Most tourists hoping to see big cats in India go looking for Bengal tigers – but in the Sasan Gir National Park, there's an even rarer beast to spot. This sanctuary, surrounded by the "vast" teak forests and grasslands of Gujarat's "wild west", is the only place outside Africa where lions still roam in the wild, says Chris Caldicott in The Daily Telegraph.
On game drives there, I saw plenty of the creatures, but if you don't, there are other rewards. The park is a rare "natural wilderness" in a crowded country, rich in flora and fauna. It has excellent accommodation, and is popular with local tourists, creating a sense of "inclusivity" you are rather less likely to find on safaris in Africa.
Like Indian elephants, Asiatic lions are slightly smaller than their African cousins, and the males have "rather less luxuriant manes". Two thousand years ago, they ranged from the Levant to central India, but by 1900, they had been hunted almost to extinction, with just one pride remaining in Sasan Gir.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Keen to save them, the Nawab of Junagadh turned his hunting grounds here into India's first wildlife sanctuary, and in 1972 the state took over, and relocated the hamlets of the local semi-nomadic Maldhari cattle herders to places away from the ever-growing feline population.
Today, the park is home to 674 lions – making it a "roaring" conservation success. If possible, stay at the beautiful and luxurious new Aramness Lodge, or at The Postcard Gir, a "worthy" and more affordable alternative, and take advantage of the park's thrice-daily game drives.
The sight of a pride of lions relaxing in a sandy forest clearing in the golden light of dawn – with cubs playing "like kittens" amid the dunes – is "magnificent". Early mornings are also the best time to spot a leopard, returning from its nocturnal hunt. And there are many other animals to see at any time, including langur monkeys, nilgai antelope, wild boar, and sambar deer.
Greaves India has an eight-night trip from £3,315pp, excluding international flights.
-
How clean-air efforts may have exacerbated global warmingUnder the Radar Air pollution artificially cooled the Earth, ‘masking’ extent of temperature increase
-
September 14 editorial cartoonsCartoons Sunday’s political cartoons include RFK Jr on the hook, the destruction of discourse, and more
-
Air strikes in the Caribbean: Trump’s murky narco-warTalking Point Drug cartels ‘don’t follow Marquess of Queensberry Rules’, but US military air strikes on speedboats rely on strained interpretation of ‘invasion’
-
A tour of Sri Lanka’s beautiful northThe Week Recommends ‘Less frenetic’ than the south, this region is full of beautiful wildlife, historical sites and resorts
-
Giorgio Armani obituary: designer revolutionised the business of fashionIn the Spotlight ‘King Giorgio’ came from humble beginnings to become a titan of the fashion industry and redefine 20th century clothing
-
Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale – a ‘comfort’ watch for fansThe Week Recommends The final film of the franchise gives viewers a chance to say goodbye
-
The Paper: new show, same 'warmth and goofiness'The Week Recommends This spin-off of the American version of The Office is ‘comfortingly and wearyingly familiar’
-
Rachel Jones: Gated Canyons – ‘riotously colourful’ works from an ‘exhilarating’ painterThe Week Recommends The 34-year-old is the first artist to take over Dulwich Picture Gallery’s main space
-
Born With Teeth: ‘mischievously provocative’ play starring Ncuti GatwaThe Week Recommends ‘Sprightly’ production from Liz Duffy Adams imagines the relationship between Shakespeare and Christopher Marlowe
-
Art review: Lorna Simpson: Source NotesFeature Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City, through Nov. 2
-
Jessica Francis Kane's 6 favorite books that prove less is moreFeature The author recommends works by Penelope Fitzgerald, Marie-Helene Bertino, and more
