Gir Wildlife Sanctuary - A Perfect Wildlife Destination

Gir National Park is a popular name in the list of forest reserves in India. It is located in Gujarat and is 64 km from Junagarh. It was established with a motive to protect the Asiatic lions. Since its establishment in 1965, the park houses 2,375 species of fauna. You can see here around 400 rare species of plants. Apart from Asiatic lions, you can also see many other rare animals such as pangolin, ruddy mongoose, ratel, civets and paradise flycatcher.

History

The purpose of establishing the sanctuary was to safeguard the lion population. In the year 1913, a sharp decline in the number of lions was observed. Gradually, the condition improved and today it houses many lions.

Attractions of Gir National Park

Wildlife

Besides Asiatic lions, there are around 210 leopards live within the forest area. You can also see animals like sambar, chowsingha, chinkara, woodpeckers, flamingos, nilgai and crested serpent eagles.

Flora

The forest has much to offer to those, who are the admirers of nature. It is a joint deciduous forest with acacia, teak and banyan trees. Tourists can also see distinguished belt of vegetation. It is found along the rivers and small streams of the area. Nature lovers can also see a variety of broad-leaved species like jambu, kalam, amli, vad and charal.

Jeep Safaris

Jeep safaris are the most favorite of many travelers, who are thrilled with the thought of a ride in the wilds. The permit is issued for this at the Sinh Sadan Forest Lodge office. Viewing the roaming animals by jeep safari is a great fun.

Nalsarovar Lake and Sanctuary

The forest area also has this famous attraction, where you can see many birds like peacocks, bush quail, parrot, flamingo and pied woodpecker. You can also visit a temple of Lord Krishna there.

Lion Shows

The forest department takes initiatives to conduct the interesting lion shows, which are very popular among visitors. It is arranged on every Sunday. It offers tourists an opportunity to see the animals from a close range.

Time to Visit

Tourists can visit the park from November to June.

How to Reach there

By Air

Keshod is the nearest airport, 90-km via Veraval. Tourists can get regular flights from Mumbai to Keshod.

By Rail

The nearest railheads to Gir are Junagarh and Talala.

By Road

You can catch state transport buses, available from Junagarh and Veraval to the place.

Gir Wildlife Sanctuary is a heaven for the connoisseur of wildlife. It is the only place in India where you can see the Asiatic lions in their natural habitat. Apart from this, Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary, Bandhavgarh Wildlife Sanctuary and Kaziranga Wildlife Sanctuary are the famous India Wildlife Sanctuaries.

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A Botswana Safari Holiday - See the Greatest Wildlife Sanctuary on Earth

Botswana is bordered by Namibia to the west and north and Zimbabwe to the northeast. The most magnificent feature about Botswana is the Okavango Delta which is a lush beautiful oasis which lies right in the midst of this sun-baked, arid land and is considered to be the greatest wildlife sanctuary on the face of the earth.

On a Botswana safari holiday, looking down from above the Okavango Delta you would see a mosaic of water-lily lagoons, beautiful clear waterways, lakes, hidden channels, lush green islands and islets of various sizes. The waters, open grasslands and forest glades are teeming with many varieties of wildlife including over 400 species of birds and over 70 species of fish. The Delta is a permanent and seasonal home to an estimated 200,000 species of large mammals such as the African bush elephant, African buffalo, hippopotamus, giraffe, lion, cheetah, blue wildebeest, black rhinoceros, white rhinoceros, warthog, zebra, cheetah, spotted hyena, endangered African wild dog and many more. The lechwe antelope abundantly populates the Delta in numbers exceeding 60,000.

Beautiful accommodations from very modest and simple to the most luxurious camps and lodges await you in this unique and mystical place where you can find many different tours and safaris which cater to many different budgets and will provide you with an experience of a lifetime. Adventure filled activities such as game drives, bush walks tracking big game on foot, poled rides on a mokoro (dugout canoe) through lagoons crammed with hippos, relaxing fishing excursions and much more will give you an up close and personal view of this spectacular ecosystem and safari paradise.

Botswana is not a self-guided destination as you will need experienced guides due to the raw natural surroundings and the hundreds of wild animals that grace this land. Big game safaris can be short intensive safari experiences or much longer slow-paced safaris. During your Botswana Safari holiday you won't want to miss an Elephant Encounter. Chobe National Park, located in northwest Botswana, contains the hugest population of Kalahari elephants. This is an incredible place to witness first hand how remarkable these creatures truly are. In addition to the Delta you won't want to miss all of the other magnificent features that Botswana offers such as the Moremi Game Reserve, Kalahari Desert, and one of the most important wetland sites in Africa, the Makgadikgadi.

In addition to spectacular sightseeing, shopping in Botswana offers handcrafted jewellery, textiles, woodcarvings and baskets. Villages in the Okavango Delta are famous for their Ngamiland-style baskets. Modern bushman art and ostrich-eggshell jewellery is also popular among tourists.

A Botswana Safari holiday will provide you with the greatest experience imaginable. Just seeing this wildlife sanctuary in all of its raw beauty and the magnificence of its inhabitants will give you an adventure that you will talk about for years to come and want to share with family and friends. You will love the Botswana Safari holiday so much that it's almost certain you will want to come back again.

Elliott Fraser is passionate about adventure travel tours and writes about the most fascinating and exotic locations to visit around the globe at activetravellers.com. Assimilating local travel information to help visitors find and choose the adventure travel tours that will exceed their expectations, he provides a priceless resource for active travellers of all ages. So whether you are booking your first adventure or you're a season adventure travel junkie, great information and insightful recommendations can really help you plan a trip. To learn more about Botswana or to book your Botswana safari holiday visit http://www.activetravellers.com/

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