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India Safaris
A Journey to Asiatic Lions Country
Day 01 Friday
You Depart London by
Air India For a direct flight to Ahmedabad in the state of Gujrat India. (Flight
not included)
Day 02 Saturday
Reach at about 10
A.M. at Ahmedabad International Airport. Our ground staff will meet & receive
you at the airport. We will have breakfast at the river-facing Cama Park Plaza,
where your bird list will begin with many garden birds in the hotel premises and
waterside birds along the Sabarmati River. After breakfast we will move onwards
for our first wildlife destination Bhavnagar. The Journey is approx. 200 K.M. &
will take about 4 hrs. We reach Bhavnagar at about 5 P.M. Check in at The
Nilambag Palace Hotel a Heritage property & rest for the evening to over come
jetlag.
Day 03 Sunday
We will have
Morning & Evening game drives at Velavadar National Park .Blackbuck National
Park Velavadar in the Bhal region of Saurashtra is a unique grassland ecosystem
that has attracted fame for the successful conservation of the blackbuck, the
wolf and the lesser florican. Once found in open plains throughout the country
and the state of Gujarat. Its largest population at present occurs in Velavadar
N.P. This exclusively Indian animal is perhaps the most graceful and beautiful
of its kind. It has ringed horns that have a spiral twist of three to four turns
and are up to 70 cm long. The body’s upper parts are black and the under parts
and a ring around the eyes are white.. The wolf and the jackals are the main
predators in the park. More than 1500 Blackbucks are found within the park.
Day 04 Monday
Early Morning after
having breakfast we will move to Gir National Park by Road, which is about 200
K.M from Bhavnagar & will take about 5 Hrs to reach .We will have Lunch at
Gondal at the Riverside Palace/Orchard Palace. It’s a heritage hotel good for
birding with many species coming in to the orchards and on the river-shores.
After Lunch we proceed to Gir National Park & Check in at Taj or similar. We
will try to take an Evening Game safari.
Day 05 Tuesday
Morning Evening game
Safari.
The Indian lion is
another name for the Asiatic lion, Panthera Leo persica, the sub-species that
once ranged from Greece to central India. Before they were completely wiped out,
the lions came under the protection of the Nawab of Junagadh, a local monarch,
who banned all lion hunting in the area. Soon, the lion population began to rise
in number. By the declaration of Indian independence in 1947, the government had
come to realize the importance and fragile nature of this last bastion of the
Asiatic lion, and the Nawab’s conservation policy was upheld. Naturalists were
assigned to study and take a census of the Gir’s lion population. At that time
there were around 200 lions. The Indian government then created the Gir National
Park and Lion Sanctuary - collectively known as the Gir Protected Area (PA),
covering over 1000 km˛. The area is made up of dry scrubland with hills, rivers,
and teak forest. In addition to the lion population, the Gir PA contains
leopards, antelope, deer, jackals, hyenas, and marsh crocodiles. The largest
Asiatic lion on record measured 2.9 m from nose to tail-tip & the current
population is in excess of 300.
Day 06 Wednesday
Morning Evening Game
drive.
Day 07 Thursday
After morning Game
drive we drive to Zainabad the Little Rann of Kutch (280 K.M.) A safari through
the Indian Wild Ass Sanctuary in the Little Rann of Kutch in northwest of Gujrat.
A safari through this region gives one a chance to come face to face with a wide
variety of birds and other wildlife. A safari through the Indian Wild Ass
Sanctuary is a unique experience. A safari through this region gives one a
chance to come face to face with a wide variety of birds and other wildlife.
Besides the Wild Ass, the sanctuary is home to a host of other animals and
nearly 350 different species of birds, including the common crane, pelican and
the lesser flamingo. Apart from this, one can also get a rare insight into the
lifestyles of the numerous ethnic groups and local tribes, which live in and
around the Rann.
Interestingly, the
Little Rann gets a fair number of winged visitors in the winter months. Among
these, the blue-tailed bee-eater that comes all the way from Europe, the common
crane and the demoiselle crane from Siberia, the ceraneous vulture from Egypt
and the houbara bustard from Iran and Iraq are the ones most commonly sighted.
Day 08 Friday
Morning Evening Game
drive
Day 09 Saturday
Morning Evening Game
drive
Day 10 Sunday
After early break
fast we leave for Ahmedabad international Airport to catch our onward flight to
London. (Zainabad – Ahmedabad is 100 K.M. 2 Hrs Drive.)
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Accommodation on twin sharing basis with all taxes.
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2
Nights in Bhavnagar |
Nilambagh Palace |
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3
Nights in Gir national park |
Taj or similar |
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2
Nights in Zainabad |
Desert Coursers |
- All Meals
included in the plan.
- A
dedicated air-conditioned vehicle for the entire tour
- Jungle
visits as per the itinerary with all park entrance fees, guide charges.
Above cost does not include:
- Optional
tours/excursions
- Personal
and incidental expenses
- Tips,
laundry, phone calls, bottled water, alcohol, camera fee etc.
- Culture
tours
- Monument
entrance fee
- Any
Airfare.
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