Gujarat wildlife holiday, India

Description of Gujarat wildlife holiday, India

Gujarat is home to India's driest national parks, but they are full of wildlife and surprisingly diverse. This trip focuses on Asiatic lions, striped hyena, Indian wolves and other predators that are found in the arid lands of this wonderful Indian state.

The very idea of there being large and well protected populations of wildlife and big ecosystems in India still seems strange. But that is the case in most of Gujarat, a largely desert state in the north west of the country, bordering Pakistan to the west.

To help preserve this incredible diversity, Gujarat has various protected areas including wildlife sanctuaries, national parks, reserves and large community concessions which have been established to integrate humans with wildlife in the most harmonious way possible.

Many of the protected areas in Gujarat support large mammals including Asiatic wild ass, striped hyena, blackbuck, leopard, nilgai, Indian wolf and of course the iconic and last remaining Asiatic lions; which is testament to the state's conservation ethic.

About the tour:
This two week itinerary is split into four mini-sections so as to properly explore the most impressive national parks and wilderness areas. We start with the fantastic and vast Rann of Kutch in the middle of the Thar Desert and spend three nights in both the Little and Greater Rann of Kutch. Here we will search for the endemic Asiatic wild ass as well as the rare and elusive Indian wolf before we head to the last stronghold of the critically endangered Asiatic lion in Sasan Gir National Park. Reduced to a couple of dozen at the turn of the 19th Century they have now been protected enough to have a population numbering over 400. From here we visit the reserve of Velavadar National Park which was originally set up to protect and conserve blackbuck antelopes. As well as the blackbuck we will also be on the look out for seldom seen striped hyenas. A short flight backs to Delhi makes short shrift of the distances we will have travelled overland.

More information about this Gujarat wildlife holiday:
In designing this trip we believe you will be getting the best wildlife experience of Gujarat and one that will leave you with a completely wild impression of India. January through to April is the dry, and surprisingly cold, season and best for wildlife in Gujarat. This is when we have the highest chances of seeing our targeted species. All of our Indian safaris are guided by a zoologist or local naturalist guides. Local drivers and also scientists or researchers may also accompany the trip. This not only gives us numerous sets of trained eyes to find the animals but also provides a chance to understand the behaviours and habits of the wildlife we're watching.

Minimum Age: 18 years

Departure information