train from Junagadh to Delwada through Sasan Gir

chappal · Oct 14th, 2004, 04:33

In this post, Alan describes a lovely train journey from Junagadh to Delwada via Sasan Gir.

Is this train still operating? Or is it closed for gauge conversion like the one between from Ahmedabad to Veraval (as posted here)?

TIA!

steven_ber · Oct 14th, 2004, 15:06

That line is still open.

Train 316 departs Junagadh Jn daily at 07:10 and calls at Sasan Gir at 09:43, then Talana Jn at 10:25, it then departs Talana Jn at 10:40 and gets to Una 12:38 and Delvada at 12:55.

Una is the best station to use for Diu.

Train 315 departs Delvada daily at 14:20, Una at 14:29, then Talana Jn at 16:30 (departing at 16:45), then Sasan Gir at 17:26, then Junagadh Jn at 20:00.

These trains only have 2nd class unreserved, I used train 316 from Talana Jn to Una and found it a bit crowded (though not too bad) and very slow.

chappal · Nov 17th, 2004, 12:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by steven_ber

These trains only have 2nd class unreserved, I used train 316 from Talana Jn to Una and found it a bit crowded (though not too bad) and very slow.

A belated BIG thank you, Steven, for this info and the other great train threads. Can you divulge the source where I can find this train published/listed?

steven_ber · Nov 17th, 2004, 14:02

Quote:

A new timetable started in September, the above times are from the old timetable, though it's unlikely any of the times have changed.

The times had changed slightly, I have edited the original post to show the new times.

The info comes from the Western Zone timetable, this timetable was published in September and covers Delhi, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Mumbai & most of Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh.

It is not available outside of India or on the web, but can be only costs Rs25, you can buy it in any large city covered in it's timetables, the bookshops on the stations are the best places to find it.

chappal · Nov 18th, 2004, 02:49

Thanks for the update, Steven. When you say crowded do you mean there is likely to be no place to sit? Are these the only trains between Junagadh-Sasan Gir and Sasan-Una/Delwada?

steven_ber · Nov 18th, 2004, 17:33

These are the only trains, when I used train 316 there were no seats available, but I got my backpack onto a shelf and there was plenty of room to stand.

The journey probably seemed slow to me because I'd just travelled overnight from Ahmedabad to Veraval, then a local train to Talana Jn, then onto train 316, the trains are great, but not so good on your 3rd train in a row.

Had that been the only train it would have been good, the people were friendly, there were woman taking many different things to market, and the Sari's seemed somehow different, I also managed a 10 minute conversation with an elderly man who looked like Ghandi, quite an achievement considering we spoke different languages.

Alan D · Nov 18th, 2004, 17:51

Hi chappal!

We've done the journey from Junagadh a couple of times in recent years. I think if you are starting from Junagadh you won't have any problem finding seats.

As Stephen has mentioned it tends to fill up further down the line and most people get off at Una. You can either get off there and take a local bus or taxi to Diu, or go on to Delwada and take an auto rickshaw from there.

It's not the most comfortable of trains - bare wooden benches, but it travels at a leisurely pace through the jungles of Gir Forest NP. Certainly, one of our most memorable train journeys in India. By the way, don't miss the Jain temples at Girnar Hill if you're going to Junagadh.

chappal · Nov 19th, 2004, 01:48

Hey Alan, Glad you found us, since your post was the original inspiration for this idea!

Have you (anyone else?) done this trip in reverse? Will the evening train from Delwada/Una to Sasan be as enjoyable as the AM train? I'll have to ask what time it is getting dark this time of year... DH and I are also hoping to visit Palitana. It seems that trains/busses from Junagadh back to Vadodara will be more available than from Palitina.

How do the Jain temples in Girnar Hill compare to the ones in Palitina?

P.s. Any help with the mom persuasion case...? She likes birds, flowers, and thinks lions sound awful! Anything nice for her to see in Sasan Gir, especially while the rest of the family is out one morning looking for lions?

