, the cameras, phones and personal bags are not allowed inside the temple.
On the way back, first we went to see the Taj Gir Serai hotel. It was not a luxury hotel but a three star decent hotel. All rooms are in the building and it is quite an old structure. The location was good, the lawns and the swimming pool looked very beautiful.
Thereafter we went to see the resort called Woods at the Sasan. This is a beautiful spread out resort with very nice beautiful rooms, bathrooms and a large swimming pool. The restaurants were also looking very good. This can also be used for the high end clients. However, The postcard resort remained our favourite in Gir.

We came back at about 7 PM, rested a bit and at 8 PM we were out again for the dances arranged by the hotel. The dancers were by Siddhi or Habshi, a tribal community, this is an ethnic group inhabiting India and are the descendants from Southeast Africa and Ethiopia.
It was extremely interesting to watch them in their traditional dresses and performing their native dances. Thereafter we had our lavish dinner and stayed the night at the resort.

14/12/2022
After having our BF, we went for a village drive in a Vintage Car. The hotel owns a beautiful vintage car which can be hired for the village drive. We went a little late at about 11 AM, whereas the best time to go is in the morning before breakfast. However, the drive in a vintage car was excellent and we could see a small village and the villagers and their houses etc.
We left at about 12 from the hotel for our flight at 8 PM. On the way first we stopped at Junagarh to see Mahabat Maqbara, it is the huge 19th-century mausoleum of a local ruler, which showcases intricate Indo-Islamic architectural details. This was only a photo stop. Thereafter we drove to Gondal to see the Naulakha Palace. They have a very nice collection of Paintings, artifacts, trophies, statues and a good collection of the carriages which were used by the royal families. After visiting we drove to the Rajkot airport and took our flight at 8 PM and reached back at 9.45 PM.
Overall it was a wonderful and a very knowledgeable and educational trip.

TOUR FINISHES

Suggested Tours
Gujarat’s Wildlife Trail - 11 Nights / 12 Days
Places: Mumbai - Diu – Gir National Park - Velavadar National Park - Bajana–Dasada - Modhera - Patan - Ahmedabad

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