best place to stay in sasan gir guide
Sasan Gir doesn't need an introduction. Last wild habitat of the Asiatic lion, a forest that covers over 1,400 square kilometres, and a small village at its edge that exists because of what lives inside the trees.
You already know why you're going. The harder question is where to stay, and the best place to stay in Sasan Gir is the one that puts you close enough to the forest that the trip feels like the forest, not like a hotel stay with a safari attached.
Why Stay in Sasan Gir
Most people visiting Gir stay in Junagadh or Veraval and drive in for the day. The early morning safari slot starts before 6 am. The permit office is in Sasan. Driving from Junagadh at 5 am is possible in the same way that most inconvenient things are technically possible. Waking up in Sasan and reaching the gate in fifteen minutes is just better.
The town itself is small. A few restaurants, the hotels that grew around the park, and the forest. That's it. Staying here means you get the evening too, after the afternoon safari, when the light drops and the forest edge goes quiet. That specific quality of being close to something wild, the sounds at dusk, the birds before dawn, you only get that if you're actually in Sasan. From Junagadh you just get the drive back on a dark highway.
Somnath Temple and Gir Safari
Two safari slots run daily, morning from 6 am to 9 am and afternoon from 3 pm to 6 pm. Book permits through the Gujarat forest department website before you arrive. The morning slot gives you better wildlife sightings. The afternoon gives you better light for photographs. If you have two days, do both.
Somnath Temple is 43 kilometres from Sasan, on the Arabian Sea coast at Prabhas Patan. One of the twelve Jyotirlingas. Stone temple, open sea, the sound of waves coming in. The current structure was rebuilt in 1951 but the setting makes the history feel present rather than distant. The evening aarti is the specific thing to time the visit around, arrive an hour before, stay through it.
Must Visit Places near Sasan Gir
- Kamleshwar Dam is inside the park. The water draws lions, leopards, various deer, some of the most reliable large mammal sightings in Gir happen here,
- Devalia Safari Park sits about 12 kilometres from Sasan, smaller, enclosed, higher animal density. Sightings are almost guaranteed because the area is compact. Good for families or as a first look before the main park. Children who've never seen a lion in the wild tend to find this version less overwhelming,
- Tulsi Shyam is 60 kilometres out through forested roads. A Vishnu temple with natural hot springs in a wooded setting. The drive there is half the reason to go,
- Junagadh is 65 kilometres away. Uparkot Fort, the Mahabat Maqbara, the old city. A half day fills without much planning.
Best Place to Stay in Sasan Gir: Gir Aatithya Clarks Inn
Gir Aatithya Clarks Inn is on a 16-acre estate in Sasan Gir. Not a business hotel near a forest, a resort built around the land, with orchards, open spaces, and the quiet that comes from having that much ground around you.
16 acres means the property doesn't feel crowded even at capacity. Space between buildings, gardens, lawns, room to move around in a way the smaller properties in Sasan simply don't have. After two safaris and a long day, coming back to that much space is different from coming back to a compact hotel room.
Amenities
Rooms are Deluxe and Premium, both with private balconies facing the orchards. AC, Wi-Fi, TV, tea and coffee, bathrooms. The balcony is where most guests end up in the hours between safaris, the orchard in front, birds from the forest edge coming through, nothing requiring attention. That view is the specific thing worth choosing the room category for.
The Bridge Restaurant
The Bridge is a multi-cuisine pure vegetarian restaurant, serving North Indian, South Indian, Chinese, Continental, Jain food. Buffet breakfast, all-day dining. The kitchen runs reliably, which matters in Sasan where outside dining options are limited. Getting back from an evening safari at 7 pm and having dinner already sorted without going anywhere is not a small thing.
Leisure Facilities
Swimming pool and kids pool on the property. Gym, yoga and wellness spaces. Kids play zone and garden areas. Floating breakfast and orchard activities, the kind of experiences that make the stay feel specific to this place rather than interchangeable with any other resort.
The events infrastructure is significant for a property this size, a 32,000 square foot lawn and an 8,000 square foot banquet hall. One of the few resorts in Sasan Gir that can handle destination weddings and corporate retreats properly. The setting does the work that most venues have to manufacture.
24-hour front desk, room service, free Wi-Fi, parking, concierge. Safari booking and Somnath Temple visits arranged through the property without you having to figure it out yourself.
Final Words!
For a two or three-night stay, both safari slots, Kamleshwar, a morning at Somnath, the resorts in Sasan Gir that actually work are the ones that feel like part of the trip rather than accommodation between the parts that matter. Gir Aatithya does that. The 16 acres, the orchard balconies, the all-day kitchen, the grounds that give you somewhere to be when you're not in the forest.
Quiet mornings, early starts, long evenings with nothing urgent scheduled. The best place to stay in Sasan Gir is the one built around that pace. Gir Aatithya Clarks Inn is.
