Gujarat Road Trip
Inspiration: Given that I have to take out my car once every week or at least a fortnight, just to keep it running and prevent battery from draining, it was not a very easy decision to buy a new car which would end with the same fate as the old one. But then the old car had completed 19 years and was nearing the expiry of its first extended registration period. So either I had to extend the registration for a further 5 year period or buy a new one. Finally succumbed to the lure of the new car and bought a compact SUV. Somehow managed to have multiple trips on Pune Mumbai Expressway in the first month to around 1000 kms to justify the first free servicing. Second free service was scheduled either on completion of 5000 kms or 6 months. It was highly unlikely that I would have completed even 2000 kms by the end of 6 months considering that the car was sitting idle in my parking as expected. So came the idea of doing a long road trip to explore all the features and enjoy the new car as well as fulfil the wanderlust.
Farthest I had driven my old car was to Dandeli and recently to Devgad. This time I wanted to travel further in the neighbouring states like Karnataka, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. Considering I had recently done local car trips (not self driven but by hiring cars with drivers) from Bangalore and Indore respectively, Gujarat was my obvious choice. Though I had previously visited Vadodara and Ahmedabad, rest of Gujarat was comparatively unexplored, especially the western Gujarat. Also statue of Unity was something that we wanted to visit. Thus started the planning for the Gujarat road trip.
Planning: Once Gujarat was finalised as the destination, first thing that came to mind, apart from Statue of Unity, was to visit Rann of Kutch as it was the time of Rann Utsav. Dhorado the place where tent city is located is farthest and close to Pakistan border. After studying the map of Gujarat I realised that most of the known places of interest in Gujarat, like Dwaraka, Somanath, Girnar, Gir wildlife sanctuary lie along the southern facing coastline of Gujarat. Watched few videos on YouTube about Rann Utsav as well as other places of interest in Gujarat and checked itineraries of few travel and tour companies. Also checked Gujarat tourism website which is quite good. Thereafter with the help of Google maps identified the distances and travel times between various places of attractions that I had shortlisted and made a tentative itinerary. Also identified places where advanced booking is necessary/recommended. But my plan was to keep the plan/itinerary flexible and not book hotels or entry tickets in advance. Typically I had planned maximum 4-5 hours of driving in a day except for the first and the last day, as I was the only driver. Here is the initial plan that I arrived at assuming we will start the journey on 22nd January 2024 from Gorai, Mumbai.
Travel: Original plan got delayed due to some family functions/commitments and finally we started the journey on 10th February 2024 and the actual trip did deviate a little from the original plan as it was expected to be flexible depending on the experiences and the prevailing conditions, mood etc. The details of the actual trip are as follows:
Day 1: Sunday 11th Feb 24
Pune - Surat via Thane - Ghodbandar Road - Dahisar.
Distance: 418 km, Time 7:30 am to 4:00 pm
Unlike the original plan the starting point was our home in Pune. We started at 7.30 am on Sunday morning and till we hit the Dahisar toll naka it was a smooth sailing. But after Dahisar toll naka concrete roads being built resulted into single lanes with bumper to bumper traffic jams full of heavy vehicles. Google was showing Nashik route to Surat but two hours extra hence we had opted for Dahisar route but it turned out to be a bad decision, not timewise but driving wise. This work will carry on for at least couple of years. Better to avoid this route. Had avoided the temptation of having a breakfast at our favourite Shree Datta Snacks at food mall on Pune Mumbai expressway but to our pleasant surprise found their branch at Manor on Western Express highway and had our favourite food items at our usual lunch time of around 11.30 am. I had marked a few hotels in Surat, based on proximity to Surat cloth market and famous eateries, on booking and makemytrip apps. Finalised and checked in at one of these hotels after inspection of the rooms and negotiating the prices based on listed prices on the apps. Weighed our options of how to spend the evening and what places to visit. Being Sunday the cloth markets were closed. Recommended option was to go to Dumas beach but instead of driving 22 kms to the beach we chose to visit Gopi Talav on foot from the hotel. First impression was not good considering that Surat is the current winner of the cleanest city in India, jointly with Indore. Maybe the construction work on the main road had necessitated us to navigate through narrow lanes lined up with old chawl like buildings. These roads were bustling with people sitting on steps (females) or standing outside in groups and many playing cricket in the middle of these narrow lanes. Rikshaws and two wheelers navigating nonchalantly through these chaotic lanes. There was quite a crowd at the entrance of Gopi talav to buy entry tickets. Being Sunday evening might have contributed to this crowd. Talav was quite clean and had a food court, boating, kid’s playground, fountains a temple and an old well in it’s compound. Some lighting adds to the appeal after sunset. Had dinner at Bhagat Tarachand on Ring road before returning to the hotel. Booked a ticket for the Tuesday 9 am ferry from Hajira to Ghogha for the car and Sleeper tickets for both of us (a big mistake) before retiring for the day.
