Pick up at 8AM for a 7 hour drive to Gir. As you enter Saurashtra at dawn, Ahmedabad gradually fades from your rearview mirror. The highway meanders past grazing buffalo, cotton farms, and roadside dhabas that serve hot fafda-jalebi. The scenery becomes more untamed as you approach Gir; there are dusty grasslands, prickly acacia groves, and the occasional peacock dancing by the side of the road. Arrive by 3PM