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Holidays to Mumbai, India: Tiger Safari Train Tours Goa Beach Packages

India Wildlife Holidays & Gujarat Private Tours: Ahmedabad + Gir + Mumbai

India: Wildlife of Gujarat + Asiatic Lions of Gir
India Wildlife Holidays Gujarat Private Tours Ahmedabad Gir Mumbai
10 NIGHTS FROM:
$2,912
Per person sharing
International flights quoted separately
IPR10A
• Gujarat Private Tours
• Ahmedabad
• Mahatma Gandhi's Home
• Little Rann of Kutch, Dasada
• Velavadar
• Blackbuck National Park
• Gir National Park
• Asiatic Lions
• Mumbai
• India Wildlife Holidays

India wildlife holidays & Gujarat private tours allow you to explore at your own pace, with your own driver/guides. In Ahmedabad you can visit the home of Mahatma Gandhi, before continuing to the birdlife of the Little Rann of Kutch, Blackbuck National Park & Gir National Park, famous for its Asiatic lions. Afterwards explore the amazing caves of Elephanta Island in Mumbai. English speaking driver/guide, private jeep safaris & all sightseeing included.

Day 1
You will be met at Ahmedabad Airport and transferred to your hotel in this city that is the capital of the state of Gujarat and its commercial hub.
 
The 607-year old walled city was India's first UNESCO World Heritage Site. This city historic has played a prominent role in the country's history, as this was the home of Mahatma Gandhi who was at the forefront of the Indian independence movement and civil disobedience campaigns.
 
Note: Gujarat is a 'dry state, so ask your driver to take you to a government liquor store within 4 days of your arrival, where you can obtain a 7-day online permit (which can be extended 3 times = max 4 weeks). For this you need to retain your boarding pass or train ticket; have 2 forms of identification (eg passport & driving licence) & passport photo in up-loadable form. You will also be finger printed. Each weekly permit allows you to buy 1 bottle of spirits (eg whiskey), 3 bottles of wine or 10 beers. Do NOT carry alcohol in your luggage, as there are severe fines for this.
Day 2
Today enjoy a City Tour of this regional capital that is rich in culture and history.
 
Highlights include a visit to the Sabarmati Ashram (Mahatma Gandhi's former home), the magnificent Hathee Singh Jain temple and the Adalaj Stepwell - an intricately carved Hindu "water building" that is five stories deep.
 
We also visit the Kite Museum, the Calico Museum of Textiles and Shreyas Folk Museum with its impressive range of Gujarati folk art - including wood carvings, metalwork, embroidered textiles, tie-dyed quilts and festival masks.
 
Note: Kite Museum is closed on Mondays and public holidays.
Day 3
This morning your driver will collect you from your Ahmedabad hotel and introduce you to the beauty of Gujerat as we travel 2-hours to Dasada.
 
On arrival enjoy a private jeep safari into the Little Rann of Kutch, established as a sanctuary for the endangered Asiatic Wild Ass. Other animals you may see here include foxes, jungle cats, desert wolves, the elegant blackbuck, the graceful chinkara and the nilgai (or blue bull, the largest antelope in India).
 
Bird watching is also outstanding and this reserve has been declared a RAMSAR site of international significance. The best birding is during the winter months from October to March when waterfowl gather in vast numbers. Cranes and flamingos can also be seen in incredibly large numbers - as well as many species of larks, shrikes, warblers, robins, thrushes and many birds of prey including the great Indian bustard.
Day 4
This morning enjoy a private jeep safari to the "bets" - elevated patches in the flat salt plains of the Little Rann of Kutch that are seasonally flooded with up to 2-meters of water during the southwest monsoon.
 
During the dry season the plains turn into a salt-encrusted wasteland covered with scrub and grass, with the bets providing wet season refuge to the wildlife. In winter here you can see the McQueen bustard, booted eagle, buzzards, eagles and other birds of prey.
 
In the afternoon we visit the seasonal wetlands of Nawa Talao Lake, another birding hotspot where you can spot demoiselle cranes and flamingos in the winter.
Day 5
This morning enjoy another private jeep safari into the Little Rann of Kutch to experience more of its wildlife.
 
Afterwards we travel 4-hours to Velavadar which is the home of Blackbuck National Park, a flat savanna grassland that sustains large herds of these elegant antelope, as well as wolves, striped hyena and wonderful birdlife.
Day 6
Today enjoy private morning and afternoon jeep safaris in Blackbuck National Park.
 