Day2: Monday 12th Feb 24
Surat sightseeing
Today’s plan was to explore and shop at Surat’s famous cloth markets and eat some specific Surati delicacies. Started the day with a visit to Gopal Locho outlet near Ring Road/Surat station. Locho is an outcome of failed Khaman preparation. It is like semi cooked Khaman batter with upma like consistency added with few spices and served with a green chutney. Then there are variations like Butter locho, cheese locho etc. Being a Khaman lover I was eager to try it and did like the butter locho that we ordered along with few other dishes like Idada (essentially thin white Khaman), Surati Sev Khamani (crushed khaman with garlic and few other spices sprinkled with sev and pomegranate pearls, you may know it as Amiri Khaman) and Raswala Khaman. Topped it with a Cold Coco drink and our brunch was done. We then wanted to visit the famous Cloth Market which was quite next door to our hotel on Ring road. But despite queries at the reception of the hotel and rikshawwallas nobody could guide us about the best market for retail shopping. There were huge buildings lined up along both sides of ring road with different cloth market names but as we found out all of these were wholesale markets. Most of the shops having direct opening to the road (very few) had signboards saying only wholesale queries. So finally we relied on the information from one of my relatives and proceeded to Old Bombay Cloth Market. It was an old building with cluster of retail shops inside. Most of the shops are full with bridal wear like Sarees and Lehenga Cholis or traditional men’s wear for marriages or festive occasions. Did some shopping to justify the visit as there were very few shops selling casual wear. Got to know of couple of places for shopping of imitation jewellery etc. from the shopkeepers there and then we visited one of them called Baroda Prestige Market. It is nothing but Surat’s version of Tulsibaug. Had some Sheradi nu ras (Sugarcane juice) from the shop at the entrance of the market. Actual juice extractor machine was probably a floor above and the delivery mechanism was through pipes and multiple taps attached to these pipes. Like on the tap brewery. After some token shopping went back to hotel for some rest. In the evening went to BAPS Swaminarayan temple which is on the other side of Tapi river and then walked back over one of the bridges and with the help of google maps went to Jamanadas Ghariwala mithai shop to buy some Pista and Mava Ghari. Google showed Dutch Garden and Surat fort as places of attractions located on the banks of the river but after seeing Dutch Garden skipped a visit to Surat fort which we had seen from the outside on the way to and back from the temple. Post Ghari shopping we came back to the wholesale cloth markets on ring road and on the recommendation by someone outside a wholesale shop we went to one of the wholesale markets called RKT market where it was suggested that we will get retailers along with wholesalers. The visit was a waste from shopping purpose as we couldn’t find any retailer there but it gave us a glimpse of how big the wholesale textile market in Surat is. Ring road was full of tempos being loaded with bundles of clothes. Traffic was big chaos. Had there been no flyover, can’t imagine what the traffic situation would be. Anyway by the time our attempt of finding retailers failed it was time for dinner. Had dinner at Purohit Thali on ring road and then went back to our hotel. It was time to decide whether we would stay at Bhavnagar and visit Shatrunjay Hill the next day as per original plan to shortlist the hotels to stay. Shatrunjay Hill has around 1000 Jain temples and is one of the holiest pilgrimage places of Jains. One has to climb around 2500 steps to reach the top. We had to make a choice between Shatrunjay and Girnar hills as both have almost same no of steps to climb and doing both 2 days apart would have been a challenge both for my wife as well as for me as climbing down the steps puts a lot of pressure on the knees and I suffer from knee pain as well as face trouble in walking. Being the only driver it would have risked the whole trip so we decided to drop the original plan to stay at Bhavnagar and planned to drive straight to Diu from Ghogha after alighting from the ferry.
