THE BEST OF GUJARAT
Destination : Mumbai
- Sasangir - Bhavnagar - Dasada - Jamnagar - Mumbai.
Duration : 14 Days 13 Nights
DAY 01 ARRIVE MUMBAI
Arrive Mumbai. Meeting at the airport and assisted
transfer to the hotel for stay tonight.
DAY 02 ARRIVE MUMBAI
Morning transfer to the domestic airport to connect your
Jet Airlines flight for Diu
(9W 3403 1045:1145 (Operates Daily
except Saturdays)
Meeting at the airport and assisted
transfer to hotel at Sasangir National Park (128 kilometers / about 3
hours)
Stay at the Taj Gir Lodge for three nights.
Afternoon enjoy game drive (time permitting)
DAY 03-04 SASANGIR
Morning and
afternoon enjoy game drives.
Gir is the only home in Indian
of the Lion of which there are nearly 300 in the park. The sanctuary
lies in the Gujarat peninsula in SW India. The terrain is rugged with
low hills and the vegetation is mixed deciduous, with stands of Teak,
Acacia, Jamun, Tendu and Dhak trees, interespersed with large patches
of grasslands. On the hills of the trees are sparse and stunted.
Within the sanctuary, there are numerous human settlements of cattle
herders called Maldharis with an estimated 20,000 head of livestock
(which, incidentally, forms a significant part of the Lions diet).
There are also places of Hindu worship and pilgrimage and sulphur
springs at Tulsi Shyam and Kankai Mata. At the edge of the park there
are good populations of Indian Gazelle, protected by the religious
sentiment of the local people. The Kamleshwar Lake has some Marsh
Crocodile. Birds in the park include the Paradise Flycatcher,
Bonellis Eagle and Painted Sandgrouse. Three unusual reserves, the
Nalsarover Lake and Sanctuary, where large numbers of water-birds can
be seen; the bare saline flats of the Rann of Kutch, incredibly the
home of the Indian wild ass and the spectacular Flamingo island where
nesting colonies of flamingoes are to be seen, make Gujarat an
exciting place for wildlife enthusiasts
DAY
05 SASANGIR - BHAVNAGAR
Morning game drive to the national
park.
Drive to Bhavnagar (125 km / 03 hours)
On arrival check-in at hotel for stay
for two nights.
Day 06 BHAVNAGAR
(VELAVADAR SANCTUARY)
Morning and afternoon game drives to
Velavadar Sanctuary.
Velavadar National Park is located only 64
Kms from Bhavnagar and 80 Kms from Utelia.
Perhaps, the only tropical grassland in
India to be given the status of a national park, Velavadar national
park is a 36 km patch of Savannah type grasslands and thorn scrub. The
park is set between two rivers, a few miles from the Gulf of Cambay
sea coast. The rich soil is believed to have origins in the sea. The
principal attraction of the park is the massive population of
blackbuck, the handsome Indian antelope, seen here in numbers running
into thousands. The blackbuck is endemic to India and is rated among
the most elegant antelopes and the fastest animals over a long
distance. During the rule of the Maharajahs of Bhavnagar, Velavadar
was harvested for grass to feed the royal cattle herds and the
antelope were protected except for an occassional hunting camp. This
is where His highness Krishnakumar Sinhji coursed blackbucks using
cheetahs and flew falcons. The wolf is the prime predator of Velavadar
national park. Studies by WII research scientists have shown that
Velavadar is one of the few places in the world where the wolf
population is proliferating. Other mammals seen in Velavadar are fox,
jackal, jungle cat, wild pig, hare and rodents. The birdlife is
extensive. Sandgrouse, larks and other grasslands are seen in fair
numbers. The harrier roost at Velavadar national park is one of the
largest in the world, as certified by international harrier expert,
Roger Clarke of UK. 
DAY 07 BHAVNAGAR -
DASADA (LITTLE RANN OF KUTCHH)
Morning game drive to the
national park.
Drive to Dasada (03 hours 30 minutes)
Arrive
Dasada and check in at your resort for stay for 3 nights
DAY 08-09 DASADA
(LITTLE RANN OF KUTCHH)
Morning and afternoon game drives
at Little Rann of Kutch.
Established as wildlife sanctuary in
1972, the little Rann of Kutch is the last refuge of the endangered
Wild Indian Ass(Ghud Khar) and also home to the blue-bull (Neel Gai),
Chinkara, Hedgehog, Wolf, Jackla, fox and Deset cats. Nearly 300
species of migratory birds are attracted to this region, mainly during
monsoons and winter. Flamingo have built virtual Flamingo cities here.
Cranes, Pelicans, Houbara, Bustard, Falcons, Larks and other desert
birds are also spotted here. Among reptiles, you will find snakes,
tortoises, lizards and chameleons.
The little Rann is located in
saurashtra, which literally means- a hundred kingdoms. Local tribes
and ethnic groups like the Rabari, Koli, Bajania and many others have
evolved here. The Rabaris are essentially shepherds, Kolis being
fisherfolk, Bajanias known for their song and dance. Besides these,
one can also find smaller but more exotic groups like the Negroid Mir
Tribes, thought to be originally from Africa and Migrated at an early
time. Though each of these groups offer their own exclusive traits,
they share such exquisite skills like Intricate Cloth Embroidery and
Murals, Mirror work on cloth dyed in vegetable tannins, selectively
dyed decorative cloth (Bandhni), chunky jewellery and silver-ware,
etc. They also share a common form of song and dance, called the Garba
or Dandiya Raas.
The Indian Wild Ass
Locally known
as Gudh Khar, Indian Wild Ass (Equus Hemionus Khur) was once a common
sight. It is now found only in the Rann of Kutch. A shiny white coat
with grayish brown patches and a black/brown hairy stripe in the
center enhances its beauty. It has the strength and speed of a horse
and can run at speeds of 60 to 70 km/hr. it can survive long periods
of drought as well as other calamities with relative ease. A very
sturdy animal, it can withstand scorching mid day temperatures upto 45
C or more without any shelter in the desert. The Indian Wild Ass moves
either singly or in herds of 10 to 30 in search of fodder and sweet
water.
DAY 10 DASADA JAMNAGAR
Morning game drive to the national park.
Drive to Jamnagar (02 hours 30 minutes)
Arrive and check in at your hotel for
stay for 3 nights
DAY 11-12 MARINE
NATIONAL PARK
Full day Boat rides at the Marine National
Park.
MARINE NATIONAL PARK
Gujarat has the distinction of creating the country's first Marine
National Park spread over an area of nearly 458 sq kms in the Gulf of
Kutch, 30 kms. from Jamnagar. Here corals create fantasies in stone
and are the master builders of the Park. Their limestone fortresses -
each one the work of a colony of countless tiny animals - come in an
amazing variety of shapes and sizes, from the convoluted brain coral
to corals that look like horns. Turtles, shrimp, sponge, eels, sea
urchin lurk among the corals and huge schools of fish create a
brilliance of colours that are unknown, unseen and unimaginable. Here
you can see dolphins and octopuses. Dugong, a marine mammal, which
resembles a seal and the rare Boralia species are found in these
protected areas. The park has dense mangrove growth, which provides
scores of birds with nesting and roosting sites.
DAY 13 JAMNAGAR
MUMBAI
Morning at leisure. Later transfer to airport for
flight to Mumbai
(CD 7148 1400/1500; Operates Daily)
Arrive Mumbai. Meeting at the airport
and assisted transfer to the hotel for stay tonight.
DAY 14 MUMBAI -
DEPARTURE
After Breakfast transfer to Airport for flight
back home.
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