Top Things to do in Gir Somnath District
The 10 Best Things to do in Gir Somnath District, Gujarat
Discover the best top things to do in Gir Somnath District, India including Somnath Mahadev Temple, Somnath Temple, Gita Mandir, Bhalka Tirth, Kankai Mata Temple, Devalia Safari Park, Jamjir Waterfall, Sasan Gir National Park, Triveni Sangam, Veraval Beach.
Restaurants in Gir Somnath District
1. Somnath Mahadev Temple
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 1,339 reviews
Reviewed By plns2016
Somnath is the first JYOTIRLINGA of the Twelve. Darshan of the Lord is very simple and free for all without any Special or VIP charges.The Laser show in the night is a must see as the Mythology and History of the temple are explained in a very simple vocabulary.
2. Somnath Temple
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 415 reviews
Reviewed By Manee997 - Mumbai, India
This temple is one of ancient Somnath Temple, which was re-built by Indore's Queen, Ahilyabai Holkar. The temple is small and you will have to go to basement of the temple to offer your prayer to Lord Somnath.
3. Gita Mandir
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 115 reviews
Reviewed By DrTarvadiP
Beauty of the Idol, calm and pleasent just along side Hiran River view. A good place to meditate with peace.
4. Bhalka Tirth
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 304 reviews
Reviewed By LAJJU2512 - Jaipur District, India
This is the place where Lord Krishna getting distressed over loss of Yadav clan was resting under a Pipal tree. One hunter Bhalla looking at feet thought it were face of a dear shot an arrow which took away human life of Lord Krishna. That's why place is known as Bhalka Tirath. However it has been left abandoned n is in a shabby condition where places of Nirvan even of modern people are beautifully decorated n monumented. Wish Government or Trust allot this matter the spirituality need.
5. Kankai Mata Temple
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 41 reviews
Reviewed By 007darkknight - Bengaluru, India
Situated in midst of forest, this place provides an essence of Gir Forest. A good place to visit with family
6. Devalia Safari Park
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 409 reviews
Reviewed By NEERAJKUMR - Ahmedabad, India
Its a good place to go with kids. I suggest don't waste safari jeep to see this place. take a bus and it would be a wonderful experience as well. We need three hours jeep safari in GIR and was lucky to see tigress. Just to give our child an experience we once again went to Devaliya. Ticket you can book online. Bus ticket is Rs.150/- and you can book at counter also. Its an half an tour. They will show you one lion and lioness for sure. Also you can see cheetah and Neil guy. The trip is worth the bus ticket. You can also sit in the entry gate where they have maintained it very well. Souvenir shop is there as well. Food restaurant is also there. Do stop over at local restaurants when you come out of the park and enjoy tea etc. They keep rabbits etc. for kids to play with.
7. Jamjir Waterfall
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 15 reviews
Reviewed By mapatwa
Its situated Approx 70 kms from Sasan Gir, But its a lovely place to go, water fall is also superb and flows from stones situated below, u can also have a view of leopard den there and if u r lucky u can also have a sight out there, over and all Nice place to go out.
8. Sasan Gir National Park
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 975 reviews
The Gir National Park is open from Mid - October onwards till mid June & The Devaliya Safari park (Gir Interpretation Zone) is open throughout the year. The Devalia Safari Park closed on every wednesday.
