Kutchi Nature

Start point atA - Ahmedabad Airport (AMD),Ahmedabad, GJ

End point atM - Ahmedabad Airport (AMD),Ahmedabad, GJ

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Day : 1 - To Gandhidham

Night stay at B1 - Gandhidham, Gujarat, India
Distance from days start -332 Kms.

Hotel - Hotel Aarti International

Star Rating of Hotel :

On Day 1 after picking you up from Ahmedabad international airport, we shall proceed to Gandhidham, which is a 5 hour journey spanning close to 300 kms. The long journey is not very impressive as the landscape remain the same through out. Gandhidham city is interesting by itself with a lot of history so after taking a little city tour we shall check into our hotel where you can relax for the rest of the evening.

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Gandhidham City Views
Gandhidham City Views

Day : 2 - Mandvi Beach

Halt C1 - Bhadreshwar Jain Temple, Bhadreshwar, Gujarat, India
Distance from days start -29 Kms.

Activities - Visit Bhadreshwar Jain Temple

Factors at the Halt include : Spiritual.

Night stay at D2 - Serena Beach Resort Mandvi, Mandvi, Gujarat, India
Distance from days start -83 Kms.

Hotel - Serena Beach Resort

Star Rating of Hotel :

Halt D2 - Serena Beach Resort Mandvi, Mandvi, Gujarat, India
Distance from days start -83 Kms.

Activities - Water Sports, ATV Ride, Camel ride

Factors at the Halt include : Beach,Watersports.

On Day 2 we shall leave from Gandhidham and head west towards Mandvi beach which is about 100 kms away and should take us 2 hours of drive. On the way we shall stop by to visit the famous Jain temple of Bhadreshwar. Bhadreshwar Jain Temple is believed to be one of the oldest Jain temples in India, although they have been renovated and rehabilitated from time to time. After that we shall head to Mandvi beach a picturesque beach area known for its water sports, sunset views & solar-powered wind turbines. On reaching Mandvi we shall check into the resort first where you can freshen up and relax. By late afternoon we can visit the beach where we can do boating, ATV ride and Camel ride.

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Bhadreshwar Jain Temple Views
Bhadreshwar Jain Temple Views
Bhadreshwar Jain Temple Views
Mandvi Beach Views
Mandvi Beach Views
Mandvi Beach Views

Day : 3 - Bhuj & White desert Rann

Night stay at E1 - White Desert Of Kutch, Bhuj, Gujarat, India
Distance from days start -113 Kms.

Hotel - White Rann

Star Rating of Hotel :

Halt E1 - White Desert Of Kutch, Bhuj, Gujarat, India
Distance from days start -113 Kms.

Activities - Rann of Kutch Tour, Swami narayan Temple, Aaina Mahal

Factors at the Halt include : Desert,Spiritual,Cultural / History.

On Day 3 after breakfast from the resort we will head to Bhuj town, which is about an hour away. In Bhuj we have a few sight seeing lined up. First we shall visit the spectacular Swami Narayan temple. The temple is a beautiful structure in white, build in the 18th century. After that we will visit Aaina Mahal, the 18th-century palace which is turned into a museum now. After both the activities we shall have lunch from Bhuj town and then head towards our final destination for the day which is the White Desert of Rann where in a traditional Kutchi Cottage we shall be spending the night. The resort is 90 kms away from Bhuj and we should take approximately 2 hours to reach the spectacular White Desert which is the star attraction of this trip. The Great Rann of Kutch is a salt marsh in the Thar Desert in the Kutch District. It is about 7500 km2 (2900 sq miles) in the area and is reputed to be one of the largest salt deserts in the world. This area has been inhabited by the Kutchi people. Due to the salt the desert looks white in color making it a spectacular sight for the travelers.

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Swami Narayan Temple, Bhuj
Swami Narayan Temple, Bhuj
Swami Narayan Temple, Bhuj
Aina Mahal Palace
Prag Mahal inside Aina Mahal Complex
Prag Mahal inside Aina Mahal Complex
Aaina Mahal current state
Prag Mahal Interiors
Prag Mahal Interiors
Prag Mahal Interiors
The Great Rann of Kutch desert
The White Desert
The White Desert
The White Desert
The White Desert

Day : 4 - Drive to Dholavira

Night stay at F1 - Rann Resort Dholavira, Dholavira-Janan Road, Gujarat, India
Distance from days start -71 Kms.

