[dmplog]

I must admit, this is my first Travelogue ever! I can't write long essays so I will keep the text to minimum and let the pictures do the talking!!

Prologue:
Back in May/June, the idea of winter vacation started taking fruition. Lot of options and debates later, we finalized that we would do a driving trip to Gujarat. We had 7 days of peak season 25-31 Dec at hand!! Of the available options between Taking a package tour, Driving down, we chose with driving option as it would be much more immersive and Value for money! Then preparation started in full swing - it included booking of train tickets, finalizing places to visit / stay, deciding on the route (BHPians were of great help, as always), booking of Self-drive, etc.

I went with Revv Self Drive rental as I had very good experience with them for a similar driving trip. It was on a bit expensive side because of peak season. But, I wanted a more reliable service than Zoomcar and others.


So, what did we experience in those 7 days?

• Awe-inspiring architectural wonders,
• raw wildlife,
• divine spirituality,
• breath-taking landscapes,
• pristine sunsets,
• colourful handicrafts and
• not to forget yummy Gujarati Food!

Places we visited?
Indus Valley Civilization: Lothal, an Port town and ASI Museum
Wildlife / Birding: Sasan Gir - Lion Safari, Flamingoes on the edge of LRK
Religious places : Somnath, Dwaraka, Bet Dwaraka, Akshardham
Gandhi Circuit: Porbandar and Sabarmati Ashram
Rann of Kutch: White Desert, India Bridge, Kalo Dungar,
Handicraft: Bhujodi Handicraft village, Shrujan, Ajrakhpur village
Architecture: Rani Ki Vav at Patan, Sun temple at Modhera




So, lets drive down!

[dmplog]

Day 1: Ahmedabad, Lothal and Gir

We reached Ahmedabad Railway station at 6:30am and went straightway to IRCTC Lounge to freshen up. This is a good facility to those who want to take some rest, freshen up and eat food and move off.
Our Revv Executive called us and was there at the right time. All the checks, photos of the vehicles, documentation, feature explanation done and we were on the way. It was a MH registered top end Marazzo M8.

Our plan for the day was:

• Sabarmati Gandhi Ashram in Ahmedabad
• Lothal Indus Valley Civilization site and
• reach Sasan Gir by evening

Sabarmati Ashram was very tranquil despite the hustle bustle of school children and tourists. View of clean Sabarmati river (and riverfront) was very pleasing.

Lothal was a revelation as I didn't expect the facility to be well managed. But, not only museum was in good condition, it had an Audio Visual show explaining the excavation and findings. This is a reminder of what humans were capable of 4000+ years ago - the engineering excellence and art!!



After having some sumptuous lunch at Hotel Tulsi at Bagodara, we pushed on the long drive to Sasan Gir.

One point to note here was - our Marazzo from Revv, came with a Speed Governor capped at 85kmph so all that remained was to put it on cruise control (thank god we got a top end!!) and hold the steering for long straights!!

[dmplog]

Day 2: Sasan Gir and Somnath Jyotirling

Main attraction was Lion Safari in Gir National Park followed by Somnath post lunch.



We were super lucky to have spotted 3 male lions at different locations of the Safari. As I was not sure of lion spotting, I had also booked a Bus Safari at Gir Interpretation Zone. Again more animals sighted..



Once animal safaris were done, we moved to Somnath. Prabhas Patan museum has a stunning collection of ancient temple remains. The highlight is the reconstructed 12th-century shrine from the main temple, complete with delicately carved ceilings. After seeing Somnath beach mesmarizing sun-set, it was time to visit main Somnath temple for Darshan and Light & Sound
show (voice of Mr. Big B).

[dmplog]

Day 3: Porbandar and Dwaraka

Our plan for the day was seeing Mahatma Gandhi's birthplace (Kirti Mandir) at Porbandar Dwaraka and then visit Dwaraka. We took the route via Keshod instead of coastal route as was advised by our T-BHP colleagues.



We left Somnath early morning and reached Porbandar town to see Kirti Mandir (Mahatma Gandhi's birth place). Please note, this place is in the heart of old section of Porbandar and taking a 4-wheeler is not advisable. Instead we kept our vehicle at Sudama Mandir Parking (paid parking) and took a rickshaw to Kirti Mandir.



After spending some time, we drove towards Dwaraka through some beautiful road which was dotted with lots of Windmills.




After reaching Dwaraka around noon,we had nice Kathiyawadi Thali...


With rest of the day with us to explore Dwaraka, we wondered how we should best utilize available time. Here, there are number of places one can visit apart from religious sites such as Lighthouse, Sudama Setu, Dwaraka Beach, etc. But, on advice of our Hotel manager, we decided to visit Bet Dwaraka and on return cover rest of the places including Dwarakadheesh Temple. But, this was a bad decision, as visiting Bet Dwaraka 'quickly' takes 4-5 hours min. The Ferry is so poorly managed and unsafe that I would actually advice not visiting it and instead spend more time in Dwaraka.

