Your complete guide for a ride to Rann of Kutch

Hello. To all those who are still interested in reading and not consuming every information by video and reels, welcome to my blog. This post is late by 4 months atleast. i had meant to write this before the winter riding season began, but hey, its morning when you wake up, right !. This might help you plan for the winter of 2024 perhaps.

Through this post, i want to share as much information as i can about the now famous destinations in kutch. This detailed information is basis starting and ending at ahmedabad. I have personally done this trip every year for the last 6 years, this year in feb was the latest one. Where possible, i will be sharing contact details of the places where i have stayed including the approximate cost. 

There are many detailed vlogs and blog posts about Rann of Kutch Ride and how to plan, including which route to be taken. Sharing this from my point of view and hope it helps you in the coming winter season. Best time to visit Kutch is from beginning of November to end of February. If possible, try to avoid visiting from 20th Dec to 14th Jan. During this period, there is sudden influx of tourists due to year ending as well as Uttarayan/makar sankranti festival which is huge in Gujarat.

Day 1: Ahmedabad to Dholavira: 380 kms

Start the day early to beat the city traffic of Ahmedabad. Ideally, you should start by 6am.

There are multiple routes which will take you to dholavira. I am very fond of this route which passes through Dhrangadhra, Samakhiali, Rapar onwards to Dholavira.

Road Condition: Almost all of the road is full tarmac with 4 lane highway. Since it is a part of National Highway 8, you can expect fair amount of traffic during mid day as you will pass through a fair few big and small towns on the way. Some off-road and bad patches can be expected once you cross Rapar, the last strech of about 70 kms to dholavira is a single 2 lane highway with average condition. Keep and eye out for crossing animals on the road as there are few farms on either side of the road and people tend to leave their cattle out in the open for grazing. 

Fuel pumps are sufficient enroute, although after Rapar village, there is no fuel pump till you reach Khavda village, which is about 150 kms away. Recommend to top up fuel in Rapar.

Stay Options: I have personally stayed at a couple of properties and they are quite good. The staff is very co-operative. Keep in mind, these places serve vegetarian fare primarily. If you are interested in non-veg food, please call ahead to enquire as it is not available on site at all times.

Rann Resort Dholavira contact details available on the page. Limited rooms, book in advance. Only veg food allowed. Only local cuisine available. Normal room rates INR 4000 - 6000 with meals for double occupancy

Dholavira Tourism Resort contact details available on the page. Sufficient rooms, will allow non-veg food. Only local cuisine available. Normal room rates INR 3000- 5000 with meals for double occupancy

Recommended duration of stay: Overnight is sufficient. You reach here by noon, explore the sites by evening, watch the sunset at karni temple and next day morning, take the road to heaven towards next destination.

Things to Do/See

1. Harappan civilisation excavation site: World heritage site, well planned, guide available on request. Museum is a must visit. Expect walking a lot. Accessible by car, upto parking area. Time required to visit: 1-2 hours

2. Fossil Park: Worth visiting. Accessible by car/bike. off-roading. Time required to visit: 1 hour

3. Karni Temple: Best place to watch sunset. Accessible by car/bike. Time required : 1 hour

4. Chipper point: Not accessible by car. walking about 1km. Time required: 1 hour

5. Road to Heaven: Best to visit during sunrise/sunset. Be aware of people randomly stopping in the middle of the road to take photos/videos. Time required: less than 1 hour, might be a little longer if you want to take lots of photos/videos. 

This area is now a no drone zone, since it is border area. so be aware of that

Bridge to Khadir Bet

Entrance to Dholavira village

Heritage Museum

Entry gate to excavation site

Sunset view from Karni Temple

Chipper Point

                                                                                                                                                                    

Day 2: Dholavira to Dhordo: 123kms 

Road Condition: Full tarmac roads, very good condition. Sparse traffic

Best time to visit: From November to end February

Stay Options: Over the years, have stayed at a few places in Dhordo. 

Toran Rann Resort: Located right next to the entrance to White Rann. Sufficient rooms, lots of mosquitoes though. Room tarrif INR 3500-5500. Vegetarian only food. Local cuisine only.

Rann Visamo Resort: Located about 20kms from the entrance to White Rann. Good property, sufficient rooms. Room tarrif INR 3000-5000. Vegetarian only food. Local cuisine only.

The above are just the properties where i have stayed. There are lots of other resorts available in various price ranges, the most expensive being the tent city, which can cost upwards of 20,000 INR per night during peak season. 

Recommended duration of stay: Overnight is sufficient. If you want to visit Vighakot, keep 1 day spare. You can start from Dholavira after breakfast, cross the road to heaven towards Kalo Dungar and India Bridge. Check in at the property in the afternoon.Have lunch and leave for white rann post lunch. Lots of additional activities are now available in the white desert such as Para Gliding, Hot air balloon ride, Para sailing. All charged extra. 

