In October 2025, Birdwatching Asia was privileged to have been invited for a 7-day birding & wildlife tour around Gujarat, courtesy of Gujarat Tourism and Asian Adventures. Our second stop on this whirlwind tour was Gir, primarily to see the Kings of the Jungle. Nevertheless, being birders at heart, we also made sure we did plenty of birding at Gir National Park. And we got exactly what we wanted – plenty of birds as well as up close encounters with the park’s royalties!
Birding at Gir National Park: Trip Report
Preamble
Our visit to Gir National Park came after the Global Wildlife Fair 2025 concluded, and was the second stop of a 7-day birding and wildlife tour around Gujarat. The tour is essentially a familiarisation trip sponsored by Gujarat Tourism as part of their efforts to promote eco-tourism within the state to international markets. Additionally, Asian Adventures were instrumental in organizing the logistics of the entire trip.
Birdwatching Asia were joined by 10 other people from across the globe, all of whom are involved in the eco-tourism industry. Our group spent 2 nights at Gir (16-18 October 2025). During our visit, we stayed at Gir Birding Lodge, a hotel owned by Asian Adventures and located just outside the national park.
Where is Gir National Park?
Gir National Park is located in the south of the state of Gujarat, roughly 350 km from Ahmedabad. The main entrance is located near the small town of Sasan Gir. Originally a private hunting ground, the reserve was established in 1965 to protect the rapidly declining population of Asiatic Lions. This reserve is about 1400 km2 in size. From this, 258 km2 of the core area has been fully protected as part of a national park since 1975.
Access to Gir National Park
Gir National Park is part of a wildlife sanctuary; thus, access is only possible via organized safaris. These safaris are managed by the Gujarat Forest Department, and must be booked well in advance. The 4×4 jeeps (or Gypsy) vehicles can seat up to 6 passengers comfortably, and the cost includes a park ranger/guide. The safaris last about 3 hours per session, depending on wildlife sightings. There are assigned timings of when safari vehicles can access the park – two sessions in the mornings, and one in the afternoon. The park is closed from noon until 3 pm.
Gir National Park is closed from 16th June to 15th October every year, due to the monsoon season and to allow nature within the park to recover.
Our Experience Birding at Gir National Park
Birding at Gir National Park presents a different experience than birding at the Little Rann of Kutch (LRK). Gir is mostly covered by dry deciduous forest, which is in stark contrast to the wide open saltflats of the LRK. Thus, the birds seen here were also different, with forest species being the most common. The dense forest also makes for more challenging photography conditions.
Our group was divided into three Gypsy safari vehicles, with each vehicle exploring a slightly different area of the park. For both our safari sessions, we explored ‘route 6/2’. This meant that we traversed safari routes 6 and 2, entering from a different gate each time. According to our local guide, this route is the best for spotting lions and thus one of the most popular routes for tourists.
For our visit, we went on one morning session and one afternoon session. The morning safari started early, and we were already in the park by 7 am. The afternoon session started around 3 pm. The safari vehicles were comfortable and relatively spacious, with plenty of space to swing a big telephoto lens around. Moreover, the local park ranger is friendly and very knowledgeable on the park’s flora and fauna.
Unsurprisingly, the safari sessions were primarily concerned with seeing lions (and leopards), with birds and other animals being a secondary objective. Nevertheless, birding at Gir National Park was still a fun and rewarding experience for us.
Bird Species Seen While Birding at Gir National Park
We recorded a total of 54 species while birding at Gir National Park. This includes several species that we didn’t see elsewhere on our Gujarat tour. Notable species includes:
- Knob-billed Duck (Sarkidiornis melanotos). One female bird was seen at a water puddle, looking after her flock of ducklings.
- Great Thick-knee (Esacus magnirostris). An impressive shorebird with a hefty bill and attractive black-and-white facial patterns. Not a lifer for us, but a welcome sight nevertheless.
- Changeable Hawk-Eagle (Crested) (Nisaetus cirrhatus cirrhatus). A different subspecies from the one that I’m familiar with in Malaysia. This subspecies has a long, floppy crest, which the Malaysian subspecies lack. We saw one bird attempt to predate a dove, but failed.
- White-eyed Buzzard (Butastur teesa). One of my main targets at this park. Aptly named, as it really has piercing white eyes (refer to the title image). We saw a couple of birds during our afternoon session.
