Velavadar National Park
Located in Bhavnagar District of Gujarat state, India
Known for:
Savanna type Grassland, Blackbucks, Wolves and Many Migratory Bird
species. It is world’s largest Harrier Roosting site.
Blackbuck
in Savanna type Grasslands of Velavadar NP
Best Time to visit: November to March
Park Timings:
Morning 6.30 am to 1 pm Evening
4 pm to 6 pm
How to reach:
By Rail: Nearest Railway Station is Bhavnagar and it
has good connectivity, one can get down at that place and hire a taxi to reach
Velavadar NP which is 45 Km away.
By Bus: One can reach Bhavnagar and then Hire a taxi
or if coming from Ahmedabad then you can get down at velavadar which is on
Bhavnagar -Ahmedabad Route
By Air: Nearest Airport is in Bhavnagar.
By Road: If you are planning to come from Ahmedabad
then you have to take S.G. Highway and drive 60 Km on it, after reaching
Bhagodara you have to take a left turn and continue on the road past pipli and
dholera to reach here.
Places to stay: You can find accommodation at
Blackbuck Lodge which is situated near the National Park. Forest Department
also provides accommodation inside the park but for that you have to enquire
about the availability beforehand and then send a Demand draft to the Range
Forest Officer, Bhavnagar to book your accommodation. Another option is to stay
in Bhavnagar itself and then come back to NP during your safari time.
Ticket Charges is 100 Rs. per person for Indians and
400 Rs. Per person for foreigners. Then you have to pay for the guide fees also
which is 100 Rs. per safari. If you are carrying a camera with you then charge
for that is 100 Rs. per camera.
One needs to hire a vehicle to go for safari, jeeps are
provided by Blackbuck Lodge at the cost of 1800 Rs. For two hours and if you
are bringing your own vehicle then you need to pay 400 Rs. For the whole safari
duration.
Our Visit:
We started from Ahmedabad early in the morning at 4.30 a.m. and reached
Velavadar around 7 am, We entered into park around 7.15 am. Our guide was very
helpful and had a good knowledge about the species present there.
Our first sighting was of Short Toed Snake Eagle which was
sitting on the top of a tree at a distance of 200 meters, we stayed there for a
while and clicked many shots. After that we moved on the trail and saw a big
group of blackbucks comprising male, female and the small ones.
Also, there was
a flock of rufous skylark and stonechat.
 |
| Short toed Snake Eagle perching on a tree |
A group of
Blackbucks
Common
Stonechat (male)
After moving further ahead, our guide pointed us to a
waterhole where he saw three wolves few days back, he then mentioned that
wolves are the top carnivores of the park and they like to hunt blackbucks,
rabbits and small blue bull.
Our next sighting was of Greater Indian Spotted Eagle who
was sitting on the safari trail itself, we stopped our vehicle at the safe
distance and clicked many images of the bird, we do not have any other option
other than to wait as it was sitting on trail, Eagle stayed there for fifteen
minutes and gave us some really good shots to capture.
Greater
Spotted Indian Eagle Sitting on the trail
Common
Babbler
Indian
Bushlark
Black
Shouldered Kite perching on the tree
Ashy Crowned Sparrow Lark on the trails
Eagle and the Blackbucks
Moving on the trail we saw female pallid harrier in the
flight, it was our first harrier sighting of the day. Our guide mentioned that
this year they observed Early departure of the harriers as they generally stay
till march end. This year very few harriers have stayed otherwise harrier
sighting is very good both inside as well as outside the national park during
this season.
Pallid Harrier in Flight
Rufous-tailed lark
There was a crested lark which was sitting in front of our
vehicle on the trail when we were busy clicking its images a group of wild boar
crossed the trail and went to the other side, our guide told us that they
generally feed on roots and tubers but sometimes can be seen eating small
herbivores also. Velavadar has a good population of them.
Wild Boar in Velavadar NP
After moving ahead on the trail we saw a small water body in
which there was a pair of ruddy shelduck, some spotbilled ducks , stilts, red
wattlled lapwing and a common kingfisher. To our surprise, suddenly a steppe
eagle appeared from nowhere and started chasing the shelducks. It caused a commotion
among the birds, Shelducks then quikly moved into a safe place and eagle was left
with no option other than to move on. We also saw a pair of black eagle in
flight over that water body.
Steppe Eagle causing commotion
Crested Lark sitting on the trail
Our safari continued till 11 am and that point it became
very hot and we were tired from our long drive and excursion so we decided to
call it a day. When we were heading back to the gate our guide shared many interesting
stories related to his previous visits with other tourists. We saw a group of
common cranes, a big herd of blackbuck and some other small grassland birds.
Common Crane in Velavadar
Blackbuck in Velavadar NP
Common Kestrel Perching in Velavadar
White Eyed Buzzard (Juv.) in
Velavadar
After coming out of the park we went to the opposite side
which is a water reservoir and also comes under the protected area, our guide
said that we can see some wetland birds there but we were disappointed after
seeing that place as it does not have more than two three species over there.
At 11.45 am after saying goodbye to our guide we started our
journey towards Bhavnagar with our plan of coming back to evening safari. Our
Evening safari was also good and we sighted many species in that, overall it
was a visit worth remembering.
Velavadar- adobe of Blackbuck
Some Points
- Take a good Binocular and a camera with you
- Try to visit the Park in Morning Safari as Bird Sighting is good that time.
- Carry some water and eatables with you as nothing is available around the park.
- Wear light colored clothes
- Most Important, Respect Nature
Enjoy your visit to Velavadar.
Important Links