Alan D · Nov 19th, 2004, 20:14

I've had time to think about what you're attempting to do, and I think I have to agree with what Steven said in another thread, that using public transport might be a hassle. Communications in Gujarat are not that good compared to some other parts of India, e.g. Rajasthan. Some of the roads, other than those linking the main cities, tend to be pretty rough and travelling takes time. It might be a good idea, if your budget runs to it, to hire a car. You could spend most of your time travelling or hanging around bus stations. I know you would like to do the train journey so you could send the car on ahead from Una to Sasan Gir and take the train anyway. I really can't say if the train will be crowded or not - I would think it might be to begin with but it should empty out a bit on the way. You should reach Sasan Gir before dark.

Even with a car it's going to be difficult to cover all the places you have planned to see in the time available to you, and I think you might have to drop out one or two places. You could decide as you go along.

Personally I think both Palitana and Girnar are both worth visiting as the style of the temples is different. You could check out my photos of both in the photo gallery - just type the place names into the search engine in the gallery.

Sasan Gir is a sleepy little village so if your mother-in-law doesn't want to go on safari she could walk around the area - there's a stream near the park HQ which we found good for bird watching - herons, egrets and an osprey amongst other things. But she would also see a lot of birds on the jeep ride.

Have you booked accommodation for the park yet? Sometimes the forest department place is full but there are other small hotels in the village.

chappal · Nov 20th, 2004, 11:59

It would be worthwhile to stay in the park itself, wouldn't it? We are waiting to select dates until we get in touch with a family friend who sometimes works or volunteers in Sasan Gir.

I looked at your pictures of Palitana and Girnar and can't wait to visit. Is it too much haste to visit both Girnar and Somnath in the same day?

Alan D · Nov 25th, 2004, 19:37

Staying in the park would certainly be better, if your friend can arrange it, than staying in the village. The Forest Dept resthouse near the park reception centre has large rooms with attached bathrooms. The only other upmarket hotel, overlooking the river, is owned by the Taj Group and is expensive. It's a few years since I've been to Sasan Gir but I would think some more budget type hotels have appeared just outside the park.

Girnar and Somnath in one day? It's not something we would attempt as our travels tend to be leisurely in India. However, I realise that you have only a limited amount of time to see what you want to see, so I guess if you had a very early start (at sunrise) you could see Girnar and then head for Somnath arriving for evening aarti/puja at the temple which, I think, is the main event of the day. There are plenty of small guest houses and hotels there to cater for the steady stream of visitors from all over India.

chappal · Jan 9th, 2005, 23:43

Just a quick update...
We ended up driving to Sasan Gir. This was a beautiful drive through the forest. We were able to stop and take many pictures of deer and peacocks, and the sunset. The sun set because the drive took nearly 5 hours, as contrasted to the 1-2 hour train journey though! It was a dirt road, but pretty nice if you go slow. Next time, I hope we can take the train.

We were able to get reservations in the Forest department rest house, which I think is quite busy though it felt very relaxed there. They called several times to confirm our reservations in the days and hours before our arrival (since we didn't arrive before dark). The rest house is situated in the middle of a mango grove with other beautiful landscaping and flowers. The rooms were basic, but comfortable with the promised attached baths and an unexpected patio outside our second floor rooms. The food was also very good, freshly prepared for each meal, and our final bill was very reasonable.

Did I mention that while we were on our jeep tour, we saw a lioness and her cubs feasting on a sambaar? We also saw a giant lizard called a Monitor lizard, as well as a baby owl, and so many birds.

Unfortunately we had to skip both Somnath and Girnar. Two of us were under the weather and mummy not up for long walks. So there will have to be a next time!

Alan D · Jan 10th, 2005, 21:19

The Forest Rest House is certainly a nice place to stay and very convenient for the Park Centre and the jeep rides.

We were unluckly with seeing lions but had a few great days birdwatching in and around the park.

Too bad you didn't get to see all the places on your itinerary but as you say, there's something left for next time

We're planning to revisit Gir Forest in late 2005/early 2006. Did you book the Rest House through the normal channels or did your friend pull a few strings? It would be useful to know what the charge is for a double room - I know all the Forest Department places have gone up in price since we were last there.

chappal · Jan 11th, 2005, 23:39

According to DH, each room was under 800 and we just called the guest house directly for reservations, no special channels.
Also, I just wanted to clarify that the 4+ hour drive was from Diu. Leaving Gir for Junagadh took a little less time.

