Gir National Park somnath temple

Day 4: We started at 9:30 am from Vadodara for Junagadh and reached Junagadh around 5:00 pm. We had lunch at Rajdhani restaurant near Limdi, food was average. We saw few nicely decorated camels on the way. Had dinner at my wife’s cousins place and retired early for the night since had to wake early for Gir National Park Safari on the next day.

Expenses on Day 4:
On way to Junagadh from Vadodara:
Bamanbore Toll- Rs. 20
Bagodara toll- Rs. 20
Ranjit Projects Chhayapuri Vadodara- Rs. 13
Govt. of Gujarat roads dept near Vataman Chokadi on Bagodara Tarapur road– Rs. 15

Day 5: We woke up at 4:00 am since we had to reach Gir National Park entrance by 6:00 am. There were many people waiting for the permits. In the meantime, I was trying to spot few monkey or birds but could find them. Saw Sinh Sadan Guesthouse, looked good from outside. Finally we got the permit and our Safari started at 7:00 am. Personally, this was my first Lion Safari and I was really excited to watch the first Lion. The Lion was bit far but the forst guide told it is against the rules to go near it even thought there was a road nearby. We then proceeded to find other Lions but could only find Sambhar, Spotted Deers, Nilgai, beautiful peacocks, and wild boars. Unfortunately had only 1 lion sighting but overall enjoyed the Gir National Park Safari.

Our next stop was Somnath temple. Somnath is around 40 minutes drive from Gir National Park. We took the blessings of the lord and drove back to Junagadh. In the evening, our plan was to visit my wife’s Mama’s Farmhouse located on the outskirts of Gir National Park. We reached there around 6:00 pm and did a short trek in the surrounding area. The farmhouse location is really nice and we could easily spot few deers and peacocks from there. The caretaker told that he has seen Lions many times near the farmhouse and it is risky to venture out after dark. The caretaker also showed us a deer skull and told us that a lion hunted the deer a week ago. Also saw a cute sparrow nest. It was time for dinner and we had delicious Bajra Roti with Brinjal Bharta prepared in the traditionally way. After dinner, we were just chatting when my wife’s Darshan Mama spotted a fox. We hopped in our vehicle and went for a closer look and it was indeed a pair of fox near the farmhouse. Unfortunately we could not stay at the farmhouse since my wife’s grandmother considered staying at the farmhouse risky. Look forward to visit the lovely farmhouse in the winter and this time I will try to spend at least one night there, who knows might get lucky and spot a Lion…