This 'off the beaten track' wildlife sanctuary is  renowned for its large herds of graceful blackbuck. These fast moving antelope are quite enchanting, with their beautiful long spiralled horns. You can also hope to see the Indian fox, striped hyena, jackal, wild pig, hare, jungle cat and the strange nilgai (that looks half-horse, half-cow). This park is one of the few places in India where the wolf is thriving, although difficult to spot in the wild.
 
Blackbuck National Park is also a great birding destination, as it is home to the largest Harrier roosting site in the world. There are also many bustards found here.
 
Note: This park is closed during the monsoon season (July to September).
Day 7
Today we drive 4-hours from Velavadar to Sasan Gir.
 
Along the way we stop at  Palitana, the only mountain in the world that has more than 900 temples. It is a major pilgrimage centre for Jains, as their first 'tirthankara' (spritual leader) is said to have meditated on Shatrunjaya Hill, where the temples were later constructed.
 
Afterwards we continue to Sasan Gir and check into your hotel. In the afternoon enjoy a private jeep safari into Gir National Park - the sole remaining habitat of the severely endangered Asiatic lion.
Day 8
Today is devoted to the wildlife of Gir National Park - the only game sanctuary in India where you can see the endangered Asiatic lion. It is home to 38 different mammals, 37 reptiles, over 300 birds and more than 2,000 species of insects.
 
Two private jeep safaris per day are included - one in the early morning and one in the afternoon. Mammals found here include the sloth bear, cobra, jungle cat, striped hyena, golden jackal, mongoose, palm civet and ratel. Leopard, desert cat and rusty-spotted cat also live here but are rarely seen. The main herbivores you are likely to see are the chital, nilgai, sambar, four-horned antelope, chinkara, wild boar and blackbuck. There are no tigers in Gir National Park and lion sightings are also extremely difficult. Birding is the main activity here.
 
Note: You will need to take a copy of your passport with you to enter the national park. Please note that we have no control over the driver and vehicle allocated to you, as this is done by the local park authorities according to a rota. In the winter months wear warm clothes, including woolly hats and gloves to protect you from the wind chill in your open vehicle. Also do not expect this to be like an African safari, as there will be many jeeps in the park.
  
This park is closed during the Holi & Diwali festivals, as well as during the monsoon season (mid June to September).
Day 9
Enjoy a final early morning private jeep safari in Gir National Park.
 
Afterwards transfer 2.5-hours to Diu Airport for your flight to Mumbai, where you will be met and transferred to your hotel situated near the airport in this bustling city. Formerly known as Bombay, this is the most populous city in India and its commercial capital, as well as the home of the Bollywood film industry.
 
Note: Flights from Mumbai are on a Monday, Tuesday, Thursday & Saturday only. On other days flights will be from Rajkot.
Day 10
Today enjoy a full day sightseeing tour of Mumbai, starting with a 1-hour ferry ride to Elephanta Island - originally called Gharapuri ("Fortress City") but renamed by the Portuguese, who found a large stone elephant here.
 
The Elephanta Caves date from between 450 to 750 AD and are now a World Heritage site, containing gigantic rock effigies of the Hindu faith. One of the most interesting of the large sculptured panels is the three-headed Shiva - shown as the Creator, the Preserver and the Destroyer. Another Shiva panel shows the God dancing the 'Tandava' and thereby causing the world to shake.
 
After lunch (own account) enjoy a private City Tour, starting with a photo stop at the Gateway of India and a drive past Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (formerly known as the Prince of Wales Museum). This is one of the premier art and history museums in India and the building itself is a fine example of Indo-Saracenic architecture. We also drive past the beautiful old buildings of Mumbai University, the Rajabhai Clock Tower and Mumbai High Court, with another photo stop at the historic Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Railway Terminus, built in an exuberant Italian Gothic style and now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
 
We then take the Marine Lines flyover to Chowpatty, with its lovely seaside promenade, and the beautiful Hanging Gardens perched on the top of Malabar Hill. We drive past a Jain Temple and the circular Parsi Tower of Silence to the Mani Bhavan Museum, where Mahatma Gandhi stayed when visiting Mumbai.
Time permitting we also drive to Dhobi Ghat, Mumbai's open-air laundromat, which remains very popular despite the creation of the modern washing machine! We then board a local train for the short ride to Churchgate Station in southern Mumbai, an area known for its Art Deco buildings. Afterwards you will be transferred back to your hotel.
 
Note: Elephanta Island and Price of Wales Museum are closed on a Monday.
Day 11
Transfer to Mumbai Airport for your flight home.