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Originally Posted by NovemberKing_91
Day 1 |
Day 2
29th of December began with early morning tea being served. While the hosts were cooking up Poha, we made acquaintances with the other families which had arrived there already. Our itinerary for the day was one that would take us to two unique geographical features, through one of the most scenic routes ever imaginable.
At around 0945h, we were on our way towards the White Rann of Kutch, through the Rann of Kutch lake. This road is formally known as the Aadhav-Dholavira Road, more commonly, as the Road to Heaven. It is a 10 feet wide, under construction road that cuts across the lake joining the landmass near Khavda (where there is a petrol pump) to Dholavira. With water or dried sea bed, depending on the season, on either side, driving on this road is a pleasure to the senses.
![Vadodara to the White Rann of Kutch, via Dholavira | Tata Nexon-nexon-rth.jpeg](https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/attachments/travelogues/2258004d1686747306t-vadodara-white-rann-kutch-via-dholavira-tata-nexon-nexon-rth.jpeg)
The dried sea bed is white, due to the salt and it is so close to the road that I could actually get down and touch it. Since it was not completely dried out, the land is a bit mushy and you will sink a bit, so any thoughts of taking your car on to the Rann at this place, kindly throw it out immediately. Anyway, through this amazing road we went and arrived at the Khavda petrol pump.
Our car being the only petrol car waiting in line, got served quickly and we were on our way towards the White Rann, near the tent city of Dhordo. There is a road which borders the Rann, with absolute emptiness on either side from a little south of Khavda to effectively the gates of the White Rann, we found and took it. While the road surface is awesome and invites high speed driving, please be careful since it is also a single lane road and you have to move away from the road to the shoulder to give way for oncoming traffic, and the shoulder is a couple of inches below the tarmac, so caution is advised. There is a BSF checkpoint at the entrance to the White Rann where you must show your pass, which can be obtained online easily, or there itself at the checkpost. Past that, we arrived at the White Rann of Kutch.
![Vadodara to the White Rann of Kutch, via Dholavira | Tata Nexon-nexon-wrok.jpeg](https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/attachments/travelogues/2258006d1686747306t-vadodara-white-rann-kutch-via-dholavira-tata-nexon-nexon-wrok.jpeg)
As far as the eyes could see, right upto the horizon, it is white. The entire ground is white with salt crystals and quite a bit of crowd around. Despite the crowd, the Rann is so huge and space is so plentiful, it is easily possible to avoid fellow humans in the background of the photos if so desired. There are options to go into the Rann upto a few kms using camel or horse drawn carriages. There seemed to be provisions of driving on the Rann too, but I was not interested in that, so didn’t explore further. Toilet facilities are lacking at this spot. There is a toilet block nearby though, which is still in construction phase and lacks water supply, hence cleanliness. Toilets are available at the border check point and the tent city though, which should be accessible.
Next up, we had a 85 kms long trip to the next destination. En route, we stopped at the location where the Tropic of Cancer passes through and took a few photos.
![Vadodara to the White Rann of Kutch, via Dholavira | Tata Nexon-us-toc.jpeg](https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/attachments/travelogues/2258011d1686747306t-vadodara-white-rann-kutch-via-dholavira-tata-nexon-us-toc.jpeg)
Our destination was the Khari river canyon. This is a river canyon or gorge of sorts made by the Khari river. At its deepest, it is about 50 ft deep. While it is not as big as the famed river canyons, it is still an unique feature and a first for us, so naturally, we were thrilled to see it. We took photos to our hearts content and now, we turned back.
![Vadodara to the White Rann of Kutch, via Dholavira | Tata Nexon-khari-river-canyon.jpeg](https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/attachments/travelogues/2258010d1686747306t-vadodara-white-rann-kutch-via-dholavira-tata-nexon-khari-river-canyon.jpeg)
En route, we had a quick lunch at a roadside dhaba and were looking at a drive of about 200 kms back to the resort. One can go back the way they came, across the lake, we took the conventional route through the outskirts of Bhuj, Rapar, Balasar to reach our destination. Off course, night fell before we were anywhere near the resort. The roads are quite empty, which, provide you the confidence of driving quickly, also make you wary of the surroundings. Uneventfully, thankfully, we arrived back at our resort. The place is so pristine and has such little light pollution, stars are visible even in the dashcam’s video. We went out for a bit, switched off our lights and got off to admire the beautiful skies around, could identify a couple of constellations, saw a shooting star, then we felt cold and could hear foxes close by. My wife, not being fond of furry things, pets or otherwise, urged me strongly, to get back in the car, and hence we returned to the resort.
The second night, we stayed at the Flamingo resort, which was about 200m from the Khadir resort. The hosts are amazing and the fact that the stay at Flamingo caters to the residential school being run makes you feel good. After a hearty meal, we retired for the night. Next day, we would be visiting the nearly 5000 year old metropolis of Dholavira in the morning, and then drive back home to Vadodara. Long day ahead!