Gir Safari Zones: All the Safari Options at Gir Explained

If you are planning a wildlife trip and searching for the Gir safari zones, there is one thing to understand first, Gir does not work like the famous tiger reserves. There are no neatly numbered zones to pick from. Instead the forest department regulates tourism through 13 pre-defined safari routes in the core and a set of separate interpretation zones and special permits. This guide, from the team behind Somnath Dwarka Tour Package, a unit of Experience My India, explains how the Gir safari system really works and compares all the options so you can choose the right one for your trip.

Does Gir have safari zones?

Unlike other famous tiger reserves in India, which have distinct, geographically separated zones numbered Zone 1, Zone 2 and so on, Gir National Park does not have separate numbered zones for its core safari. This surprises many first-time visitors who come expecting to choose a zone. Instead, Gir regulates tourism in two ways. The core forest safari is split into 13 pre-defined, overlapping routes that are assigned to visitors rather than chosen and alongside the core there are separate, self-contained interpretation zones and special permits that offer different kinds of experience. So when people talk about Gir safari zones, what they really mean is the range of safari options, the core Jungle Trail with its 13 routes, the fenced interpretation zones like Devalia and Ambardi and the special rides such as the Kankai temple permit and the Girnar nature safari. Understanding this is the key to planning, because you are choosing between types of safari, not between numbered map zones.

Gir safari options at a glance

Here is how the main Gir safari options compare at a glance:

1. Gir Jungle Trail: the core forest safari

The Gir jungle trail is the authentic, wild safari, the one most people mean by a Gir safari. It covers the primary dry deciduous forests and grasslands of the core and to distribute tourist traffic evenly the forest department has established 13 overlapping tracks or routes through it. You cannot select a specific route when booking; your route is randomly assigned by an automated system at the Sinh Sadan entry gate right before your safari begins and every route offers a statistically equal chance of spotting the Asiatic lion. It is a roughly 3-hour open-jeep or Gypsy, safari and like the rest of the core it is closed during the monsoon, from 16 June to 15 October every year. This is the option for the genuine wilderness thrill, where the lions roam free and nothing is scripted.

2. Devalia Safari Park: the Gir Interpretation Zone

To reduce tourist pressure on the fragile core, the forest department created the Devalia Safari Park, officially the Gir Interpretation Zone, a fenced 412-hectare mini-forest eco-tourism zone. It hosts a managed population of lions, leopards and herbivores in a near-natural setting, which makes a lion sighting virtually guaranteed, so it is ideal for photographers, families with young children or anyone who could not secure a core permit. The ride is a shorter 45 to 60 minutes, available either by a forest department mini-bus or an open Gypsy. Unlike the core, Devalia is open year-round, even during the monsoon, but it is strictly closed every Wednesday. It is the option for certainty and ease, the sure sighting when time is short.

3. Ambardi Safari Park

Ambardi Safari Park is a separate interpretation zone, similar in concept to Devalia, located on the banks of the Shetrunji River near Amreli, on the eastern side of the Gir landscape. Like Devalia, it is a fenced zone offering a managed, near-guaranteed view of lions and other wildlife in a natural-style habitat and it serves visitors approaching Gir from the Amreli side or those who want an alternative to the busier Devalia. If your route through Saurashtra passes closer to Amreli than to Sasan Gir, Ambardi can be the more convenient interpretation-zone option, giving the same kind of reliable sighting experience without the long journey to the main hub. It is worth knowing about when planning, as it widens your choices across the region rather than concentrating everything at Sasan.

4. Kankai Mata temple ride

The Kankai Mata temple ride is a special forest route permit rather than a wildlife safari in the usual sense. It allows you to drive through the heart of the jungle to visit the historic Kankai Mata Temple, the revered Mother Goddess shrine set deep inside the sanctuary beside the Shingavada River. The journey takes you across the wild core on forest tracks, so you may well see lions and other wildlife on the way, but the purpose is darshan at the temple and the trip is typically a half-day expedition on its own permit. It is the option for pilgrims and for travellers who want to combine faith with the forest, experiencing the wilderness from a different angle than the standard safari. It runs on the same sanctuary rules of daylight timings and a sunset exit.

