Mention the word ‘India’, and images of regal Rajahs, grand palaces and majestic mausoleums come to mind. While undoubtedly true, India is also one of the best places in the world for wildlife watching and nature exploration. Indeed, this country is one of the most biodiverse regions on earth.

Birdwatching Asia has been fortunate to experience this biodiversity firsthand twice: first in the Andaman Islands and then across northern India. And in October 2025, we were invited to explore this richness for the third time. Thanks to Gujarat Tourism and Asian Adventures, we were privileged to join a birding & wildlife tour across Gujarat as part of the inaugural Global Wildlife Fair held in Delhi.

Birding & Wildlife Tour Around Gujarat

This article summarises our experiences from our birding & wildlife tour in Gujarat. Full details of our adventures at the various locations will be showcased in upcoming trip report articles. This article series aims to showcase a small sample of the state’s remarkable wildlife biodiversity.

Background information

Our birding & wildlife tour in Gujarat was an extension of our participation in the inaugural Global Wildlife Fair, held in Delhi from 10-12 October 2025. For this tour, we were joined by ten other people from around the world, all of whom were involved in the Ecotourism industry and had booths at the wildlife fair.

We at Birdwatching Asia would like to stress that this tour would not have been possible without the support of Gujarat Tourism. They have been a keen proponent of sustainable ecotourism in India and were eager to promote further the natural delights the state offers. Gujarat Tourism was front and centre at the Global Wildlife Fair 2025 and was one of the fair’s main partners.

Finally, Birdwatching Asia would like to extend our gratitude to Asian Adventures, one of India’s top birdwatching and nature tour companies. Asian Adventures were crucial in organising the tour logistics, including sending one of their expert in-house bird guides, Mr Mahesh Jadon, to guide us throughout.

Where is Gujarat?

Gujarat is one of India’s 28 states. It is located on the country’s west coast and is the 5th-largest state by area. The largest city is Ahmedabad, which is also the main gateway to the state. Ahmedabad is a short 1.5-hour flight away from Delhi.

The historic city of Ahmedabad is renowned for its textile industry and distinctive architecture. Indeed, the city was once known as the ‘Manchester of India’, while the historic part of Ahmedabad (‘Old Ahmedabad’) is a designated UNESCO World Heritage site. 

Fittingly, Ahmedabad serves as the perfect starting point for our birding & wildlife tour around Gujarat.

Locations visited

Our birding & wildlife tour in Gujarat spanned 7 days and included visits to three main locations. The locations are as follows (click on the links to read the relevant trip reports):

1. Little Rann of Kutch. This location straddles the northwestern portion of the state. It is a vast expanse of seasonally wet salt marsh that is flooded with saltwater during the monsoon season but becomes a desert during the drier months.

   

2. Gir National Park. Located in the southwestern region of Gujarat, this national park is renowned worldwide as a stronghold for the endangered Asiatic Lion.

   

3. Blackbuck National Park. Situated in the middle of the state near Velavadar, this grassland-dominated park is one of the best places to observe the eponymous Blackbuck.

   

All three locations were explored using Gypsy (jeep) Safaris, as these are the only way to truly experience the wildlife inhabiting them.

In addition to the main locations listed above, we visited several other wildlife hotspots outside the national parks listed there. These include:

• Thol Bird Sanctuary, near Ahmedabad
• Nava Talav, a lake just outside the Little Rann of Kutch
• Hiran River, near Sasan Gir

Standout birds from our birding & wildlife tour around Gujarat

There are too many amazing birds to list, really. Nevertheless, the following species deserve special mention.

1. Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse. Beautiful, but amazingly well-camouflaged.
2. Indian Courser. Arguably the best bird of the tour, and also one of the last species added to the trip list.
3. Greater Flamingo. A first for me personally, as this was the first time I encountered wild flamingos.
4. Great White Pelican. We saw a flock of these massive birds in a lake within the Little Rann of Kutch.
5. Common Crane. These stately birds were truly a sight to behold as they flew in flocks overhead.
6. White-eyed Buzzard. Several were seen during our safaris within Gir National Park.
7. Three types of Harriers – Montagu’s, Pallid and Western Marsh. Observing these graceful raptors quartering over the grasslands and marshes was truly spellbinding.
8. Pallid Scops-Owl. One bird was seen roosting within the Blackbuck Safari Lodge compounds. Convenient!
9. Eurasian Hoopoe. It is always a delight to see this unique and striking bird.
10. Desert and Isabelline Wheatears. Beautiful birds that were completely new to us, as there are no wheatears in Malaysia! These relatives of the flycatchers are rather terrestrial.

Other wildlife

In addition to birds, Gujarat is teeming with other amazing wildlife. We encountered a variety of non-avian animals during our seven-day tour. Highlights include:

1. Asiatic Lion. Gujarat is the only place in the world that has a population of wild Asiatic Lions. These endangered animals once roamed across India and western Asia, but now survive only in Gujarat. Thankfully, due to strong conservation measures, the population of these majestic felines is increasing.
2. Indian Leopard. We were lucky to have spotted two (!) of these extremely elusive big cats within Gir National Park.
3. Jungle Cat. We had good views of this species at Blackbuck NP.
4. Indian Wolf. A pack was seen within Blackbuck NP.
5. Indian Wild Ass (a type of wild donkey). This subspecies of the Onager is found only in Gujarat. Several herds were encountered during our safari sessions within the Little Rann of Kutch. 
6. Blackbuck. Plenty of these handsome antelopes were seen within Blackbuck National Park.
7. Chital (Spotted Deer)
8. Nilgai (a type of antelope)
9. Indian Grey Mongoose
10. Mugger Crocodile

Birding-related stats from our 7-day birding & wildlife tour around Gujarat:

• Number of species: 201
• Lifer count: 42
• eBird checklists uploaded: 60 (thank you, Chuck!)
• Highest tally in a single checklist: 80 species recorded during a 2.5-hour birding session at a spot on the northern shores of Nava Talav, a lake near the Little Rann of Kutch.
• Favourite bird of the trip: a tie between the Great White Pelican and my perennial favourite, the Eurasian Hoopoe.
• Favourite location: Little Rann of Kutch. Exploring the vast salt flats was simply surreal!
• Weirdest spot for a lifer: A seemingly random R&R stop along the road from Velavadar to Ahmedabad. This was where we arguably got our best bird of the trip: the Indian Courser!

Miscellaneous stats

• Total distance travelled: 
  • By air: 1520 km (return flight from Delhi to Ahmedabad)
  • By road: 
    • 106 km from Ahmedabad to Dasada (Little Rann of Kutch)
    • 338 km from Dasada to Sasan Gir (Gir NP)
    • 238 km from Sasan Gir to Velavadar (Blackbuck NP)
    • 153 km from Velavadar to Ahmedabad airport
    • Total (excluding safari excursions) = 835 km
• Longest journey time: >12 hours by chartered bus, from Dasada in the north of the state, to Sasan Gir in the south. 
• Best food: This is hard, as India has great food no matter where we go! The food at Blackbuck Safari Lodge likely wins, primarily due to the excellent ice cream they serve.

Conclusion

Without a doubt, our birding & wildlife tour around Gujarat opened our eyes to the beauty and wonders of nature nestled within this amazing region. From the herds of wild ass roaming the dry expanses of the Little Rann of Kutch to the majestic Lions frolicking within Gir National Park, Gujarat truly blew our minds. We at Birdwatching Asia were truly privileged and grateful to have been invited to explore this incredible Indian state.