Gir National Park

Gir National Park in Junagadh district, Saurashtra, is the last refuge of the Asiatic lion (Panthera leo persica) in the wild. The park covers 1,412 sq km of dry deciduous forest in the Gir Hills and as of the 2020 census hosts roughly 674 lions (the population has steadily grown from a low of 20 in 1913, when the Nawab of Junagadh banned lion hunting). The Asiatic lion is smaller, has a sparser mane, and a distinctive belly-fold compared to its African cousin. Gir is also home to the rare chausingha (four-horned antelope), the largest population of leopards in any Indian park, sloth bear, jackal, and 300+ bird species. Standard safaris are conducted in jeep groups of six in the Devalia tourist zone (a fenced 4.12 sq km section with very high lion-sighting probability) or the open core zone (lower probability but more authentic). The Maldhari pastoralist communities still live within the park boundaries, grazing livestock alongside lions in a unique long-term coexistence. The park is closed June 16–October 15 each year (monsoon and breeding season).