Hotel & resort marketing · Sasan Gir, GujaratGuests come for the lions. Make them book you.
Every Gir guest is planning around a safari permit. We help Sasan Gir resorts and farmstays show up at that moment, answer the questions guests actually have, and take the booking direct.
The Sasan Gir market
Who comes to Sasan Gir, and why
Gir is the only place in the world where Asiatic lions live in the wild. The protected area covers about 1,400 square kilometres across Junagadh, Gir Somnath and Amreli districts, and the 2020 count put the lion population at 674. Sasan is the village at the main gate, and almost every stay here sells one thing first: the chance to see a lion.
Most guests are Gujarati families from Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Surat and Vadodara, often doing a Saurashtra loop with Somnath, Diu, Junagadh and Girnar. Mumbai families and wildlife photographers come too, and there's a steady trickle of foreign travellers. Stays are mostly resorts and farmstays set in mango orchards along the Talala and Sasan roads, plus budget hotels in the village. Many guests stay just one or two nights.
The park runs to a hard calendar. Safaris run from 16 October to 15 June, and the core park shuts for the monsoon. Permits are booked on the forest department's official site, with no tatkal option, and weekend and festival permits cost more. When permits sell out, guests fall back on the Devalia and Ambardi safari parks, so knowing that system is part of selling a room here.
Who books
Who stays in Sasan Gir
Gujarati families on a Saurashtra trip
They combine Gir with Somnath, Diu or Junagadh, travel in a group of cars and want big rooms, a pool for the kids and Gujarati food.
Wildlife photographers
They book several safaris over two or three days, need early breakfasts and care about naturalists and permit help more than a lobby.
Couples and friends from Mumbai and beyond
A long weekend of safari, mango orchards and a quiet farmstay. They find you on Instagram and Google, not through a travel agent.
Foreign travellers
Usually on a wider Gujarat or India trip. They need clear safari information in plain English and someone to trust on permits.
The year
When guests come to Sasan Gir
Peak season
Mid-October to February
Diwali, Christmas and winter weekends sell out, and so do permits. Market early, push guests to book permits the day they book you, and fill weekdays with photographers.
Summer and mango season
March to mid-June
Hot, but lions gather near water and sightings can be good. From April into June the Gir Kesar mango harvest is a real reason to visit, so sell orchard stays and mango packages.
Monsoon closure
Mid-June to mid-October
The core park is shut, so demand drops sharply. Market green farmstay breaks, Saurashtra road trips and Girnar, and use the time to fix your website and photos.
Getting here
Keshod airport is about 60 km from Sasan, Diu about 100 km and Rajkot about 160 km; Ahmedabad is roughly 370 km away, a long day's drive. Sasan Gir has its own small railway station, but most guests come via Junagadh (about 60 km) or Veraval (about 45 km) and finish by road. Many arrive by car as part of a trip that includes Somnath and Diu.
The hard part
What makes marketing a stay in Sasan Gir hard
In Gir, the room is often the easy part; the permit is what guests worry about.
- Guests can't book you until they know they'll get a safari, and permits sell out on weekends and holidays.
- Unofficial sites sell permits at a markup, and guests get confused or burnt. You lose trust if you're linked to them.
- Four months of the year the core park is closed, so income depends on selling Gir as more than a safari.
- Dozens of resorts line the same roads with similar photos and similar promises, so booking sites turn it into a price fight.
- Many guests stay one night, often as a stop between Somnath and Diu, which makes each booking small.
We can't get anyone a permit, and we won't pretend to. What we can do is make you the stay that explains it clearly and gets the booking.
What we'd do
What we'd do for a property in Sasan Gir
Make you the obvious, trustworthy choice for guests who are planning around a safari.
A safari guide on your website
Season dates, timings, how to book on the official site, the Devalia and Ambardi backups and their weekly closures, in plain words.
A Google listing for "resort near Gir National Park"
Photos, your distance from the Sasan reception centre, food and parking. It's what families look at first on Maps.
