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Gondal
Wildlife Hingolgadh
Nature Education Sanctuary Six revenue villages surround the area of the sanctuary. An area of 654ha was declared as a Sanctuary in August 1980. The Sanctuary is managed for the purpose of organising nature education camps. From the year 1984, this Sanctuary is under the administrative control of Gujarat Ecological Education and Research (GEER) Foundation, Gandhinagar. The Sanctuary is situated in Jasdan taluka of Rajkot district. The state highway passes through the middle of the Sanctuary and divides it into almost two equal halves. The Sanctuary is at a distance of 180 km from Ahmedabad, on Ahmedabad-Jasdan state highway. Botad is the nearest railway station and is about 45 km away from the Sanctuary. The Sanctuary is 17 km away from Jasdan in south and about 8 km away from Vinchhiya in the north. Acacia senegal dominates the Vegetation of the forest. The sparse woody vegetation at places has given way to profuse growth of grass, which is the main contributor of fodder for the herbivorous animals like Chinkara and Nilgai. 'Kasedo' and 'Sishoti' are the dominant shrubs having edible fruits and they attract variety of birds. The forest area has tremendous ecological impact on the surrounding villages. The surrounding area is semi-arid, where acute water shortage is experienced in the summer months. However, it is due to this tiny patch of forest that the villages on the periphery of this forest get sufficient drinking water and do not require any external support. This forest classified, as 6B/C1- desert thorn forest (as per Champion and Seth classification) is an open scrub forest interspersed with patches of grasslands. It is dominated by Acacia senegal and therefore classified as 6/E2- Acacia senegal or 'gorad' forest. 'Gorad' constitutes about 69% of total trees in the Sanctuary. As per remote sensing study carried out by GEER Foundation, the vegetation cover increased in the Sanctuary in 1996 and 1998.
How to Get Here
Distances
Rampara
Wild Life Sanctuary The area of the sanctuary was acquired by the Government in 1975. It was declared as a 'reserve forest' in 1983 and notified as a Sanctuary in 1988. There are two streams (locally called 'Vaghrigalo vonklo' and 'Pat a gala vanklo'), which drain the watershed of important river of Saurashtra - the Machchhu. There is a watchtower' on a barren mound, more or less in the central portion of the Sanctuary (slightly towards eastern periphery). From this watchtower, an eco-tourist would have a pleasing experience of getting a bird eye view of the entire sanctuary. Tar roads surround the Sanctuary on three sides, just 5 to 10 km away from the boundary. The small area of the sanctuary is the largest wooded forest in Central Saurashtra (Rajkot). The area is an important forest for the preservation of over 280 species of plants, over 130 species of birds, over 20 species of mammals, over 20 species of reptiles and several species of amphibians and invertebrates. It is also an important site of natural beauty with hills, plains, grasslands and forest area. In short, the Sanctuary has adequate ecological, faunal, geomorphologic, zoological, natural and aesthetic significance. How to Get There
Accommodation
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