Viharin.com- Ship of the desert at White Rann

As our legendary actor Amitabh Bachchan used to say in the advertisement of Gujarat tourism,”कुछ दिन तो गुज़ारो गुजरात में!”  I had always wanted to see Vibrant Gujarat! Once decided, we all were craving to visit Gujarat. As the day of our flight approached , we all were super excited. All plans set, luggage packed, stays booked, vehicle done. Everything was scheduled. We had an evening flight. Soon we landed at the Ahmedabad Airport. From there, it was a 30 minutes run to our relatives house. They all were waiting for us. We loved the air. It was February so, quiet pleasant.  A very nice change that I and kids realized was that we could gaze at stars in the sky. That reminded me, there is a lot to do in Delhi to be able to gaze at infinite diamonds in the sky. Anyways, we reached our relatives house after an awesome journey in the car breathing the air of Ahmedabad. We ensured that all window glasses were down.

Tents lined up in a block

We had delicious food. A very interesting thing was that each chapati was super thin and soft. Plus I could see how neighbours mingled with each other. My aunts neighbours knew that we were coming. They specially came out of their house to greet us. It clearly showed love and respect people shared and how lives there were much relaxed rather than the super express lifestyle in Delhi. I felt so much at home. Could recall my childhood days when we had ample time for our family and friends.

Sparkling Rann Utsav at night in Rann of Kutch, Gujarat

Soon after dinner we slept as we had to reach Rann Utsav, The Dhordho Tent city in Rann of Kutch by noon next day. It was quite a long journey by car. We started at 6 am. Roads were neat and clean. Dhordho City was pretty far. I wondered how far will the road stretch be so smooth and seamless but it was indeed. To the furthest point we drove, roads were flawlessly clean and perfect. Our honourable Prime Minister Modi ji rightly exemplifies Gujarat I thought. After few hours, kids got fascinated to see large wind mills. Then there were birds flying in various uniform patterns. It was a lovely drive. We also saw salting procedure on the way.

Lions snoozing under the tree

Finally, we reached by 12.30 at Rann Utsav. Having spent full two days there, we reached back Ahmedabad to catch our train to Veraval. From Veraval, we reached Diu in two hours. Diu being a Union Territory, is not a part of Gujarat but is quite near. Having spent 3 days in Diu, we came down to visit Sasan Gir which was about 2 hours from Diu. After a lot of research and due to shortage of time, we decided not visit the core forest but a section of it called Devalia which has a sure shot showcase of Lions. As we didn’t want to loose a single chance we had to see a Lion, we decided to check out Devalia. Had we had two days with us, we would have definitely visited the core forest.

Arabian Sea behind Somnath Temple in Gujarat

After Sasan Gir, we headed towards Veraval. There is a world renowned Somnath Temple that we visited on the way back to Veraval. After the temple visit, we boarded our train to Ahmedabad. At Ahmedabad, we had a day which was utilized in seeing Dinasour Park and Zoo and buying some famous namkeens of Gujarat.

It was an awesome experience of lifetime. I highly recommend Gujarat to all. A must visit state of India at least once! कुछ दिन तो गुज़ारो गुजरात में!

Some insider tips for Gujarat trip

1. There is a lot to see in Gujarat and one can easily get confused. So, if you have less time, choose your sightseeing options before hand. Somnath Temple, Sasan Gir, Rann Utsav are a must visit

2. If you are planning to visit Rann Utsav, staying others is the best option as you remain in the action.

3. Best way to reach Rann Utsav is to reach by Air at Bhuj which is only 1.5 hrs away from Rann Utsav

4. Visit to White Rann is a must. Try if possible during full moon

5. Dont forget to buy namkeen of Gujarat. Ahmedabad is a good place to buy but you can search other places if Ahmedabad is not in plan. Khakhda and chiwda were my favourites amongst others.

6. Try and explore a good utensils shop

7. Before planning for Somnath Temple, please check temple’s admission criteria.

Nidhi KM

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