Hotel - Rann Resort

Star Rating of Hotel :

Halt F1 - Rann Resort Dholavira, Dholavira-Janan Road, Gujarat, India
Distance from days start -71 Kms.

Activities - Dholavira Harappan Archeological site, Kutch Desert Sanctuary

Factors at the Halt include : Desert,Cultural / History,Wildlife.

On Day 4 we shall set out from the White Rann desert towards Dholavira which is technically an island called Khadirbet in the middle of the Rann of Kutch lake. Unfortunately since there is no direct connectivity we shall have to go all the way around the great lake of Rann of Kutch which takes more than 6 hours of drive. The drive to reach Dolavira is nothing short of spectacular with the salt lakes on both sides of the road. The views of the great salt lake from Dholavira is just overwhelming and the scenery here can get very dramatic. On reaching Dholavira we shall check into our resort where you can relax for the rest of the day.

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Drive to Dholavira
Dholavira Landscape
The view of the great lake
Salt lake beach at Dholavira
Sunset at Dholavira

Day : 5 - Exploring Dholavira

Halt G1 - Rann Resort Dholavira, Dholavira-Janan Road, Gujarat, India
Distance from days start -0 Kms.

Activities - Dholavira Harappan Archeological site, Kutch Desert Sanctuary

Factors at the Halt include :

On Day 5 we shall set about exploring the sights of Dholavira. Dholavira sits on the Tropic of Cancer which contributes to the presence of some interesting geographic features of the place. Dholovira Archeological site is one of the five largest Harappan sites and most prominent archaeological sites in India belonging to the Indus Valley Civilization. It is also considered as having been the grandest of cities of its time. The 47 ha (120 acres) quadrangular city lay between two seasonal streams, the Mansar in the north and Manhar in the south. The site was thought to be occupied from c.2650 BCE, declining slowly after about 2100 BCE, and to have been briefly abandoned then reoccupied until c.1450 BCE; however, recent research suggests the beginning of occupation around 3500 BCE (pre-Harappan) and continuity until around 1800 BCE. After exploring the archeological site we shall set out to explore the Kutch Desert Wildlife Sanctuary. It is the largest Wildlife Sanctuary in India areawise. It is one of the largest seasonal saline wetlands having an average water depth between 0.5 and 1.5 metres. By October–November each year, rain water dries up and the entire area turns into saline desert. The sanctuary supports wide variety of water birds and mammalian wildlife. The wildlife sanctuary is also otherwise known as the Flamingo city, owing to the large no of Flamingo population in the sanctuary. By late afternoon we shall proceed to the Dholavira Salt lake beach to enjoy the glorious sunset and then return to our resort to spend the night. Most resorts provide Gujarati traditional dancing and music in the night around a Bonfire. However the star attraction of spending the night here in the Kutch desert is always the astounding number of stars that you can view from here in the night.

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Dholavira archaeological site, remains of Harappa
Dholavira archaeological site, remains of Harappa
Dholavira archaeological site, remains of Harappa
Kutch Wild life sanctuary
Flamingos in Kutch Wild life sanctuary
Kutch Wild life sanctuary

Day : 6 - The Stepwells and Modhera

Halt H1 - Rani Ki Vav, Mohan Nagar Socity, Patan, Gujarat, India
Distance from days start -191 Kms.

Activities - Visit Rani Ki Vav Stepwell

Factors at the Halt include :

Halt I2 - Modhera Sun Temple, Mehsana - Becharaji Road, Highway, Modhera, Gujarat, India
Distance from days start -196 Kms.

Activities - Visit Modhera Sun Temple

Factors at the Halt include : Spiritual.

