Places to Visit Near Sasan Gir: Somnath, Junagadh, Girnar, Diu & More

Somnath is honoured as the first of the twelve Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva and is one of the most important pilgrim sites in India. The temple stands right on the shore at Prabhas Patan, and its story of being destroyed and rebuilt many times over the centuries is part of its meaning for devotees. The present temple, built in the classic Chaulukya style with finely carved sandstone, was completed in the years after Independence.

Try to be there for the evening aarti, when the temple is lit up and the sound of conch shells and bells carries over the sea. The light and sound show after dark tells the temple’s history. Mobile phones, cameras and bags are not allowed inside, so use the deposit counters near the entrance.

Somnath is about an hour from Sasan, so you can visit after a morning safari and be back for dinner — or stay a night by the sea.

Keep an extra hour or two for the sacred sites around Somnath. Triveni Sangam, where the Hiran, Kapila and Saraswati rivers meet before reaching the sea, has bathing ghats and is a peaceful place at sunrise. Bhalka Tirth, a few kilometres away, is revered as the place where Lord Krishna was struck by a hunter’s arrow, and Dehotsarg near the Sangam marks where he is believed to have left his mortal body.

The Prabhas Patan Museum holds carvings and fragments from earlier temples on the site and helps you understand how many times Somnath has been rebuilt. In the evening, the sea-facing promenade near the temple is a pleasant place to walk before the aarti.

Junagadh is one of the most historic towns in Gujarat, and it is about an hour and a half from Sasan. At its heart is Uparkot Fort, a hilltop citadel with very old foundations. Inside you can explore two remarkable step-wells — Adi Kadi Vav, cut deep into the rock, and Navghan Kuvo with its spiral stairway — along with ancient Buddhist rock-cut caves.

In the old city, the Mahabat Maqbara is a striking 19th-century mausoleum with silver-grey domes, spiral staircases and intricate carving that mixes Indo-Islamic and European styles. On the road towards Girnar, a large boulder carries the rock edicts of Emperor Ashoka, inscribed more than two thousand years ago. Junagadh is also home to the Sakkarbaug Zoo, which has long been part of the breeding programme for Asiatic lions.

At the foot of Girnar, the Bhavnath Mahadev temple is the gathering point for sadhus and pilgrims, and the starting point of the great Mahashivratri fair. Nearby, Damodar Kund is a sacred tank in a forested valley where pilgrims take a dip before climbing the mountain.

Back in town, the Darbar Hall Museum in the old palace of the Nawabs displays royal portraits, palanquins, weapons, silver and textiles from Junagadh’s princely past. It is a good, shaded stop in the hot middle of the day.

If you want to see everything in Junagadh at a relaxed pace — fort, mausoleum, edicts, museum and Girnar — keep a full day and stay the night in town.

Rising above Junagadh, Girnar is a cluster of volcanic peaks sacred to Hindus and Jains. A stone stairway of around ten thousand steps leads past Jain temples, the Amba Mata temple and on to the Dattatreya peak. Pilgrims start the climb before dawn to avoid the heat.

If the full climb is not for you, the Girnar ropeway carries visitors from the foothills to the Amba Mata temple area in a few minutes, with sweeping views over the forest and plains. It is one of the longest temple ropeways in Asia and makes Girnar possible for families and older travellers. Queues can be long on weekends and festival days, so go early.

Girnar is busiest during the Bhavnath fair at Mahashivratri and the Lili Parikrama in the month of Kartik, when lakhs of pilgrims walk around the mountain.

The forest around Girnar is a wildlife sanctuary in its own right, home to lions, leopards, deer and several species of vultures. A Gypsy safari here takes you through hilly terrain with the Girnar peaks as a backdrop — a different feel from the flatter forest around Sasan.

It is a good choice if you are staying in Junagadh, want a second safari without returning to Sasan, or simply want to see lions in a hill landscape. As with every safari in the region, a permit with your ID details is required and sightings depend on luck.

Diu is a small island linked to the mainland by bridges, about 2.5 to 3 hours from Sasan. For more than four centuries it was a Portuguese territory, and that history shows in its whitewashed churches, narrow lanes and the massive Diu Fort, built in the 16th century on the edge of the sea.

Visit the elegant St Paul’s Church, the Naida Caves — a maze of rock passages with light falling through the openings — and the INS Khukri Memorial on a hill overlooking the sea. Gangeshwar Mahadev at Fudam has Shiva lingas set in the rocks that are washed by the waves at high tide.

For beaches, Nagoa is a calm, curved bay that is popular with families, while Ghoghla is long and open. Diu is a separate Union Territory, so carry your IDs.

Diu is compact — about a dozen kilometres end to end — so it is easy to explore in a day. Rent a scooter or hire an auto-rickshaw for the morning, and walk the old town lanes around the fort and churches in the late afternoon when it is cooler.

Stay in Diu town if you like being close to the fort, cafes and the evening seafront, or near Nagoa if you want a beach holiday. October to March is the most pleasant time to visit; the monsoon brings rough seas and some beach activities stop.

Diu also has a small airport with limited flights, which makes it a convenient place to end a Saurashtra trip without driving back to Rajkot or Ahmedabad.

