Lions View at the Devalia Safari Park at Sasan Gir in India

The Gir forest in Sasan Gir area near the city of Junagadh in the Gujarat State of India is famous for the lions view in all over the world. The tourists come here to see the lions, kings of forest moving freely in the thick forest. There is a large difference between seeing the lions in a zoo and viewing them in the forest moving freely as the king of the jungle. I have visited Sasan Gir couple of times to view the lions but was not able to view them as the population of lions has been lately decreased considerably. Such incidents lead to frustration amongst the tourists visiting from all over the world. In order to avoid such situation, Gujarat State Government has made one sure shot arrangement so that all the tourists can view the lions moving freely in the forest. This is feasible due to the Devalia Safari garden made near the village of Devalia, which is around 7 miles away from Sasan on the Malia Road.

There are around twenty lions families kept here at this safari garden, which is spread in the area of around 5 square miles. The safari garden is made in exactly similar fashion as to Gir forest. The safari tour starts from the administrative office of the Devalia Safari Park after 5 pm in the evening at the time interval of every one hour till 9 pm in the night. This safari tour is conducted in an open station wagon covered with steel bars so that the tourists can view the lions moving around in the forest. Each trip can carry around twenty five passengers. The safari trip takes around one hour and the charges for it are Rs.75 ($1.5) per head. The tourists are assured of viewing the lions as the lions have been kept in this safari park solely for viewing purpose. There are also other animals like leopards, buffalos, dears, fox, and the wolf also in this safari. We were able to see two large families of lion in this safari taking their dinner together. The safari park office remains open from 8 am to 6 pm every day. However, it remains closed between 1 pm to 3 pm. The tourists can book their safari ride tickets from this office for the timings of their own choice. The approved forest department's ranger accompanies the tourists during the safari ride so there is no real danger of losing the way in the forest safari. However, it is suggested to be very careful during this ride as the lions and other wild animals are moving freely in this safari park. This one hour safari ride is really enjoyable and provides an opportunity to view the lions for sure.

The tourists can reach Devalia by hired cars, taxis, and the government buses from Sasan and Junagadh. There is also a small guest house at this safari park for the tourists in case they like to stay for the night halt. This guest house is operated by the State Government and the double rooms can be available at the rates of around Rs.800 ($18) per day. We had stayed here at this guest house for one night to enjoy the real atmosphere of the forest. The standard Gujarati meals, made in Kathiawadi style, are served at the guest house at the rates of around Rs.50 ($1) per head. Various Gujarati snacks are also available at this guest house along with the hot beverages like tea and coffee. It is suggested to carry suitable mosquitoes repellant with you as the forest safari is full of mosquitoes. The portable torch lights and the camera also should not be forgotten. However, photography is not allowed in some of the areas of the safari as the wild animals get frightened due to the camera flashes.

I liked this arrangement for the viewing of lions very much as it assures all the tourists that they will be able to view the lions certainly without any doubts. Moreover, the safari environment is also made very similar to the actual Gir forest. Hence, you will not be able to differentiate between the safari and the actual forest. I have no hesitation in recommending this safari park visit to all my AC friends and readers who are interested in viewing of the lions of India.