Day 3: Tuesday 13th Feb 24
Surat – Diu via Hazira – Ghogha Ferry
Distance: Surat - Hazira: 37 km, Time 7:00 am to 8:10 am, Ghogha to Diu: 201 km, Time 1:30 pm to 5:00 pm
Checked out from our hotel around 7 am and drove down to Hazira Ferry terminal, with a stop at petrol pump. The departure time of the ferry was 9 am but reporting time for the passengers with vehicles was 8 am. We reached around 8.10 am. It was a first time experience of driving a car into a ferry. Ferry had 3 decks. Lowest being the vehicle deck, above it the passenger deck and open deck atop it. After leaving our vehicle at the bottom deck we went to passenger deck and realised my mistake in booking Sleeper seats. While booking the seats there was a screen to choose the seats where probably it depicts the seating arrangement pictorially. The way we see for Airline or even bus booking. But on Safari browser on my iPhone it was not getting loaded. Since Sleeper cost was more than executive class seats I imagined them to be seats that can be converted into sleeper by reclining them. So I went ahead and booked the tickets without selecting the seat nos and allowing the system to auto allocate. In reality they were fixed sleeper seats like you get in sleeper coaches in railway or in buses. They were quite cramped and didn’t have enough headroom to comfortably sit instead of lying down. Spending 4-5 hours lying down in the morning 9 o’clock was not a good idea. So I checked if there are seats elsewhere where we can sit through the journey. There were few sofas in the Reception area that were already occupied and then there were table chairs in cafeteria. Upper deck had lot of seats, but upper deck was not accessible for first half an hour. Also it was quite windy there, which we visited later. Apart from these options there were the Executive Class, Business Class and VIP Lounge. Seating arrangements in all three were quite good. Checked if I can downgrade or upgrade to any of these classes at the reception and was told that only VIP lounge seats were available. In fact only 4 seats were booked and the rest of it was empty. Paid the difference and upgraded to VIP lounge and found that we had the whole lounge to ourselves. Only one more passenger came later. It is located on the front of the deck with front facing glass windows. Food coupons were included in the Lounge tickets and food was served at our seats. Whereas others had to go to the Cafeteria and buy their food. There was a TV in all classes (except sleeper of course) repeating the same clips from a few comedy movies. Found out later that a few exclusive cabins can also be booked for a group. Must be at a price but the facility is available. After a comfortable journey of 4+ hours we reached Ghogha ferry terminal around 13:30 hrs and started our journey towards Diu as decided the day before. Most of this road was newly laid out concrete road with diversions where flyovers were being built near any villages, which were very few and far in between. Very few signboards, if any, and hardly any traffic. You only had to keep a watch for a stray motorcycle or a tempo coming in opposite direction in the first lane either because they were diverted or just because they could. This was a trend that we observed throughout our later journey. We reached in Diu around 5 pm and checked into a hotel with sea facing room with a balcony in Diu fort area. After freshening up we set out for a visit to Khukri Memorial which is also a Sunset viewpoint and has a beach. INS Khukri sunk near Diu in 1971 war when it was hit by torpedoes fired by Pakistani submarine. Almost 200 Indian Navy sailors and officers were martyred. This memorial is a replica of INS Khukri in a glass enclosure with names of all martyrs, atop a small hillock near Chakratirth beach. It is a must visit place for its serenity, beach and sunset. We returned to our hotel after sunset and had dinner and post dinner stroll. Diu being Union Territory surrounded by dry state Gujarat, must be frequented by liquor deprived people living around Diu. So there are quite a few shops catering to this specific kind of clientele. Considering we were going to visit Sasan Gir tried to book Lion Safari but none were available. I filled up an enquiry form on one of the private websites to check the availability with them. One has to book it at least a month in advance but with a flexible plan and no fixed itinerary, it was not possible for us to book it so much in advance. We decided to try Devalia Bus Safari instead, where it is more likely to get a glimpse of lions.
Day 4: Wednesday 14th Feb 24
Diu-Somnath-Sasan Gir-Junagadh
We checked out of the hotel in Diu and headed towards Somnath after a quick peek at Nagoa beach in Diu. After around 2 hour drive we reached Somnath. There is a huge well developed paid parking area near the temple, with a cafeteria. The temple and it’s surrounding area is well guarded with boundary walls. There is a free locker facility for keeping mobiles or any digital items (I was sent back by the security because I was carrying my digital car keys) and a free secure shoe stand. After security check you enter the temple campus which is very clean and well maintained. You can have your photos taken, with temple in the background, by authorised photographers that have been allocated specific area in one corner. After darshan in the Mandir which is one of the 12 jyotirlingas, one can buy different type of prasad at the counter at the exit from the temple (a very slow moving queue here, better buy it at the alternate counters at the exit of the campus), view the photo gallery with photos and description of all jyotirlingas and take a stroll at the back of the temple along the sea. When you exit the temple complex and collect your belongings from the locker just a few meters ahead there is a path on the right that leads to the beach. A concrete pathway is built along the shoreline that leads to the back of the temple. You can hire a bicycle or take a long walk along this path if interested. We opted for couple of photos and headed back to the parking complex. After having lunch at the cafeteria it was time to leave Somnath for Sasan Gir. Before that we paid a quick visit to Triveni sangam which is located 100-200 metres on the right of parking area exit. Triveni Sangam marks the confluence of rivers Hiran, Kapila and the Saraswati, where they meet the Arabian Sea on the west coast. There is a Ram Temple as well which we skipped. We enquired about the significance of Veraval which was not very far but didn’t get any answers compelling us to visit but later came to know that Bhalka Tirtha is located there. It is the place where Krishna took his last breath. It is said that he was killed by an arrow shot by a hunter named Jara, with Krishna's body suffering severe and subsequently fatal injuries. So if interested do visit.
Just when we started towards Sasan Gir sales person from the company that arranges the safaris called me based on the details I had filled up on their website. He said that there were no afternoon slots available for the safari that day but a couple of days later slots were available.