Wanderratte · Jan 31st, 2005, 18:46

Just a little anecdote from when we took the train from Diu to Junagadh. This is what I emailed home afterwards:

the train station is a bit outside of diu and we left early so that we could still buy a picnic. in the middle of nowhere the auto driver all of a sudden turned left into the bushes. the road maybe 1.5m wide and almost overgrown. hello??? and all of a sudden there was the train station. in the middle of NOTHING. no food stalls, no people (very rare in india), no nothing. so much for buying a picnic. we finally got on the train with 8 other people (among those a group of 5 guys. we had waited to see which waggon they'd choose, but they wouldn't move. when finally we did, guess what direction they took... surprise. they seated themselves in the same waggon in the compartment right next to us.). with this little people on the train we thought that it might be a nice ride where we could actually strech out on the benches. our happiness lasted about 8.5 minutes when the train came to the first of his many stops in una and was flooded with people. the whole trip was 186km and took 6.5 h!!! on hard wooden benches of course. my butt is still sore. at least it stopped a lot and we could strech and also go in search of food. because no vendors on that train (where are they when you need them??). most people would only go a couple of stops. so we had a constant stream of people passing through our compartment. at one stop workers from a diament mine got on. i have never ever been stared at like that in my life! and i've had my share of staring. the benches usually seat 4 people, but now there were 7 squashed on so that makes 14 in the compartment. 2 people each were on the luggage storage above our heads and in the aisle there were another 6-8 people pushing and shoving to be able to see us. and the rest of the train was comparitively empty. on the outside of the train (was a longer stop) were about 15 people staring in. nobody spoke any english so all they did for 30 minutes (next train stop) was stare at us - mouths half open. i took pictures. my only form of revenge

and also a way of having some sort of communication as of course they were intrigued by the viewer of the digital camera. the boys from next door took turns coming over to giggle at us being surrounded by all these people. when they got tired of that they started singing bollywood songs from the top of their lungs for at least half an hour. and when we got off the train in junaghad one of him put a piece of paper in my hand with his email adress krish.stillalone@... go figure.
well, it was an adventure but i'm opting for anything with cushioned seats for a while...

Oct 14th, 2004, 04:33	#1
chappal Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: USA Posts: 143	train from Junagadh to Delwada through Sasan Gir In this post, Alan describes a lovely train journey from Junagadh to Delwada via Sasan Gir. Is this train still operating? Or is it closed for gauge conversion like the one between from Ahmedabad to Veraval (as posted here)? TIA!

Oct 14th, 2004, 15:06	#2
steven_ber Member Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: London, England. Posts: 9,572	That line is still open. Train 316 departs Junagadh Jn daily at 07:10 and calls at Sasan Gir at 09:43, then Talana Jn at 10:25, it then departs Talana Jn at 10:40 and gets to Una 12:38 and Delvada at 12:55. Una is the best station to use for Diu. Train 315 departs Delvada daily at 14:20, Una at 14:29, then Talana Jn at 16:30 (departing at 16:45), then Sasan Gir at 17:26, then Junagadh Jn at 20:00. These trains only have 2nd class unreserved, I used train 316 from Talana Jn to Una and found it a bit crowded (though not too bad) and very slow. __________________ . How to get helpful replies to your transport/Itinerary questions. Train information. Last edited by steven_ber : Nov 17th, 2004 at 13:54.

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Nov 18th, 2004, 02:49	#5
chappal Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: USA Posts: 143	Thanks for the update, Steven. When you say crowded do you mean there is likely to be no place to sit? Are these the only trains between Junagadh-Sasan Gir and Sasan-Una/Delwada?

Nov 18th, 2004, 17:33	#6
steven_ber Member Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: London, England. Posts: 9,572	These are the only trains, when I used train 316 there were no seats available, but I got my backpack onto a shelf and there was plenty of room to stand. The journey probably seemed slow to me because I'd just travelled overnight from Ahmedabad to Veraval, then a local train to Talana Jn, then onto train 316, the trains are great, but not so good on your 3rd train in a row. Had that been the only train it would have been good, the people were friendly, there were woman taking many different things to market, and the Sari's seemed somehow different, I also managed a 10 minute conversation with an elderly man who looked like Ghandi, quite an achievement considering we spoke different languages.