5. Girnar nature safari

The Girnar nature safari is a different experience again, located near the Girnar hills close to Junagadh, offering an entirely different landscape of mountainous forest terrain rather than the flat deciduous forest and grassland of the core Gir. The Girnar region, long sacred and ecologically rich, has its own wildlife and a character all its own and this safari lets visitors explore that hilly, forested terrain. It pairs naturally with a visit to Junagadh Girnar, the fort city and sacred mountain, making it a good add-on for those exploring that side of the region. For anyone who wants variety beyond the classic lion safari, the Girnar nature safari adds a hill-forest dimension to a Gir and Saurashtra trip.

How to choose the right Gir safari option

With no numbered zones to pick, the choice comes down to what kind of experience you want and your constraints of time, certainty and location. For the genuine wild thrill of tracking free-ranging lions, the core Jungle Trail is unbeatable, though sightings are never guaranteed and permits sell out early. For a near-certain sighting, a short visit or a trip with young children or elderly travellers, Devalia or Ambardi are the reliable interpretation-zone choices. For pilgrims, the Kankai Mata temple ride blends darshan with the forest and for those wanting a different landscape, the Girnar nature safari offers hill forest near Junagadh. Many visitors combine two or more, most commonly a core Jungle Trail safari for the wild experience and a Devalia visit for the sure sighting, which together give the fullest picture of Gir. Choose by your priority, certainty or wildness, time or depth and plan the permits accordingly.

Booking and permits across the options

Each of the main options is booked and permitted separately and the core and interpretation-zone permits are issued through the official Gujarat forest department portal. Because the core Jungle Trail permits are capped and sell out early, book well in advance, especially for weekends and holidays, while Devalia and Ambardi permits are easier but still limited daily. The timings and the daily slots for the core safari are covered in our Gir National Park timings guide and the costs across the options in our Gir safari ticket price guide. Whichever option you choose, carry the original photo ID used in the booking, as it is checked at the gate. A tour operator can handle the permits and the logistics for all the options together, which is the simplest way to combine them across a trip.

Best time for a Gir safari

The best time for any of the Gir safari options is the cooler season, roughly October to March, which is comfortable for the open jeep and historically gives the best sighting rates, as covered in our best time to visit Gir guide. Remember that the core forest and so the Jungle Trail and the Kankai ride, close through the monsoon from 16 June to 15 October, while Devalia stays open year-round except Wednesdays, which makes it the fallback in the off-season. For getting to the Sasan Gir hub that serves most of the options, see our how to reach Gir guide. Plan around the season, the closures and the Wednesday Devalia rule and you will not be caught out.

Tips for planning your Gir safari

A few pointers help you choose and book well:

• Do not expect numbered zones; Gir uses 13 randomly assigned core routes plus separate interpretation zones, so you choose a type of safari, not a map zone.

• Book core Jungle Trail permits well in advance, as they are capped and sell out early, especially on weekends and holidays.

• Pair a core safari with a Devalia visit for both the wild thrill and a near-certain sighting, the most popular combination.

• Never plan a Devalia visit on a Wednesday, when it is strictly closed and avoid the monsoon for the core, which closes 16 June to 15 October.

• Choose Ambardi if you are approaching from the Amreli side, as an alternative interpretation zone to Devalia.

• Carry the original photo ID used in your booking for any option, as it is checked at the gate.

• Consider the Kankai temple ride or the Girnar nature safari for a different, less crowded way to experience the forest.

Plan your Gir safari

Experience My India can plan your whole Gir safari around the options that suit you, with permits for the core Jungle Trail, Devalia or Ambardi arranged, the Kankai ride or Girnar safari added if you wish and the closures and Wednesday rule accounted for. You can combine Gir with the Somnath temple and Dwarka, stay at well-placed Somnath Dwarka hotels and let the Experience My India Somnath Dwarka tour packages or the wider Gujarat tour packages bring the lions and the region together. For the wildlife across the options, see the Gir National Park animals guide.

Related guides

To plan the rest of your Gir and Saurashtra trip, these related guides help:

Plan your visit

Experience My India can arrange your Gir safari and wider Saurashtra journey. Browse more travel guides, message us on WhatsApp or call +91 73006 20809.