5-6 km before Sasan Gir Lion Safari we found a few open jeeps lined up on the side of the road and one of the drivers waved at us to stop. He offered us a 2 hour jeep safari at a price of Rs 2200/- in the buffer zone as the core area is reserved for the official government operated jeep safaris which were fully booked. We were actually planning to reach another lion safari near Junagadh. But reaching there before 3.00 pm would have been touch and go situation, so we opted to take the offer and had a two hour Safari in the buffer zone of Sasan Gir itself. The driver took us through a dirt road and we crossed a river over a small dam. Many crocodiles were resting on one shore of the river. We crossed a village and reached a proper tar road at the other end. This road with jungle on both sides lead us to the gate of Devaliya Bus Safari gate. This road is open to all vehicular traffic till 6 pm, so we could have easily come by our own vehicle instead of shelling out 2200 rupees for this jeep safari. We only saw a few deers and a wild boar. After the flop safari experience we visited the Sasan Gir lion safari office and enquired if there is any way to get accommodated in any jeep safaris that had empty seats but to no avail. We met a person who told us that instead of opting for normal highway route to Junagadh we can take a detour and go via a dirt road through the jungle adjoining Sasan gir core area. It is a 17 km dirt road that requires a permit that is free and issued at the gate. We booked our tickets for next day morning 7-8 am slot for Girnar Ropeway before taking this route. Saw plenty of deers and peacocks and a neelgay from a very close proximity. Please note that you are instructed not to stop the car and finish the dirt track in 50 minutes. We took 1 hour though and had to submit the paper permit at the exit gate. Thereafter google maps guided us through very narrow tar roads through fields to highway that led us to Junagadh. We stayed at a hotel near the bus station that had a separate restaurant. Restaurant was decorated for the Valentine’s Day and Food as well as service was excellent. Post dinner went for a stroll to find an ice cream parlour and found a good one. Returned to the hotel and retired for the day.
Day 5: Thursday 15th Feb 24
Girnar
Woke up early as we had booked tickets for 7-8 am slot for the ropeway of Girnar. Had received contradictory advice about taking our car to the ropeway which is 4-5 kms away. So instead of taking our car went by rikshaw to the ropeway and found that it had ample parking space for cars. Just as we alighted and walked towards the ropeway entrance I got an SMS that due to heavy winds Ropeway was closed. Still we went to the entrance and was told by security that they will inspect / review the weather conditions around 9.30 am. So we should enquire later. He also instructed us to write our contact details in the register so that they will call us if and when ropeway starts again. He categorically said that we will not receive any SMS informing us about resumption of ropeway services. So we entered our contact details in the register and returned back to our hotel to rest for a while. Around 9.15 or so I checked my phone and found that an SMS was received around 8 am itself that the ropeway services were started. We then decided to have brunch before going back to the ropeway and reached ropeway around 10 am. Plastic is banned on the Girnar so security opened our bags and all packed Snacks or food items in plastic wrappers were removed from wrappers and filled into paper bags. So beware and carry your water or snacks/food items in steel containers or hard plastic containers/bottles. The ropeway takes around 10 minutes to take you to the top where Ambaji temple is located. You skip 5500 steps if you go by ropeway. Jain temple complex is around 1100 steps down from this place. For Girnar you have to climb 2200 steps but you don’t start climbing from Ambaji temple. Ambaji temple, Gorakhnath Samadhi and Girnar temple are at almost same altitude but situated atop three different pinnacles very close to each other if you consider as a crow flies distance. For Gorakhnath samadhi you hardly climb down a few steps walk straight for a short distance and then climb up few more steps than the ones you climbed down. But from Samadhi there is a steep descent and then steeper ascent to the Girnar temple. These must be around 2200 steps. Lunch is served at the bottom of these steps if one is interested. The temple itself is a very small structure with hardly 100 sq ft area with paduka at the centre and pradakshina marg around it, which can house only 5-6 devotees at a time. It took us around 1:15 hrs to reach the Girnar temple from Ambaji Temple and similar amount of time for the return journey which was more tiring due to the scorching Sun. After a refreshing cold drink and a few photographs of surroundings We came down by ropeway to the bottom. One can buy only one way ticket of the ropeway if they intend to climb down the steps on their return journey and visit the jain temples on the way down. There are devotees that don’t use ropeway at all but start early to avoid Sun. There is a parikrama marg at the bottom which must take a lot of time for the full parikrama of Girnar mountain. We spent rest of the afternoon/evening taking rest at the hotel. Booked 1 night 2 days package of Ranutsav at Tent City for 19th Feb. Had dinner at the same restaurant and then visited same icecream parlour before retiring for the day.