Tucked into a valley in the eastern part of the Gir landscape, Tulsishyam is known for its natural hot-water springs and an old temple dedicated to Lord Krishna. Pilgrims bathe in the warm kunds before visiting the temple, and there is a small Rukmini temple on the hill above.

The drive to Tulsishyam passes through forest and is part of the attraction — but it is long, so combine it with a trip towards Una or Diu rather than doing it as a return trip from Sasan. Drive only in daylight, as the road runs through wildlife habitat, and do not stop or get out of the car if you see animals near the road.

A handful of old temples sit deep inside the Gir sanctuary, and for local families they are as much a part of the forest as the lions. Kankai Mata is a revered goddess temple in the heart of the forest, and Banej is a small Shiva shrine beside a forest stream, famous across India because, for many years, its lone priest had a polling booth set up just for him at every election.

Because both lie inside the protected area, access is controlled by the forest department — usually limited to daylight hours, with entry rules for vehicles that change from time to time. If you would like to visit, ask your hotel or our team to check the current rules first, and never leave your vehicle except at the temple itself.

About an hour from Sasan, near Visavadar, Satadhar is a much-loved pilgrimage centre associated with the saint Aapa Giga. It is known for its tradition of serving free meals to every visitor, and a visit shows a side of Saurashtra that most tourists never see — farming villages, cattle herds and deep local faith.

On the way, you pass fields of groundnut, cotton and mango orchards. Gir is famous for its Kesar mangoes, and if you travel between May and June, roadside stalls sell them straight from the orchards. Ask your driver to stop — it is one of the simplest pleasures of a summer trip to Gir.

Veraval, next to Somnath, is one of the largest fishing harbours in Gujarat. Early in the morning the docks are busy with colourful boats unloading their catch, and nearby yards still build large wooden boats by hand — a craft passed down through generations.

Further along the coast, Chorwad has a long beach and the old seaside summer palace of the Nawabs of Junagadh. The sea here can be rough, so treat it as a place for a walk and the sunset rather than a swim. These coastal stops fit easily into a day that also includes Somnath.

Ambardi is a lion interpretation zone near Dhari, about two hours east of Sasan. Its open, grassy habitat makes animals easy to see, and it is far less crowded than Devalia. Ambardi fits naturally into a route that also includes Bhavnagar, Palitana or Velavadar, so consider it when you are entering or leaving Saurashtra from the east.

If you are travelling with children, Ambardi’s short drive and open views make it a good alternative to a long jungle trail. The countryside around Dhari is also lion territory, and the Velavadar blackbuck park near Bhavnagar makes a fine pairing for wildlife lovers who want to see two very different landscapes in one trip.

If you are driving along the coast towards Dwarka, two stops are worth planning in. Madhavpur has a long, clean beach and the Madhavrai temple, and it hosts a colourful fair in spring that celebrates the wedding of Lord Krishna and Rukmini.

Porbandar, further west, is the birthplace of Mahatma Gandhi. Kirti Mandir, the memorial built next to his ancestral home, lets you walk through the rooms where he was born. Porbandar is roughly three hours from Sasan, so it works best as a stop between Somnath and Dwarka rather than a day trip.

Saurashtra’s food is hearty and full of flavour. A traditional Kathiyawadi thali brings bajra rotla with white butter and jaggery, spicy sev tameta nu shaak, smoky ringan no olo, kadhi, khichdi and fresh chaas. Around Junagadh and Somnath, look for local snacks like ganthiya with fried chillies and papaya sambharo in the morning.

In mango season, Gir’s Kesar mangoes are the highlight of any meal. Most of the region is vegetarian, and food in temple towns like Somnath is usually strictly vegetarian, without onion and garlic in some places.

1. Day 1 — Rajkot to Junagadh: arrive in Rajkot, drive to Junagadh, visit Uparkot fort and the Mahabat Maqbara.
2. Day 2 — Girnar and on to Sasan: take the Girnar ropeway in the morning, then drive to Sasan. Afternoon Devalia drive.
3. Day 3 — Gir jungle trail and Somnath: first-slot safari, rest, then drive to Somnath for the evening aarti. Night in Somnath.
4. Day 4 — Diu: visit Triveni Sangam and Bhalka Tirth in the morning, then drive to Diu. Sunset at the fort or Nagoa beach.
5. Day 5 — Diu and departure: Naida Caves and St Paul’s Church, then fly out of Diu or drive back to Rajkot.

Public buses connect all the main towns, but a private cab with driver is by far the most practical way to combine several places in a few days. Roads between Sasan, Somnath, Junagadh and Diu are generally good, though the stretches through villages and forest are slower than the distances suggest.

Drive in daylight wherever possible, especially on roads that pass through forest. Fuel up in larger towns, and keep cash for small eateries and temple offerings.

We put together Gujarat trips that combine Gir safaris with Somnath, Junagadh, Diu and Dwarka — with hotels, a cab and driver, and help with safari permits. Tell us your dates, starting city and interests on WhatsApp, and we will suggest a route that does not waste time on the road.

Planning the safari part? Read our Sasan Gir safari guide and how to reach Sasan Gir.