Reviewed By aadeeshd - Mumbai, India
About National Park: Gir is the last remaining abode of the Asiatic Lion and one of the most successful wildlife conservation projects of India. The forest is spread across Junagadh and Amreli districts. It covers approximately 1,883 square kilometers of area. National park is part of 1,412 square kilometers protected area and covers 259 square kilometers. The forest is dry deciduous teak forest and is dry for most of the year except monsoons. Flora & Fauna: The forest has more than 400 species of plant, 38 species of mammals, 300 species of birds and 37 species of reptiles. Main carnivores of Gir are Asiatic lion, Leopard, Jungle cat, Hyena, Jackal and Mongoose. The main herbivores are Chital, Nilgai, Sambar, Four-horned antelope and Chinkara. Chital, Sambar, Peacocks and Monkeys are easily spotted during the safari. How to reach National Park: Train: Junagadh and Veraval are nearest railway stations. You can book a cab from the station to Sasan Gir. Air: Rajkot is the nearest airport. You can book a cab from Rajkot to Sasan Gir. National Park Timing: Gir Jungle Trail is closed from 16th June to 15th Oct every year. For rest of the year there are two morning safaris from 6 AM to 9 AM, from 8:30 AM to 11:30 AM and one evening safari from 3 PM to 6 PM. You can enter the forest in an open gypsy that can be booked at the reception center. It is highly advisable to book entry permit online well in advance as only 50 permits are allocated for each safari. Each permit allows 6 adults and one child. You need to carry print out of the e-permit and original ID proof that is used during booking of the e-permit. Once you report at the reception center at the reporting time you have to stand in a queue to get the print out and ID authenticated. One gypsy, route and guide is allocated at the center per permit. There are 13 routes, each route is almost 35 kms. Gypsy, guide and camera fees has to be paid in cash. The safari can be booked at girlion(d0t)gujarat(d0t)gov(d0t)in. Please select Gir Jungle Trail option. My experience: We visited Sasan Gir National Park on 23nd Feb 2019. This was my second trip, I had last visited in April 2012. I always prefer and recommend to opt an overnight train from Mumbai to travel to Sasan Gir. We boarded Saurashtra mail from Borivali at 10 pm on 21st Feb, 2019. It is a fifteen hours journey from Mumbai to Junagadh. We reached Junagadh at 1 pm. You can have lunch near Junagadh railway station at any of the famous Gujrathi thali places – The Lotus restaurant, The Janta Lodge, Petals Restaurant or Geeta Lodge. As Ola/Uber services are not available in Junagadh, I will recommend to book a cab in advance. One way AC cab till Sasan Gir can be booked at Rs. 2,000. To book, call Manoj - +916352012621. It is a one and half hours smooth drive from Junagadh to Sassan Gir. At Sasan Gir always prefer to stay near Sinh Sadan as there is no local transportation available. You can request the hotel reception to arrange a pick up and drop. We stayed at Amidhara Resort in Sasan Gir. The gypsy driver charged additional Rs. 400 for pickup and drop. Our first morning safari was on 23rd Feb 2019. We reached the national park reception center at 5:45 am. There are souvenir shops, breakfast joints and toilets at the reception center. After all formalities we entered the forest at 6:20 am. We were allocated route no 13. While I was completing the formalities, my wife could hear a lion roar near the reception center. It is very common for the lions to come out of the forest. Till sunrise it was pitch dark in the forest and we couldn’t even see deer and sambars. If you are lucky, you can spot hyenas when it is dark. In almost half an hour we reached Kamaleshwar Dam watch tower. We can get down at this point and climb the watch tower. If you are lucky, you can spot crocodiles in the dam. We watched sunrise and left the spot. After almost an hour a jackal came running towards our gypsy. In just a few minutes, we saw a huge lioness sitting just along the road. The lioness wasn’t bothered by our presence. In fact, in sometime she came very close to our gypsy and sat next to it. We clicked few good pictures and left the spot. A few meters away we saw a lion sun bathing. He was sitting few meters away from the road. We waited for a couple of minutes and thanks to our luck he walked towards us and crossed the road. There was one more lioness sitting nearby. He started roaring after seeing the lioness. We left the spot at 8:30 am and came out of the forest at 9 am. The afternoon safari started at 3:20 PM. It was very hot and it is advisable to carry a cap and scarf for afternoon safari. Forest department has built lot of water holes in the forest for animals. There is a high chance of spotting lions around these water holes, especially in afternoon safaris. Lions prefer to sleep in afternoon, hence leopards venture out to hunt. We spotted two young crocodiles, female nilgai, two lionesses and cubs. We were surprised to see a group of forest rangers peacefully having their lunch just hundred meters away from a sleeping lioness and a cub. The safari ended at 6 PM and we were back to our resort by 6:15 PM.
9. Triveni Sangam
Overall Ratings
3.5 based on 271 reviews
Reviewed By srinipamzn - Bangalore District, India
I had been to this location on 1st Jan’19 morning around 8:30am. It’s really nice to see the water and group of birds flying around us, there are different types of birds on the floor and in the water. There is an option to buy some food for these birds for which the group of birds will come near us to take food. This is a must visit place, kids will enjoy a lot!