Day 6: Friday 16th Feb 24
Junagadh-Porbandar-Dwaraka-Beyt Dwaraka-Dwaraka
Distance: Junagadh - Porbandar: 107 km, Time 8:05 am to 10:05 am, Porbandar-Dwaraka: 103 km, Time 12:15 pm to 13:50 pm, Dwaraka - Nageshwar Mahadev Temple: 16 km Time 02:50 pm to 03:20 pm, Nageshwar Mahadev Temple - Gopi Talav - Okha: 25 km, Time: 03:50 pm to 04:40 pm, Okha - Dwaraka: 31 km, Time 07:00 pm to 07:45 pm
Started around 8 am towards Porbandar. Visited Sudama temple, which is also the birthplace of Sudama, situated in the middle of the town. Thereafter visited Kirti Mandir which is a Gandhi memorial built at the birthplace of Gandhiji. Most of the restaurants were either closed or had not started serving lunch but found a small Pizza burger joint that served us a good pizza meal. Post lunch we started towards Dwaraka. Found a good hotel at a walking distance from the Dwarakadheesh temple. We had a choice of visiting the temple in the evening as it closes down in the afternoon and visit the Nageshwar temple, Gopi Talav and Beyt Dwaraka next day morning and going to Jamnagar directly. But it would mean late departure towards Jamnagar so we decided to cover Nageshwar temple, Gopi Talav, Beyt Dwaraka that evening and leave Dwarakadheesh temple visit for the next day morning. So without wasting much time after check-in we started towards Beyt Dwaraka. First we paid a isit to Nageshwar Mahadev Temple which is around 14 km away from Dwaraka. It is one of the 12 Jyotirlingas. It is said that Krishna used to worship Shiva at this temple. In stark contrast to Somnath temple this temple was not managed by government. Thereafter we visited Gopi Talav. There are many temples on the way to this Talav from the main road/parking. Pandes outside each temple lure you to pay a visit to their temple by siting some stories and selling you that their temple is the main temple. Reminded me of Mathura. Ignoring all these calls we quickly paid a visit to the talav and proceeded towards Okha from where boats take you to the Beyt Dwaraka. Road on this route to Okha from Dwaraka is not so good. After parking our car at the Okha port. We walked down to the pier and bought tickets for the boat for Beyt Dwaraka. This is a good 1.5 km walk. The boat is filled to the brim and you are given a life jacket for this 30 min journey. On the island you walk another 1.5 km or so to reach the Dwarakadheesh temple. Rikshaw drivers will try to lure you by offering you a ride to 3 temples. Don’t fall for it. All these temples are part of the same temple complex. Also you will find many places offering locker facility for your mobiles which are not allowed inside the temple. Again wait till you reach temple premises. There is official locker service available there. When we reached inside the temple the deity was hidden from the view by closed curtains on the premise that bhagwan ko bhog chadha rahe hai. So we had to wait for 10-15 minute for the darshan. In the meanwhile some stories were told about the temple. After darshan one of the purohits took the whole group to adjoining Rukmini temple and then we were made to sit in the Sudama temple next to it. We were told that this being Lord Krishna’s residence was the main temple whereas Dwaraka is where he ran the kingdom and it was his darbar. Sudama temple is where Sudama met Krishna and offered him poha. Then there was a plea to donate money for chawal. The whole 15-20 minutes talk felt like emotional blackmail to extract maximum money from the people. After this bitter experience we returned to the pier and boarded the boat that was already filled to the brim. This return journey from the island was on the lovely backdrop of the newly built bridge from Okha to island (inauguration of this bridge by Modi was scheduled on 25th Feb, just a week later) and glorious sunset behind the bridge, with seagulls hovering over and besides the boat to catch the feed offered by the travellers. Water in this sea is bluish unlike most of the west coast which is quite muddy. We drove back to our hotel in Dwaraka by the shortest route which has a very good and wider road, unlike the Nageshwar temple route. Had dinner at Kamat restaurant opposite our hotel and were disappointed with the taste of the south indian dishes served. Came back to our hotel and reviewed our plan for the next day. Earlier while on the trip had dropped the idea of going to Rajkot which was part of the original plan and decided to stay in Jamnagar after checking must visit places at Rajkot, as it was an unnecessary detour from the route to Bhuj. Just reconfirmed this decision and retired for the day.
