Gujarat · 9 Days
Gujarat — Classic Journey
The classic Gujarat trio — heritage, salt desert and lions — in nine days.
Day by Day
9 Days, In Full
Gujarat's three headline experiences in one route. Three nights in Ahmedabad and its Solanki day trip. Three nights at the White Rann. Two nights at Gir with a dawn safari. The journeys between them are long by road, but each place is worth the drive.
Ahmedabad
Arrive in Ahmedabad
Your driver meets you at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel airport. Ahmedabad became India's first UNESCO World Heritage City in 2017. Its old quarter is a maze of pols, or walled lanes of carved wooden havelis. Check in and rest. In the late afternoon, walk beside the Sabarmati river as the light softens. Dinner is a first taste of Gujarati cooking, sweet-savoury and mostly vegetarian.
Ahmedabad
Old Ahmedabad and Sabarmati Ashram
A full day in the walled city with a local guide. You visit the Jama Masjid and the Sidi Saiyyed Mosque, famous for its stone-lattice windows carved as trees. The pols come next, with their painted balconies and bird-feeding towers. After lunch, visit Sabarmati Ashram, Mahatma Gandhi's home on the river from 1917. It is plain, quiet and moving. Timings vary, so we confirm them on the day.
Ahmedabad
Modhera Sun Temple and Rani ki Vav
A day trip north into the old Solanki heartland. The Sun Temple at Modhera dates from the early 11th century. Its carved pillars and stepped tank are set to catch the sunrise. Then on to Patan, where Rani ki Vav is a UNESCO World Heritage stepwell. Its walls carry hundreds of carved sculptures, cut in the 11th century. The drive takes about two and a half hours each way. You are back in Ahmedabad by evening.
Ahmedabad → Dhordo
Ahmedabad to the Rann of Kutch
A long road day west into Kutch, about seven to eight hours with stops. The land opens out and turns to salt flats and scrub. Where flights to Bhuj are running, they cut the journey short, and we drive on from there. You reach Dhordo by late afternoon. It is the village at the edge of the Great Rann, the white salt desert. The tent city here is open for the Rann Utsav, roughly from November to March.
Dhordo
The White Rann at Sunset
The Great Rann of Kutch is a salt desert that floods each monsoon and dries to a flat white crust. It looks like snow under the sun. You are taken out in the late afternoon. A camel-cart ride, if you like, and then time to walk on the salt. The sun sets over an empty horizon. In the evening, the tent city hosts music and folk dance. Rann access and entry rules are set locally, so we confirm them on the day.
Dhordo
Kutch Craft Villages and Bhuj
A day of Kutch's living crafts. You drive to Bhuj and meet weavers and block-printers. Bhujodi is known for handloom shawls, and nearby villages for embroidery and ajrakh printing. In Bhuj, the Prag Mahal is a grand Italian Gothic palace begun in 1865, and Hamirsar Lake sits in the middle of town. The 2001 earthquake damaged much of the old city, and some sites are still being repaired. You are back at Dhordo for sunset.
Dhordo → Sasan Gir
Kutch to Gir
This is a full driving day, about eight hours, from the desert to the lion forest. The road crosses Saurashtra, and we break for lunch at Rajkot. It is long, and it is the price of seeing both. You arrive at the lodge by evening. The forest edge is quiet, with birdsong at dusk. Rest, and prepare for an early safari.
Sasan Gir
Gir Lion Safari
Gir is the last home of the Asiatic lion. You go in at dawn in an open jeep with a forest guide, on a safari of about three hours. Sightings are common but never guaranteed. Leopards, deer and many birds share the forest. Permits and slots are set by the forest department, so we book them well ahead. The park is closed from about mid-June to mid-October. The rest of the day is for the lodge, or for a second safari.
Sasan Gir
Depart from Gir
A final walk in the forest edge, then breakfast. The nearest airports are at Diu, about two hours away, and Rajkot, about three. Your driver leaves in good time for your flight.
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