Nov 18th, 2004, 17:51	#7
Alan D Maha Guru Member Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Southampton UK Posts: 1,866	Hi chappal! We've done the journey from Junagadh a couple of times in recent years. I think if you are starting from Junagadh you won't have any problem finding seats. As Stephen has mentioned it tends to fill up further down the line and most people get off at Una. You can either get off there and take a local bus or taxi to Diu, or go on to Delwada and take an auto rickshaw from there. It's not the most comfortable of trains - bare wooden benches, but it travels at a leisurely pace through the jungles of Gir Forest NP. Certainly, one of our most memorable train journeys in India. By the way, don't miss the Jain temples at Girnar Hill if you're going to Junagadh.

Nov 19th, 2004, 01:48	#8
chappal Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: USA Posts: 143	Hey Alan, Glad you found us, since your post was the original inspiration for this idea! Have you (anyone else?) done this trip in reverse? Will the evening train from Delwada/Una to Sasan be as enjoyable as the AM train? I'll have to ask what time it is getting dark this time of year... DH and I are also hoping to visit Palitana. It seems that trains/busses from Junagadh back to Vadodara will be more available than from Palitina. How do the Jain temples in Girnar Hill compare to the ones in Palitina? P.s. Any help with the mom persuasion case...? She likes birds, flowers, and thinks lions sound awful! Anything nice for her to see in Sasan Gir, especially while the rest of the family is out one morning looking for lions?

Nov 19th, 2004, 20:14	#9
Alan D Maha Guru Member Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Southampton UK Posts: 1,866	I've had time to think about what you're attempting to do, and I think I have to agree with what Steven said in another thread, that using public transport might be a hassle. Communications in Gujarat are not that good compared to some other parts of India, e.g. Rajasthan. Some of the roads, other than those linking the main cities, tend to be pretty rough and travelling takes time. It might be a good idea, if your budget runs to it, to hire a car. You could spend most of your time travelling or hanging around bus stations. I know you would like to do the train journey so you could send the car on ahead from Una to Sasan Gir and take the train anyway. I really can't say if the train will be crowded or not - I would think it might be to begin with but it should empty out a bit on the way. You should reach Sasan Gir before dark. Even with a car it's going to be difficult to cover all the places you have planned to see in the time available to you, and I think you might have to drop out one or two places. You could decide as you go along. Personally I think both Palitana and Girnar are both worth visiting as the style of the temples is different. You could check out my photos of both in the photo gallery - just type the place names into the search engine in the gallery. Sasan Gir is a sleepy little village so if your mother-in-law doesn't want to go on safari she could walk around the area - there's a stream near the park HQ which we found good for bird watching - herons, egrets and an osprey amongst other things. But she would also see a lot of birds on the jeep ride. Have you booked accommodation for the park yet? Sometimes the forest department place is full but there are other small hotels in the village.

Nov 20th, 2004, 11:59	#10
chappal Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: USA Posts: 143	It would be worthwhile to stay in the park itself, wouldn't it? We are waiting to select dates until we get in touch with a family friend who sometimes works or volunteers in Sasan Gir. I looked at your pictures of Palitana and Girnar and can't wait to visit. Is it too much haste to visit both Girnar and Somnath in the same day?

Nov 25th, 2004, 19:37	#11
Alan D Maha Guru Member Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Southampton UK Posts: 1,866	Staying in the park would certainly be better, if your friend can arrange it, than staying in the village. The Forest Dept resthouse near the park reception centre has large rooms with attached bathrooms. The only other upmarket hotel, overlooking the river, is owned by the Taj Group and is expensive. It's a few years since I've been to Sasan Gir but I would think some more budget type hotels have appeared just outside the park. Girnar and Somnath in one day? It's not something we would attempt as our travels tend to be leisurely in India. However, I realise that you have only a limited amount of time to see what you want to see, so I guess if you had a very early start (at sunrise) you could see Girnar and then head for Somnath arriving for evening aarti/puja at the temple which, I think, is the main event of the day. There are plenty of small guest houses and hotels there to cater for the steady stream of visitors from all over India.