Day 7: Saturday 17th Feb 24
Dwaraka-Jamnagar
Distance: Dwaraka-Rukmini Temple-Shivrajpur Beach: 14 km, Time 9:35 am to 10:10 am, Shivrajpur Beach- Dwaraka: 13 km, Time 10:30 am to 10:45 am, Dwaraka-Khambalia: 96 km Time 11:15 am to 12:40 pm, Khambalia-Jamnagar: 45 km, Time 01:15 pm to 02:35 pm
In the morning walked down to the Dwarakadheesh temple. Kept our mobiles in the locker facility and went inside the temple complex. After the darshan at the main temple spent some time at Sharadapeeth of Shankaracharya. Bought prasad here and after spending some time in the temple complex came out and collected our mobiles. After a few photos of the temple we walked down to the Gomati ghat/sangam. Where Gomati river meets the sea. There is a small temple at the corner of this sangam. Many people were having a bath at the ghat. From Gomati ghat we walked back to our hotel. On the way back we came across Maharashtra Mandal’s hotel which was quite close to our hotel. We checked out and first we paid a visit to Rukmini temple located just in the outskirts of Dwaraka. Then we paid a quick visit to Shivrajpur beach. A vey long stretch of sand beach with proper parking facility and paid entry with bathroom facility. But all the other shacks and adventure activity stalls are quite far from this entry point. At least 1-1.5 km of walk on beach. It was a beautiful beach but being morning time very few people were there. It must be comparatively busy in the evenings. After this visit we returned to Dwaraka and then left for Jamnagar after having a quick brunch. Around 1 pm we saw and stopped at a beautiful marble jain temple at Khambalia. Unlike the Krishna temples in Dwaraka this was open in the afternoon with hardly any visitors. After spending some time and taking rest in the car we proceeded to Jamnagar. There is a big campus of Swaminarayan temple on the right side of the road as we enter Jamnagar but this temple was closed in the afternoon so we had to either visit it in the evening or drop it altogether. We then checked into a hotel that we had shortlisted on MMT. After resting for a few hours we walked to the Lakhota Lake and spent the evening in Lakhota Palace/Museum which is at the centre of the lake and the garden around the lake. It is a must visit place in Jamnagar. Ask for a demo of the mysterious water storage system in this palace. I am glad we chose this over visiting Swaminarayan temple in the evening. After sunset we had dinner at a restaurant near our hotel followed by some wonderful variety of icecreams and kulfis at Shriram Dairy Ice Cream parlour. Walked down to our hotel and retired for the day.
Day 8: Sunday 18th Feb 24
Jamnagar-Bhuj
Distance: Jamnagar-Bhujodi: 260 km, Time 7:30 am to 11:45 am, Bhujodi-Bhuj: 9 km, Time 01:35 pm to 02:05 pm
After a quick deliberation on whether to visit Swaminarayan temple before going to Bhuj, decided to drop it and proceed directly towards Bhuj as the temple was in the opposite direction. Didn’t find good restaurants on the way and decided to eat at a comparatively better restaurant and just after having lunch there and continuing the journey there were so many options of decent restaurants and known fastfood joints that we repented our decision to eat at the joint. This route had comparatively higher traffic of trucks as the roads were leading towards ports. Just 7-8 kms before Bhuj there is village on the left called Bhujodi which is famous for its traditional handloom weaved shawls, sarees and clothes. It also has a Vande Mataram Memorial, which houses a replica of India’s old parliament building, a museum and a park with shops of different handicraft items including different clothes, shawls, sarees, pottery, mirror art, leather items, metal articles etc. We spent some time in this memorial and then had lunch in the restaurant within the premises. It hardly took us few minutes to reach Bhuj from Bhujodi but it took us quite some time to find a hotel with good clean toilet. That is one of our main criterias before finalising the hotel. After visiting several hotels we finally returned to one of the hotels we had checked initially. Our conclusion was that the water in Bhuj must be hard water. The hotel promised to do acid wash but it did not make any significant difference. Otherwise the hotel was quite good. After some rest we first visited the Aaina Mahal and Prag Palace which are besides each other. Aaina mahal is quite an old structure whereas Prag Mahal has influence of British architecture. It is quite big. Worth a visit. Then we went to the Earthquake museum. It is built in memory of devastating earthquake in Bhuj and the rebuilding efforts thereafter. It is a world class museum that showcases all aspects of Bhuj geology and earthquakes through a conducted tour lasting around 2 hours. Had dinner at Burger Singh located in the mall opposite to this museum. There are many restaurant options in the same mall to suit your food preferences. Returned to hotel and retired for the day.
