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Trip Route
Ahmedabad-Velavadar-Gir-Dwarka-Muli-Mandvi-Bhuj-Kharaghoda-Ahmedabad
Highlights
- Visit the home of Mahatma Gandhi.
- Visit the religious sites of Palitana, Dwarka and Somanath temple.
- Enjoy the safari to Gir to watch the Asiatic lions in their natural habitat.
- Relax on the pristine beach of Mandvi.
- Visit the famous sites of ancient Indus Valley Civilization in Lothal and Dholavira.
- Enjoy the scenic beauty of Great Rann of Kutch and experience it varied tribal life.
Trip Plan
Day 01 Arrival Ahmedabad
Arrive Ahmedabad. Meet and assistance on arrival and transfer to hotel. Overnight at the hotel.
Day 02 Ahmedabad
Morning Sightseeing of city visiting Gandhi Ashram, Adalaj Step well, tombs of king and queen – walking tour of Ahmedabad old city. Overnight at hotel.
Day 03 Ahmedabad – Lothal – Velavadar
Morning leave for Lothal Indus Valley Civilization site and then to Velavadar. Check into resort.
Day 04 Velavadaar – Palitana – Gir
Morning drive to Gir enroute visiting Palitana Jain temples. Arrive Gir and check in at safari camp. Overnight at safari camp.
Day 05 Gir
Early morning safari. Return to camp for breakfast and then leave for Jambur Siddhi village. Return for lunch and afternoon safari. Evening Siddhi tribal dance at camp. Overnight at safari camp.
Day 06 Gir – Somnath – Porbandar – Dwarka
Early morning safari optional. After Breakfast leave for Somnath temple, then continue to Porbandar to see the home of Mahatma Gandhi and finally proceed to Dwarka. Visit the ghat and Dwarka temple in evening. Overnight at hotel.
Day 07 Dwarka – Beyt Dwarka – Gondal – Muli
Early morning visit the Dwarka temple by boat. Later drive to Gondal to see the temples and palaces and roam the old city and then proceed to Muli. Overnight at hotel.
Day 08 Muli
Morning visit the Swami Narayan temple, Raj Mahal palace at Wadhwan and village visit. Overnight at hotel
Day 09 Muli – Morbi – Mandvi
Morning drive to Mandvi, via Morbi, Bhadreshwar to Mandvi. Check into beach resort.
Day 10 Mandvi – Koteshwar – Narayan Sarovar – Bhuj
Morning visit the Vijay Vilas Mandvi palace, Bohter Jinalay jain temple and drive to Koteshwar – the extreme western most point of India. There is an old Shiva temple here and then drive to Bhuj. overnight at Safari lodge.
Day 11 Bhuj
Morning visit village of Aral for the Than Monastery, Sumrasar, Nirona, and a couple of other ethinic communities. Later visit the Swami Narayan temple, Aina mahal and museum in Bhuj. Overnight at Safari lodge.
Day 12 Bhuj
Morning visit Khavda hodka Dhordo Sherva Nara Sara Fakiranis jat village and the Great Rann. Overnight at Safari lodge.
Day 13 Bhuj – Dholavira –Kharaghoda
Very early morning drive to Dholavira to see the old Indus valley civilization site. Drive to Kharaghoda. Overnight at Kharaghoda.
Day 14 Kharaghoda
Early morning safari in the little Rann to see wild ass, desert fox. Return to desert outpost for breakfast. Afternoon safari of Little Rann. Overnight at Kharaghoda.
Day 15 Kharaghoda– Modera – Patan – Ahmedabad
Drive to Modera sun temple, then proceed to Patan to see the exquisite Rani ki vav step well and then drive to Ahmedabad. Overnight at hotel.
Day 16 Ahmedabad departure
Transfer to airport to board flight back to home.