- Indian Scops-Owl (Otus bakkamoena). We saw a pair of owls roosting in a tree hole. Absolutely adorable!
- Common Hoopoe (Upupa epops). Probably my all-time favourite bird. Orange plumage, black-and-white wings, fan-like crest and thin downcurved bill. What’s not to like?
- Tickell’s Blue Flycatcher (Cyornis tickelliae). A little blue bird that sings as beautifully as it looks. They were rather easy to see around the park, especially near streams.
The King of the Jungle
While Gir National Park is undoubtedly an avian biodiversity hotspot, the overwhelming majority of visitors do not visit the park for its birdlife. There is one major reason why Gir National park is so well-known the world over – the Asiatic Lions, of course! Gir National Park (and surrounding areas) is the only place in the world to see Asiatic Lions in the wild.
Once upon a time, these fantastic felines roamed the lands from the middle east all the way to central India. Hunting and habitat loss caused them to precipitously decline, and by the turn of the 20th century, the only place where they survive is Gir. Thankfully, conservation measures have been effective, and the Asiatic Lion population within Gir (and adjacent areas) has steadily increased since 2010. The most recent count is 891 individuals in 2025, up from 674 in 2020, a change of 32%. Nevertheless, the Asiatic Lion is still classified as Endangered by IUCN.
The Asiatic Lion isn’t a separate species from the familiar African Lion. Rather, it is a population. Nevertheless, this population is distinct enough for some scientists to classify it in its own subspecies, Panthera leo persica. However, this classification is not universally accepted, and most authorities consider the Asiatic Lion to be the same subspecies as those found in western and northern central Africa – Panthera leo leo.
Our encounter with the lions and other wildlife within Gir NP
Our group was fortunate enough to get fantastic views of two lionesses attending three cubs. Additionally, my vehicle struck gold by being able to see a male lion (not easy), while those on other vehicles enjoyed long views of the lion family frolicking in the forest in the late afternoon. Needless to say, we were utterly ecstatic to have seen such an iconic animal up close!
One personal caveat from our lion encounters. Through a combination of various factors, I did not manage to get enough good photos of the lions. This was just an annoyance though, certainly not trip-breaking!
Besides the lions, our group also spotted various non-avian animals, including:
- Indian Leopard (Panthera pardus fusca). Our safari vehicle was exceedingly lucky to have stumbled upon a Leopard on the ground, in the open. The big cat stared at us for a few moments, before slipping silently into the shadows. Leopard sightings like this are almost unheard of, as they are such elusive animals!
- Chital or Spotted Deer (Axis axis)
- Sambar Deer (Rusa unicolor)
- Nilgai (Boselaphus tragocamelus)
- Wild Boar (Sus scrofa)
- Indian Grey Mongoose (Urva edwardsii)
- Hanuman Langur (Semnopithecus entellus)
Birding outside Gir NP
In addition to our safari excursions within the national park, we also went birding at a couple of areas outside. Firstly, we went to a small dam spanning the Hiran River, just a few minutes from our hotel. Here, we saw Mugger Crocodiles up close, and spotted various species of birds including ones we didn’t see within the park. Secondly, we also went birding around our hotel.
Some notable birds we saw outside Gir NP:
- Indian Nightjar (Caprimulgus asiaticus). One bird was seen perching on a tall pole within our hotel’s compound.
- Yellow-wattled Lapwing (Vanellus malabaricus). This lapwing is endemic to the Indian Subcontinent. Supposedly a common bird; nevertheless, this sighting was the only one of this species that we got during our Gujarat trip.
- Western Reef Heron (Egretta gularis). Close relative of the familiar Pacific Reef Heron. This species differs in having a white throat and white wing patches.
- Indian Vulture (Gyps indicus). A critically endangered species, thus seeing one was very welcome indeed.
- Tawny-bellied Babbler (Dumetia hyperythra). Typical babbler – small, skulking and skittish!
Conclusion
Even though our main objective here was to see the Asiatic Lions, we still had a lot of fun birding at Gir National Park. Indeed, we recorded several species that we didn’t see elsewhere during our Gujarat tour. Of course, seeing the lions (and leopards) up close was an unforgettable experience unmatched anywhere else in Asia. Hopefully we can come back here again in the future. After all, I still need good lion photos!
Next up: We head to Blackbuck National Park, 250km northeast of Gir, to see the eponymous Blackbuck antelope!