Day 9: Monday 19th Feb 24
Bhuj-Dhordo Tent City
Distance: Bhuj - Dhordo Tent City: 97 km, Time 10:35 am to 12:25 pm,
Checkin time for Tent City, Dhorado was 12:30 pm and it was 81 km away from Bhuj so we had time till 10.30-11 am to explore Bhuj. Since breakfast was included in this hotel we had buffet breakfast which was quite good. Then we decided to explore a gorge which is on the way to Bhuj airport, only 5-6 kms from our hotel. Spent some time taking photos of this gorge in the Bhuj river that has naturally formed contours in the rocky banks. Then we decided to visit Swaminarayan temple of Bhuj as we had skipped the Jamnagar one. We had seen a road leading to a temple, which we thought was Swaminarayan temple, on the way to Bhuj just after Bhujodi. But google took us to a different smaller Swaminarayan temple instead which we skipped and went to the one we were trying to find. That road lead us to a small village that had very colourful Shiva temple and similarly painted residential building. After navigating our car through narrow lanes of the village we came back to the highway and returned to Bhuj hotel. Checked out and started towards Tent City, Dhorado. We should have filled the tank wihh petrol in the petrol pump within the city. When we passed our car indicated that we could still travel 120 kms so thought will refuel on the way rather than this petrol pump. Turned out a bad decision as there isn’t any petrol pump till Bhirandiara where you have to turn left towards Dhordo. Once you leave Bhuj there is only Indian Airforce colony at the outskirts and then the whole road is through barren land or rann. Bhirandiara is 55 kms away. We checked for the nearest petrol pump and came to know it is 20 km ahead at Khavada but that meant instead turning left we had to continue straight, fill the petrol and come back. Alternately we could buy petrol sold in the shops there at higher rates. After calculating the distances and available petrol it was touch and go situation. We could have made it to Khavada on our onward journey to Dholavira but there was a danger that we may have fallen short and tank would go dry before that. So decided to first go to to Dhavada and refuel. After that google showed us a direct road from Dhavada to Dhorado of around 28 kms. Which saved us some extra distance and fuel. It was through the rann and we reached well before our checkin time at Tent City. Our luggage was deposited at the entrance and was transported to our tents directly. We completed checkin process and were taken to our tent by an electric vehicle. Our luggage had already arrived. After settling down we had buffet lunch in huge dining hall. After lunch checked various shops of handicrafts and clothes and other facilities in the tent city. Post lunch rested in tents as it was quite hot outside. At 5 pm we were taken to the Rann of Kutch which hardly 10 minutes away by bus. Then another 10 minute ride by a camel cart landed us in the midst of white rann of kutch. After plenty of photos and witnessing sunset we returned back to the tent city by bus. Post dinner at 9 pm there was cultural program at the cultural centre. Different artists performed folk songs and folk dances and there were some fun n games too. There were various stalls of Mehendi massage stargazing etc. After the cultural program we returned to our tents and retired for the day.
Day 10: Tuesday 20th Feb 24
Dhordo Tent City-Kaalo Dungar-Dholavira-Patan
Distance: Dhordo Tent City-Kaalo Dungar: 46 km, Time 09:10 am to 10:05 am, Kaalo Dungar-Dholavira: 74 km, Time 10:40 am to 12:35 pm, Dholavira-Patan: 235 km Time 01:25 pm to 05:45 pm
Yoga was scheduled early morning but we skipped it and had breakfast that would serve as the brunch for the day and then checked out. Car needed a good wash and fortunately it was wet due to dew. So after cleaning the car, we set out for Kaalo Dungar. It is the highest point in Kutch which has a Datta mandir and a view of Dholavira lake. Weather was hazy and did not offer us a very clear view of the lake. Last village on the pakistan border and BSF posts are also visible from there and few locals were offering to view them closely through binoculars on rent. After visiting Kaalo dungar we embarked on our journey towards Dholavira which is the archaeological site of harrappan civilisation era. There is a signboard ‘Road to Heaven’ at the beginning of a 31 km stretch of road that passes through middle of the Dholavira lake. In the beginning there was water on both sides of the road but later there was salt on both sides and further down a combination of salt and water. This stretch was the highlight of the whole journey and is a must visit place. At the end we reached the Dholavira site. After spending an hour or so at the site we proceeded towards Patan. Next couple of hours of this journey was through some bad patches to the under construction roads which had only gravel placed on the surface. Google misguided us through such non existent roads. We heaved a huge sigh of relief when we reached a proper highway at the end. It was a smooth sail till Patan thereafter. We directly went to Rani Ki Vav, a wonderful stepwell. There is a park developed around it and the whole unesco world heritage site is maintained very well. Visited Sahastralinga Talav afterwards which is just couple of kms from Rani ki Vav. Patan is famous for Patola silk sarees. There is a Patola Heritage museum which we passed while going to Rani ki Vav but did not visit. After navigating through the city full of hospitals and clinics found a good hotel for the night and checked in. Had dinner in the restaurant on the ground floor of the hotel and retired for the day.