On Day 6 we shall set out early from our resort after breakfast to cover 2 very important sites on our way to Ahmedabad. The drive to Ahmedabad should take 8 hours literally the whole day. Our first stop would be the beautiful stepwell of Rani Ki Vav. The stepwell situated in the town of Patan which is en route to Ahmedabad from Dholavira. It is located on the banks of Saraswati river. Its construction is attributed to Udayamati, daughter of Khengara of Saurashtra, queen of the 11th-century Solanki dynasty and spouse of King Bhima I. Silted over, it was rediscovered in 1940s and restored in 1980s by the Archaeological Survey of India. It has been listed as one of UNESCO's World Heritage Sites since 2014. After the stepwell visit we shall proceed on and stop at a town called Modhera to visit the sun temple.The Sun Temple is dedicated to the solar deity Surya. It is situated on the bank of the river Pushpavati. It was built after 1026-27 CE during the reign of Bhima I of the Chaulukya dynasty. No worship is offered now and is a protected monument maintained by Archaeological Survey of India.

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Rani Ki Vav Stepwell
Rani Ki Vav Stepwell
Rani Ki Vav Stepwell
Sun Temple at Modhera
Sun Temple at Modhera
Sun Temple at Modhera
Sun Temple at Modhera
Ahmedabad City Night Views
Ahmedabad City Night Views

Day : 7 - A tour of Ahmedabad city

Halt K1 - Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India
Distance from days start -0 Kms.

Activities - Visit Sabarmati Ashram, Visit Dada Harir Vav Stepwell, Visit Hutheesing Jain Temple, Visit Adalaj Vav, Gandhinagar

Factors at the Halt include : Rivers / Lakes,Cultural / History.

On Day 7 we shall do a thorough tour of the city and the monuments of Ahmedabad city. We shall begin with visiting the Harir Vav stepwell. This step-well holds immense significance in the history of the area, as it provided water during long, dry seasons. Built in several storeys, beautiful picture carvings and texts in Sanskrit, as well as Arab script, adorn the walls. Our second stop for the day would be the Sabarmathi Ashram, the memorial of the great Mahathma Gandhi where he spend most of his life. The ashram is now a museum and open for visitors to view and understand the life of Gandhiji better. After that we shall visit the most famous of the stepwells, The Adalaj vav in Gandhinagar, which is the twin city of Ahmedabad and the capital of Gujarat state. Not just a water step-well, the Adalaj Vav in Gandhinagar was built in 1499 by Queen Rudabai, Vaghela Chief Veersinh’s wife as a water reservoir and a spiritual refuge. People visited Adalaj to fill water and offer prayers to the carvings of deities on the walls. An interesting aspect of this octagonal well is that it only allows light to touch the flight of steps only briefly for some time in the noon, through the small opening in the ceiling, making the temperature six degrees cooler than what’s on the outside. Designed in Indo-Islamic architecture, there are intricate floral designs on the walls beautifully merging with the Jain and Hindu symbolism. Particularly intriguing for visitors is the Kalp Vriksha carved out of a single slab of stone. Next we move on to visit the spectacular Akshardham temple. Swaminarayan Akshardham at Gandhinagar is a temple as well as a spiritual and cultural campus dedicated to devotion, education and unification. Timeless devotional messages and vibrant Hindu traditions are echoed in its art and architecture. The architecture and the structure of this temple is is a marvel. We shall also have a city tour of Gandhinagar, the capital city of Gujarat. Gandhinagar is a well planned beautiful city. After a short tour of Gandhinagr we shall wind up our tour for the day and return to our hotel for that well deserved rest after a packed day like this.

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Ahmedabad city views
Ahmedabad city views
Dada Harir Vav Stepwell
Dada Harir Vav Stepwell
Dada Harir Vav Stepwell
Dada Harir Vav Stepwell
Sabarmati Ashram
Sabarmati Ashram
Sabarmati Ashram
Adalaj Vav Stepwell
Adalaj Vav Stepwell
Adalaj Vav Stepwell
Adalaj Vav Stepwell
The Akshardham Campus
The Akshardham temple
Akshardham temple
Gandhinagar city
Gandhinagar city
Gandhinagar city views

Day : 8 - The last day of the trip

The last day in the city can be utilized for your shopping and further city tour. Street shopping is preferred by shoppers more and popular shopping categories include garments, Ornaments, jewellery and Accessories for women. Also Mukhvas and namkeen is among the popular shopping list item in Ahmedabad. When its time for your flight we shall head to the airport.