[dmplog]

Day 4: Long Drive to Kutch


This was the day when we did not had any sightseeing planned. Only drive!! So, we set out from Dwaraka in the early morning so that we could reach our resort / village stay before the dusk and enjoy the surroundings

While there was no sightseeing planned, we decided to stop en-route to Bhujodi which is famous for it's handicrafts, traditional kutchhi fabrics. We also visited Shrujan (read more (towards end) here (Captivating Kutch: A trip to Gujarat's outback.): ) and Ajrakhpur for Ajrakh printed fabrics!!



A special note about Shrujan Museum Link / Map Location - I found it to be one of best Museums I have ever seen at this scale. The attention to details and painstaking way the beauty of the local handicrafts is brought out is just phenomenal. If you want to understand various Kutchhi Handifrats and Arts, this is 'the' place to visit.





After a shopping stint at Bhujodi, we finally reached by 8pm at our resort - Banni Village Stay. To entertain us there were some local singers who sang traditional songs while we kept ourselves warm by the campfire!

[dmplog]

Day 5: White Desert, Rann Utsav, Kalo Dungar, and India Bridge



After yummy breakfast at our hotel, we set out for Kalo Dungar. Amidst flat, barren land of Kutch, Kalo Dungar comes as a pleasant respite. Peculiar rocks and vegetation breaks the monotony of yellow, sandy plains. Kalo Dungar provides nice views of desert.






After that we drove till India Bridge and had a brief interaction with our Jawans at BSF Post. This is the last place you can go without Permit.
White Desert is something out of this world. Pics speaks for themselves.

[dmplog]

Day 6: Rani ki Vav, Patan

Our plan was to leave early morning to reach by 3pm and see Rani ki Vav before retiring at our hotel in Patan.



On NH27 where the road touches Little Rann of Kutchh (~Lakhpat), we saw some birds on marshy lands. On looking carefully, we couldn't believe our luck. There were beautiful Flamingos!! Right on the edge of a national highway!



Rani Ki Vav (Queen's Stepwell) is a UNESCO World Heritage site that proves it's worth. It's mesmerizing and doesn't fail to amaze at every step - I mean literally! This 7 storied step well was discovered only in 1960 was built in 1032 by Queen Udaymati. The premises is very well kept and guides are available.

[dmplog]

Day 7: Sun Temple at Modhera, Adalaj Stepwell, and return

Last day of the trip.



Starts off with a magnificent Sun Temple at Modhera. A protected ASI monument that has 3 sections: Surya Kund, Sabha Mandap and Garbha Griha.








After spending more than an hour getting lost in incredible architecture of Sun Temple, we moved to next destination, another step-well "Adalaj Stepwell".



After completing some shopping, we proceeded towards Railway Station. Revv executive turned up , took photos and off he goes. I had to pay some money towards extra mileage which he said, I can pay later! Overall pleasant experience with Revv except for the speed governor.

Any feedback is welcome!!

[SDP]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[nvldvr]

Awesome pics. A great travelogue, thanks for sharing.
Hopefully I will do this circuit sooner than later.
Regards.

[NPV]

Thanks for this wonderful travelogue, I came across this today just as I was planning a Gujarat trip in the near future

[dmplog]

Originally Posted by NPV

Thanks for this wonderful travelogue, I came across this today just as I was planning a Gujarat trip in the near future

Glad you liked it! Hope you have a great trip too and don't forget to share your travelogue when you can. If you have any questions, specific query, please let me know - happy to share.

[NPV]

Originally Posted by dmplog

Glad you liked it! Hope you have a great trip too and don't forget to share your travelogue when you can. If you have any questions, specific query, please let me know - happy to share.

Our initial plan was just 1 day at Ahmedabad, the day we arrive from Bangalore. That day we planned to visit Gandhi Ashram Sabarmati, Adalaj step well and Akshardham. I’m now considering adding another day for visits to Rani Ki Vav (Patan) and Sun Temple, Modhera.

We would like to include the Statue of Unity and Lothal Harappan remains Archeological Society of India site as well, but the trip becomes too hectic.

Plan is to travel by air to Ahmedabad and then use a taxi to go around to various places for visits.

Also, for a visit to the Rann of Kutch, is it a good idea to stay at Bhuj or Dhordo?

[NPV]

Cross posting a query on visits to Dhordo and nearby places:
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/route...ml#post5685276 (Suggestion & Optimization for Gujarat Trip)

[Samfromindia]

Originally Posted by NPV

Plan is to travel by air to Ahmedabad and then use a taxi to go around to various places for visits.

Also, for a visit to the Rann of Kutch, is it a good idea to stay at Bhuj or Dhordo?

Rann Utsav happens in Dhordo, why stay at Bhuj ? Even if official tent city is sold out, there are plenty of good stay options right outside the white Rann. More details on my post here:

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/trave...ml#post5502666 (Rann Ke Rang | Featuring Ahmedabad)