Saurashtra loop packages
Two or three nights combining Gir with Somnath and Diu, promoted to Ahmedabad, Rajkot and Surat families before Diwali and winter holidays.
Mango season and monsoon offers
Orchard stays in Kesar season and green-season farmstay breaks, so you're not relying on the park alone.
Reviews that mention the safari help
Ask guests to review you and to mention how you helped with the trip. Future guests read those lines closely.
Instagram for photographers
Wildlife shots shared with credit, early-morning reels and naturalist stories, so photographers pick you for their next trip.
Useful on its own
What guests search, and what to post.
The first list is the kind of thing guests type when looking for a stay in Sasan Gir. Your website and Google listing should answer them. The second is a start on your next month of Instagram.
Searches to show up for
- “resort in sasan gir”
- “hotel near gir national park”
- “sasan gir farmstay with pool”
- “gir jungle safari booking and stay”
- “best resort in gir for family”
- “gir lion safari package from ahmedabad”
- “somnath diu gir tour hotels”
Post ideas for Sasan Gir
- A plain-words reel on how to book a Gir safari permit on the official site, and what to do if it's sold out.
- Dawn at the Sasan reception centre as gypsies line up for the first safari.
- Picking Gir Kesar mangoes in your orchard in May, and a mango breakfast.
- A Devalia versus jungle trail explainer: which one suits families with young kids.
- A guest photographer's best lion shot, shared with their permission and credit.
- A three-day Gir, Somnath and Diu road trip plan, with drive times.
Questions
Marketing a stay in Sasan Gir
Something else on your mind? Ask us on WhatsApp.
How do I get bookings during the monsoon closure in Gir?
Stop selling the safari for those months and sell the stay. Green orchards, a pool, farm food and a quiet break work for nearby families. Pair it with Somnath, Junagadh and Girnar. Promote to Rajkot, Junagadh and Ahmedabad on weekends, and be upfront that the core park is closed.
Should my resort help guests with safari permits?
Guide them, but be careful. Link to the official forest department site, explain the timings and backups, and don't sell permits at a markup. Guests are wary of permit scams, so being clear and honest builds trust, and that trust shows up in your reviews.
How do I stand out from all the resorts on the Sasan road?
Pick what's genuinely different about you, such as a mango orchard, home-style Kathiyawadi food or a naturalist on staff, and show it in real photos. Then make sure your Google listing and website say it clearly. Similar-looking resorts compete on price; distinct ones don't have to.
Is it worth targeting foreign guests in Gir?
Yes, in a small way. Foreign guests pay higher permit fees and plan further ahead, so they need clear English information. A good English safari page, reviews from past foreign guests and quick email or WhatsApp replies go a long way. Don't build your whole plan around them, though.
Free check-up
A free check-up for your place in Sasan Gir.
Fill this in and it opens WhatsApp with your details typed in. Send it, and we'll look at how your place shows up online and tell you plainly what's missing. Free, and usually the same day.
What we look at
- Your Google listing: photos, details, reviews and replies
- What comes up when guests search your name
- Your website on a phone, on mobile data
- Your Instagram and Facebook
- Where your bookings could come from directly
Nearby
Other places we cover
- DiuA small former Portuguese island off the Saurashtra coast, with a 16th-century fort, quiet beaches and relaxed rules that make it a favourite short break for Gujarati families and friends.
- SomnathMarketing for hotels, guest houses and resorts in Somnath and Veraval, built around Jyotirlinga darshan, the evening light and sound show and the Dwarka, Gir and Diu circuit.
- Rann of KutchThe White Rann salt desert near Dhordo and the craft villages and heritage of Bhuj, busiest during the winter Rann Utsav and very quiet in the heat and monsoon.
- All destinationsEvery place we've written a page for, by region.
Sources
Local facts on this page were checked on against the sources below. Rules and timings change, so please confirm with local authorities before relying on them.