Jan 9th, 2005, 23:43	#12
chappal Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: USA Posts: 143	Just a quick update... We ended up driving to Sasan Gir. This was a beautiful drive through the forest. We were able to stop and take many pictures of deer and peacocks, and the sunset. The sun set because the drive took nearly 5 hours, as contrasted to the 1-2 hour train journey though! It was a dirt road, but pretty nice if you go slow. Next time, I hope we can take the train. We were able to get reservations in the Forest department rest house, which I think is quite busy though it felt very relaxed there. They called several times to confirm our reservations in the days and hours before our arrival (since we didn't arrive before dark). The rest house is situated in the middle of a mango grove with other beautiful landscaping and flowers. The rooms were basic, but comfortable with the promised attached baths and an unexpected patio outside our second floor rooms. The food was also very good, freshly prepared for each meal, and our final bill was very reasonable. Did I mention that while we were on our jeep tour, we saw a lioness and her cubs feasting on a sambaar? We also saw a giant lizard called a Monitor lizard, as well as a baby owl, and so many birds. Unfortunately we had to skip both Somnath and Girnar. Two of us were under the weather and mummy not up for long walks. So there will have to be a next time!

Jan 10th, 2005, 21:19	#13
Alan D Maha Guru Member Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Southampton UK Posts: 1,866	The Forest Rest House is certainly a nice place to stay and very convenient for the Park Centre and the jeep rides. We were unluckly with seeing lions but had a few great days birdwatching in and around the park. Too bad you didn't get to see all the places on your itinerary but as you say, there's something left for next time We're planning to revisit Gir Forest in late 2005/early 2006. Did you book the Rest House through the normal channels or did your friend pull a few strings? It would be useful to know what the charge is for a double room - I know all the Forest Department places have gone up in price since we were last there.

Jan 11th, 2005, 23:39	#14
chappal Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: USA Posts: 143	According to DH, each room was under 800 and we just called the guest house directly for reservations, no special channels. Also, I just wanted to clarify that the 4+ hour drive was from Diu. Leaving Gir for Junagadh took a little less time.

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Jan 31st, 2005, 18:46	#15
Wanderratte Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Zurich, Switzerland Posts: 46	Just a little anecdote from when we took the train from Diu to Junagadh. This is what I emailed home afterwards: the train station is a bit outside of diu and we left early so that we could still buy a picnic. in the middle of nowhere the auto driver all of a sudden turned left into the bushes. the road maybe 1.5m wide and almost overgrown. hello??? and all of a sudden there was the train station. in the middle of NOTHING. no food stalls, no people (very rare in india), no nothing. so much for buying a picnic. we finally got on the train with 8 other people (among those a group of 5 guys. we had waited to see which waggon they'd choose, but they wouldn't move. when finally we did, guess what direction they took... surprise. they seated themselves in the same waggon in the compartment right next to us.). with this little people on the train we thought that it might be a nice ride where we could actually strech out on the benches. our happiness lasted about 8.5 minutes when the train came to the first of his many stops in una and was flooded with people. the whole trip was 186km and took 6.5 h!!! on hard wooden benches of course. my butt is still sore. at least it stopped a lot and we could strech and also go in search of food. because no vendors on that train (where are they when you need them??). most people would only go a couple of stops. so we had a constant stream of people passing through our compartment. at one stop workers from a diament mine got on. i have never ever been stared at like that in my life! and i've had my share of staring. the benches usually seat 4 people, but now there were 7 squashed on so that makes 14 in the compartment. 2 people each were on the luggage storage above our heads and in the aisle there were another 6-8 people pushing and shoving to be able to see us. and the rest of the train was comparitively empty. on the outside of the train (was a longer stop) were about 15 people staring in. nobody spoke any english so all they did for 30 minutes (next train stop) was stare at us - mouths half open. i took pictures. my only form of revenge and also a way of having some sort of communication as of course they were intrigued by the viewer of the digital camera. the boys from next door took turns coming over to giggle at us being surrounded by all these people. when they got tired of that they started singing bollywood songs from the top of their lungs for at least half an hour. and when we got off the train in junaghad one of him put a piece of paper in my hand with his email adress krish.stillalone@... go figure. well, it was an adventure but i'm opting for anything with cushioned seats for a while...