Things to Do/See

1. Kalo Dungar (Black Hill): Highest point of kutch at dizzying altitude of 452mtrs😀😀. Approach road is narrow and most likely to get jammed during weekends due to number of 2 and 4 wheelers heading to the top. Beautiful views from the top. Recommend to visit during late morning.                               Time required: 1 hour

2. India Bridge: This area is controlled by the BSF and access beyond this point is restricted. You can view this bridge from the top of Kalo Dungar also. Time required: less than 1 hour

3. Vighakot: The border area between India and Pakistan. You require special permission from DSP office in Bhuj. Processing takes about 2-3 days. see if you can get an agent to do it. It is possible, you just need to plan in advance. From the checkpost, it is about 88kms to the border. No phone/mobiles/cameras allowed after the checkpost. Take water with you. TIme required: 4-5hours

4. The White Desert: Accessible during daylight hours only. Since it is a border area, at night nobody is allowed officially to enter the white desert. You need to get permit to enter the rann. Permit is available in person at counter or you can apply online using this link .Rann Permit. 

Please do not confuse rann permit with permit for vighakot. Both are separate areas and you need to apply for each separately.

Can be visited anytime during the day, best time to visit during sunrise and sunset. The views from the top of watch tower are really amazing. Time required 1-2 hours.

Road to Heaven during daytime

Road to heaven during sunset

 

White Desert

View from the watch tower

Enjoy some Kutchi Folk music and food

Day 3: Dhordo to Lakhpat to Bhuj: 293kms 

This route is a recommendation. Depending on how much you can ride/drive, you can either view the sights and leave for bhuj, or you can stay at the dormitories in Narayan Sarovar. Both options are based on your personal convenience

Road Condition: Poor roads after Hajipir upto 30kms. Rest are decent condition. Moderate traffic

Best time to visit: From November to end February

Stay Options: You can stay at the Narayan Sarovar dormitory overnight. Rooms are available at a very nominal rate, subject to availability. Only veg food available. 

Recommended duration of stay: Day trip. Overnight at Narayan Sarovar/Bhuj

Things to Do/See

1. Lakhpat Fort: A few centuries back, Lakhpat used to be a thriving port which was responsible for a lot of exports from india. After an earthquake, the water level shifted and the place became barren. Good view points from the top of the fort walls.  Time required: 1 hour

2. Narayan Sarovar: Westernmost point of India. Apparently, from the temple if you draw a straight line on the map, there is no land mass all the way upto Antarctica. Dont know how to helps, but just a bit of trivia. Time required: 1 hour

This area is quite famous for the religiously inclined as there are 3 famous religious sites close to each other.

3. Lakhpat Gurudwara Sahib: Apparently the last stop of Guru Nanak Sahab on his trip to Mecca, this place is highly revered by people of all religions. Try to have langar if you reach during lunch hours. Time required: 1-2 hours

4. Hajipir Dargah: One of the most famous dargah in Kutch, highly revered by people of all religions. Time required: 1 hour

5. Mata No Madh and Koteshwar Mahadev Temple: Visited by people of all religions. Beautiful and peaceful place to visit.  

6. Siyot Caves: 7th Century buddhist caves located near Nakhatrana. Not a very famous destination, but definitely worth checking out.

Enroute to Hajipir

Hajipir Dargah

Lakhpat Fort

Ashapura Mata Temple

Day 4: Bhuj local, proceed to Mandvi: 100 kms

On Day 4, you can choose to ride/drive from Koteshwar to Bhuj, or if you have stayed overnight in Bhuj, you can do local sightseeing in the city 

Road Condition: Good condition, moderate to heavy traffic

Stay Options: Lots of hotels/resorts available. can be booked online. Veg and non-veg food multiple options available

Recommended duration of stay: Stay for a day to relax and rejuvenate. You can spend the day here in Bhuj, or if you are pressed for time, can head towards Mandvi in the evening.

Things to Do/See

1. Smritivan Earthquake Memorial: The memorial was built to honor the lives lost during the devastating earthquake of 2001 which destroyed large towns of kutch. Must visit                                       Time required: 2-3hours

2. Bhujodi Vande Mataram Park: Beautiful park designed as a replica of the old parliament building. Highly recommended for a visit. Light and sound show in the evening, check timings online before visiting. Time required: 2-3 hours

3. Chattardi and Hamirsar Lake: Located in the centre of the city. Recommended for a visit Time required: 1-2 hours

4. Prag Mahal and Aina Mahal: Old palaces which have gone down with time. Not highly recommended, can visit if you have time Time required: 1-2 hours

5. Rudramata Reservoir: Located 12 kms outside the city, lovely place to sit and relax. There is good property overlooking the place as well. Can be considered for stay overnight. Kutch Safari Resort  

6. Kadiya Dhrow: Located 30kms from Bhuj, this place is newly discovered. It shows the effect of winds on rocks over hundreds of years. Also known as the little canyon of India. Easily reachable by Google maps, if using the map, take the route upto the Kadiya dhrow parking. You can hire a jeep for 1000 inr which will take you 5kms to the site. One jeep can accommodate 7 persons. Time required: 2 hours

Chattardi

Kadiya Dhrow

Day 4: Mandvi to Ahmedabad: 400kms

You return back to Ahmedabad on day 5. Overnight you can stay at Mandvi. During the day, enjoy the various water sports at the public beach, or stay at the private beach resort near Vijay Vilas palace and have the entire beach to yourself.

