10 Perfect Getaways from Ahmedabad for a Wild Weekend

It’s the middle of the week and you’ve had enough of sitting at your desk. Your mind is wandering and the idea of going away for the weekend is tempting. It’s time to do something wild! Here are some wildlife weekend getaways from Ahmedabad to help you refresh and revive.

1. Gir National Park

 

​Gujarat’s most well-known national park, Gir National Park is home to the Asiatic lion. Spanning 1412 square kilometres, the park house over 520 Asiatic along with a varied species of birds and reptiles including the endangered white-backed and long-billed vultures and marsh crocodiles. The only way to explore Gir National Park is by booking a jeep safari where a Forest Department guide and driver take you in to authorised zones in hopes of spotting the king of the jungle.

Distance from Ahmedabad: 355 kilometers

2. Nalsarovar Bird Sanctuary

 

​The largest wetland bird sanctuary in India, Nalsarovar Bird Sanctuary is a birding paradise especially if visited between November and April. Spread over 120 square kilometres, the lake is a habitat for several aquatic plants and animals in addition to a prolific resident and migratory avian population. Flamingos, pelicans, cranes, herons, storks, jungle cats, wild asses and jackals are among some of the birds and wildlife that call Nalsarovar Bird Sanctuary ‘home’. It serves as the perfect wildlife weekend getaway from Ahmedabad.

Distance from Ahmedabad: 65 kilometres

3. Vansda National Park

 

​Vansda National Park is an open park, which means that visitors can drive through the dense forest area in their own vehicles. However, visitors do need to pay an entry fee to obtain a park permit and also take a forest guide with them at an additional charge. At Vansda National Park, hope to spot the elusive leopard, langurs, barking deer, Indian porcupine and four horned antelope among other species of animals.

Distance from Ahmedabad: 365 kilometres

4. Wild Ass Sanctuary

 

The Wild Ass Sanctuary in the Little Rann of Kutch is the sole wildlife reserve dedicated to the endangered Indian wild ass. At 5,000 square kilometres, it’s India’s largest sanctuary. To keep the wild ass population companies are Indian gazelles, African lynxes, nilgais, blackbucks and jackals. Because the area is a saline desert, the monsoons turn it in to a fertile wetland, making it ideal to sight birds including saras cranes, Indian flamingos, pelicans and spoonbills, among other avian species. Sadly, the biggest threat to the wild asses is the environmental impact that salt panning in the region has had.

Distance from Ahmedabad: 180 kilometres​

5. Thol Lake Bird Sanctuary

 

​Thol Lake is a fresh water lake with marshy banks that was originally built as a water tank for irrigation in the early 1900s. Declared the Thol Bird Sanctuary in 1988, it’s an Eco Sensitive-Zone that is safe haven for over a 100 species of avian life that flourish across the lake’s 7 square kilometre expanse. While the forest cover at the periphery of the lake has thriving fauna, the birds are the main attraction at Thol Lake Bird Sanctuary where you can spot cranes, flamingos, pelicans, whistling teals, egrets and herons quite easily.

Distance from Ahmedabad: 20 kilometres

6. Purna Wildlife Sanctuary

 

​Deriving its name from the Purna River that flows through it, the Purna Wildlife Sanctuary spans 160 square kilometres with topography that is dense and comprises teak and bamboo forests. Unlike the rest of Gujarat, the area sees moderate to heavy rainfall resulting in it being tropical and moist. Several species of wildlife seek refuge in Purna Wildlife Sanctuary including leopards, Indian civet cats, barking deer, chitals and jungle cats. Between November and March is the best time to visit the sanctuary.

Distance from Ahmedabad: 360 kilometres

7. Velavadar Blackbuck National Park

 

​Velavadar Blackbuck National Park was once the hunting ground for the King of Bhavnagar. Today, this grassland ecosystem spanning 34 square kilometres is a secure protected area for blackbucks as well as other wildlife including foxes, wolves and hyenas that inhabit the area. The best time to visit Velavadar Blackbuck National Park is between October and June.

Distance from Ahmedabad: 145 kilometres

8. Jessore Sloth Bear Sanctuary

 

​At the border of Gujarat and Rajasthan, Jessore Sloth Bear Sanctuary is a protected zone for the Indian sloth bear. The sanctuary gets its name from the picturesque Jessore hills of Aravalli ranges cutting across the landscape. Spread across 180 square kilometres of land on the Thar Desert, the vegetation of the sanctuary comprises dry deciduous scrubs. Along with sloth bears, Jessore Sloth Bear Sanctuary is home to leopards, nilgais, wild boars and over 100 varieties of birds.

Distance from Ahmedabad: 189 kilometres

9. Marine National Park

 

​The only one of its kind in India, the Marine National Park is located in Jamnagar District in the Gulf of Kutch on one of 42 islands in the Arabian Sea. In 1982, an area spanning over 162 square kilomteres was declared as a protected zone because of its prolific marine life. The area is home to coral reef, sponges and crustaceans like crabs, lobsters and shrimps. Pearl oysters, sea slugs and starfish are also found here. The biggest draws at Marine National Park are the endangered Olive Ridley sea turtles, dolphins and finless porpoises.

Distance from Ahmedabad: 360 kilometres

10. Shoolpaneshwar Wildlife Sanctuary

 

​Cover 607 square kilomteres of deciduous forest with semi-evergreens, the landscape of Shoolpaneshwar Wildlife Sanctuary is complete with gentle streams and might waterfalls. Located in the northwestern part of the Ghats, you can find over 500 species of plant life here. The most famous resident of Shoolpaneshwar Wildlife Sanctuary is the nocturnal flying squirrel. Other wildlife to be found here are sloth bears, wild dogs, pangolins, barking deer and leopard cats.

Distance from Ahmedabad: 265 kilometres