Day 11: Wednesday 21st Feb 24
Patan-Modhera-Ahmedabad
Distance: Patan-Modhera: 34 km, Time 08:50 am to 09:30 am, Modhera-Ahmedabad: 99 km, Time 10:15 am to 12:40 pm
Breakfast was complimentary so had a breakfast and checked out from our hotel. First stop today was Modhera Sun Temple which is around 33 kms from Patan. Like Rani Ki Vav, Sun Temple at Modhera is also UNESCO world heritage site and the campus is very well maintained. It is a Chalukya era temple built in 11th Century. Older than Konark Sun Temple, it also has a stepwell in front. A must visit place. After Sun Temple visit we drove straight to Ahmedabad. This was not our first visit to Ahmedabad and we had seen most of the tourist spots earlier. So had some rest in the hotel in the afternoon and more importantly called up a homestay manager of a homestay near Statue of Unity and booked the homestay for the next day. Based on his advice also booked the tickets for viewing gallery at the statue of unity and the evening laser show. In the evening paid a visit to a recommended cloth shop and then went to Atal Setu built on the Sabarmati river. Sabarmati Riverfront has been developed very well. A big multi-storied parking, garden and food joints and Atal Setu. There is a river cruise as well. Spent the evening there and decided to visit Manek Chowk food street for dinner. It is a very crowded place and food carts arrive after mostly the jewellery shops close down. Similar to Sarafa in Indore but more chaotic. We reached there quite early and there were hardly any food carts as most of the shops were still open. Didn’t like the whole atmosphere and decided to return to our hotel. Fortunately we had not taken our car there. Navigating through the narrow and crowded lanes there would have been impossible. Found a restaurant near our hotel and had a good dinner there. Returned to our hotel and retired for the day.
Day 12: Wednesday 22nd Feb 24
Ahmedabad-Kevadia(SOU)
Distance: Ahmedabad-Kevadia(SOU): 187km, Time 08:20 am to 11:50am
Since we gave a miss to Manek Chowk, wanted to compensate a little by having breakfast at Ahmedabad’s famous Das Khaman. Fortunately it was on our way to Statue of Unity. Had to wait for 10 minutes to be served freshlly made Khamans and Idado. Nylon Khaman was very good but Idada in Surat we thought was better. After breakfast we travelled nonstop to our Homestay near Ekata Nagar. There are many restaurants in 3-4 km stretch before Statue of Unity/Ekata Nagar including international chains like McD. There is a food court in the SOU campus as well. We had lunch at Iskon Gathiya Restaurant. After parking our car in the parking area we enquired at the helpdesk about the best way to spend 2-3 hours before our slot for the SOU Gallery visit of 4-6 pm. Two options were suggested. Spend couple of hors in Safari or take a circular bus that takes you around the whole campus and takes around 1.30 - 2 hours. If one wants to visit any of the attractions like Cactus garden, Butterfly garden, Dinosaur garden, River Rafting and numerous other you can get down, visit the place by paying entrance fee and take next circular bus to continue the trip. These buses are ac buses and each time you board a circular bus you have to pay 50 Rupees per person to the conductor. You have to take free bus to SOU and then take this bus from busstop 5 or 6. We opted for this circular trip as Safari is more like a zoo. Conductor is good person to get all your queries answered. We came to know from him that due to some repair work scheduled at the dam no water was released from the dam for 3 days. Effectively there was very little water in patches where SOU is located and the river bed was visible. Normally boating is available here. Regarding whether to attend Narmada Aarati after laser show he mentioned since there is hardly any water in the river better to visit glow garden instead. Also he informed that earlier dance performances were held at the ghat during aarati which are stopped now. He told us to get down at Valley of Flowers garden, entry to which is included in the SOU ticket. That was also the last stop before SOU on the circular route. This garden has good viewpoints/selfie points for SOU. Glow garden is also adjacent to this park. Safari is on the opposite side of the road. After a few photographs it was time to visit the main attraction SOU. We caught a free bus to SOU and paid a visit to the viewing gallery which is at the chest level, second button from top to be specific, of the statue. It offers a view of the dam and river. Spent some time at the feet of the statue and the gallery below the statue which has some exhibits and a short film about the construction of the statue. Laser show can be viewed from SOU campus or Helipad. We have to choose either at the time of booking the tickets for SOU. Since SOU seats were full we had to opt for Helipad. So we took a free bus to Helipad which is between the SOU and Valley of Flowers. Show started after a long wait for it to be dark and lasted around 30-40 minutes. After the show we could take a free bust to Glow Garden, SOU or Narmada Aarati. Based on the advice from the conductor and looking at the rush for the bus we skipped both and came to the SOU parking and drove to McD for dinner. Post dinner returned to homestay and retired for the day.
Day 13: Thursday 23rd Feb 24
Kevadia(SOU) - Pune
Distance: Kevadia(SOU)-Saputara: 235 km, Time 07:20 am to 11:35 am, Saputara-Alephata: 200 km, Time 12:35 pm to 04:30 pm, Alephata-Pune: 100 km, 05:00 pm to 08:00 pm
Final day was plain driving from Kevadia to Pune with breaks at Saputara and Ale Phata and concluded our Gujarat Road Trip. Roads on this route were not as good as the roads in Western Gujarat which mostly are newly built concrete roads whereas these roads were mostly tar roads with bad patches every now and then. One generic observation throughout this journey was that the speed breakers are rarely marked and the speed breaker signs are missing barring a few exceptions. This was the case even in Maharashtra. So you have to be watchful while driving. Happy Journey in case you get inspired to do a road trip on this route.
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