Road Condition: Very good condition. Moderate traffic. 

Stay Options: There are a few hotels and resorts all around Mandvi. Recommend to stay at the heritage resort right next to the Vijay Vilas palace. vijay vilas heritage resort. Normal rates 6000-8000 for double occupancy with meals

Recommended duration of stay: Stay overnight if travelling from Bhuj. Not much to see here except the beach and the vijay vilas palace. This palace has been famously used in lot of bollywood movies and can be checked out. Time required: 1-2 hours.

Most of the roads on this route are very good. Lots of options available enroute for food. Veg and non-veg food both options are available. Fuel stops are sufficient. Google maps will help you for navigating the area quite well.

Respect the culture of the place and since this state is a dry state, avoid asking locals for where you can get drinks.

There are a few permit rooms in bhuj and gandhidham where you can apply for online permit. the process takes a few hours and you can get alcohol of your choice. But if you are on a tight schedule, not worth spending time.

Do let me know if you have any questions for planning. Instagram link shehwaz Instagram

Take care and ride safe.

Retired Aquaman's Ride to Spiti Valley- Part 2

Lots of photos in this part  

Part 4: Kalpa to Kaza

We got a decent enough sleep and started on time (for a change 😜😜). Had to get down from Kalpa upto Reckong Peyo and then take a left on the highway towards Kaza. On this day, we would be crossing the villages of Nako and Tabo on the way to Kaza.

Before descending from Kalpa, we made a small detour to visit the now famous suicide point of Kinaaur valley. It has been barricaded and there is a huge fence over the spot. It was about 4 kms from our hotel. Nice place to visit, but we were warned by the locals about shooting stones in the area, so made a quick retreat.

The road condition is very good, passing between rock cliffs on one side and a sheer drop to the river on the other, enjoyed this patch and stopped on the way to take a few clicks. We also stopped at the Khab bridge on our way to Nako. Great spots for photography

Stopped for lunch at Nako Helipad. Had a decent lunch, consisting of  Veg momos and Chicken Chowmein. Good taste, well priced, service was a bit slow

We had to get to Kaza before nightfall. Crossed a checkpost before entry into Lahaul valley at Sumdo village. Online permit is required to enter this area. Strictly no drone zone, mentioned in big letters at the entrance of the checkpost. Details of your name, place of residence and bike number to be given at the gate.

Rest of the ride was pretty cool.Next stop was tabo, but we did not stop there. I gunned it to reach Kaza before nightfall as i hated driving at Night. We would be staying for a couple of nights at Kaza, a bit of local sightseeing to be done. The altitude was 3800m (12500ft) so there were a few signs of discomfort for some of the boys. 

Hotel: Delek House, Kaza

Distance Covered: 201kms

Road condition: Mostly good tarmac roads, 85% tarmac, few patches of bad roads. Overall so far the roads had been pretty decent, there is a lot of roadwork going on and in a couple of years, all of lahaul and spiti valley should be fully tarmac.

Weather: Low 20s during daytime, light winter clothing required at night, no rain

Part 5: Local sightseeing in Kaza

Kaza town has a bit of an issue with power cuts, but that i guess can be expected since we were in the middle of nowhere. Sleep quality was good, we started a little after breakfast for some local sightseeing. We would be covering the worlds highest buddha statue at Langza, the highest motorable village at Komic and worlds highest post office at Hikkim.

The roads are tarmac only upto a few kms, then its all offroad. It was good fun riding upto 15000ft.

We got back to the hotel after having lunch at the worlds highest restaurant. Spiti burger and Maggi. Spiti burger tasted good, priced at 220 rupees but worth it. 

Chilled in the evening. Next day some of the boys decided to visit the Pin Valley National Park and the Mudh village. Me and a couple of others just planned to chill and have a good lunch at the Himalayan Cafe, located in middle of the town. Loved the food. 

Pin valley national park

Distance covered: 50kms round trip from kaza to komic, hikkim and langza. 

                             100kms round trip from kaza to pin valley national park

Hotel: Delek House

Road condition: Poor to terrible, 5% tarmac, rest all offroading

Food: Good. Taste: Good. Sleep Quality: Good

Weather: Low 20s during daytime, light winter clothing required at night, no rain. Very windy in the open plains and in Hikkim, