Grassland lodges
at Velavadar

Velavadar is Blackbuck National Park, 34 sq km of grassland, salt plain and wetland in the Bhal region of Saurashtra, in Bhavnagar district. It is not a forest and it does not behave like one. The park was established in July 1976 with about 18 sq km, and another 16 sq km was added in 1980. The Gujarat Forest Department records 16 species of mammal, 186 species of bird and 17 species of reptile here, in one of the smallest national parks in India.

What you actually come for

Blackbuck, first. The males carry spiralled horns and the herds move in the open, so this is a park where the animals are visible rather than hidden.

Indian grey wolf is the harder animal and the reason people come back. Striped hyena and jungle cat are here too.

Then the harriers. The Forest Department calls Velavadar one of the largest roosting grounds for migratory harriers, four species of them, and says the evening congregations are a main attraction of the park, particularly in the winter months. That is a late-afternoon event, so a drive that ends at sunset is the one to book.

The critically endangered lesser florican is listed as a local migrant during the monsoon. The park is shut through the monsoon, which is worth knowing before you plan a trip around that bird.

Where to stay

The Blackbuck Lodge sits at Velavadar in Bhavnagar district, in the Bhal. Rough-hewn stone villas look straight onto the grass, some with plunge or full pools, and there is one suite. Blackbuck and bluebull can be watched from the room. Our two-night trip here is the one we sell.

When it is open, and why September catches people out

The park is closed from 16 June to 15 October every year. The Gujarat Forest Department states it three separate times on its own Velavadar page. That is a late reopening by Indian standards, a month after most central Indian parks, and it is the single most expensive mistake a traveller makes here.

We checked it against the live permit calendar on 21 September 2026. Every date up to and including 15 October 2026 was marked park closed. The first bookable date was 16 October 2026. If you are holding September dates, there is no safari to be had.

Gujarat Tourism gives the season as 16 October to 15 June, which agrees.

Timings from the permit portal: winter, 16 October to the end of February, 6:30 to 11:30 and 14:00 to 19:00. Summer, 1 March to 15 June, 6:00 to 11:00 and 14:30 to 19:30. The park is open Monday to Sunday with no weekly off day. Gujarat Tourism publishes 7:00 to 13:00 and 15:00 to 18:00 instead. The permit portal is the one that sells the ticket, so use its times.

What it costs, broken down

Entry is charged by vehicle, and the published rates are low. For Indian nationals: Rs 40 per person in a private gypsy hired at Velavadar, maximum six people. A personal car or jeep is Rs 400 for up to six. A matador or station wagon is Rs 1,000 for up to fifteen. A minibus, bus, tractor or heavy vehicle is Rs 3,500 for up to sixty. Gypsy hire is paid separately to the driver, and the Forest Department does not publish that rate.

For foreign nationals the same fees are set in US dollars, not rupees. USD 10 per person in a hired gypsy. USD 40 for a car or jeep. USD 100 for a matador. USD 350 for a bus. A weekend loads 25 per cent on top for everyone.

That dollar pricing is the whole answer to a question we get asked often. A lodge-arranged jeep into the park, up to five people, runs around Rs 9,500 for Indian nationals here and around Rs 19,500 for the same jeep of foreign nationals. The jeep is identical and the drive is identical. The park's own entry fee is what moves, from Rs 40 a head to USD 10 a head, and at current rates that is more than twenty times the figure rather than a little more.

A guide is compulsory. The Forest Department runs trained eco-guides at Velavadar, and Gujarat Tourism confirms hiring one is mandatory. Neither publishes the guide charge, so ask at the reception centre or let the lodge settle it.

What to expect of the weather

The Forest Department gives summer as 23°C to 44°C, hot and dry. Winter days average about 28°C and nights about 12°C. The harriers are a winter attraction, which lines up with the more comfortable half of the season.

Getting there

The park is about 54 km from Bhavnagar city and the drive takes roughly an hour. Ahmedabad is 140 km and Rajkot is 160 km. Bhavnagar Airport is the nearest airport and Bhavnagar Terminus is the nearest major railhead, both about an hour out by taxi. Gujarat Tourism gives the distance from Bhavnagar as 47 km rather than 54 km, so allow the longer figure. Arriving from Ahmedabad is a half-day on the road, which makes the arrival day a travelling day.