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Western India
Gujarat Cities
Gujarat has been exposed to people from far off lands coming here to trade or settle, the Muslims, Zorastrians, Portugese etc. The cultural mix combined with over 4500 years of history has endowed Gujarat with some of the greatest historical and archaeological monuments. While Lothal offers an unparalleled insight of the Harappan civilization, Ahmedabad has specimens of Indo-Sarcenic architecture, Palitana has a profusion of temples in the Jain style, Junagadh displays Buddhist caves and Rajput architecture appears all over and the unique Rann of Kutch.
Ahmedabad was founded by Sultan Ahmed Shah on the banks of River Sabarmati in 1411 A.D. Ahmedabad is a bustling metropolitan and a fast growing economy, it still has deep rooted traditions and culture still seen everywhere. It is home to several interesting museums, a complex of cluster of neighbor-hoods called Pols in the old city
Lothal in the dialect of the local people, quite literally means 'the mound of the dead'. A find of tremendous archaeological significance, Lothal lies 85 kms. south west of Ahmedabad. Discovered in 1957, it has been proved to be the ruins of a full fledged settlement of the Harappan civilization dating as far back as the 2nd millennium B.C
Palitana is famed for its spectacular Jain temples. Palitana houses perhaps the largest cluster of Jain temples anywhere. From the base to the peak of the Shatrunjaya Hill, where the Palitana temples are located, there are approximately 3,500 steps to climb and on top there are about 900 temples.
Junagadh An ancient fortified city, Junagadh lies at the foot of the temple-studded Mount Girnar. Junagadh's main feature is the Uperkot fort (upper fort), a sombre fortress. Mount Girnar is considered very Holy and the climb up has approximately 9,999 steps to the top.
Sasangir home to the Asiatic lion has an area of 1424 sq. kms. Gir with its dry d eciduous forest is a rich ecosystem- with plenty of flora and fauna. Thirty species of mammals, twenty species of reptiles, several species of birds are found here. The forest is the only place in the world, outside Africa, where the lion can be seen in its natural habitat. Gir, the last refuge of the king of the jungle, is one of the largest and most important wildlife sanctuaries in India.
Gondal is a fortified town located on the river Gondali. One of the oldest and most beautiful of Gondal palaces, the Navlakha palace complex (17th century), is situated on the river bank.
Patan is an ancient fortified town, situated on the banks of the sacred Saraswati river. Founded in 746 AD., the most significant monuments are Rani ki Vav and Sahastralinga Talav. Patan is also famous for textiles as it is only here that the Patola, double ikkat weaving is done.
Kachchh District
A region with extremities, the Kachchh District extends from Salty marshes in the north and the Banni region (grasslands) in the central highlands to the coastal region along the Gulf of Kachchh.
Rann of Kachchh, with an area of 16,000 sq km, lying in Gujarat along the border with Pakistan is the world’s largest salt desert. It is unique and no place anywhere like it. It remains submerged in water during the rains and balance months its dry white salt desert. In the monsoon the Rann fills with water like a sea and Kutch then becomes an island. It then looks like a tortoise back, Kacchuo, which is where it gets its name from.
The Banni consisted of grasslands that covered a region of about 400 sq kms a few decades ago having many villages and supported large livestocks. Banni was formed when the north flowing rivers brought sedimentation and land was reclaimed. The villages in the Banni are called Jeels ( places with potable water).
Mandvi is one of the finest beaches on the Gujarat shoreline. The sea water is white and perfect for swimming. It is also centre to some textiles crafts like Bandhani (tie & dye) and the shipbuilding yard where Arabian Dhows are made using traditional techniques.
Bhuj is a typical example of a desert town located between two geographical features- Bhujiyo Dungar on the east and Hamisar Lake on the west. Bhuj was the capital of the former princely State of Kutch till 1947 AD. The Rajput rulers of Kutch came from Sindh or northern India in the late 15 th century and settled in Bhuj.
Little Rann of Kachchh - Kharagoda/Dasada Zinzuwada is a fortified town located at the southern edge of the little Ranna of Kutch. The fortification of Zinzuwada dates back to the 11th century AD. The town has four gateways in four directions: Madapol Gate, Rakshspol Gate, Harijan Gate and Dhama Gate.
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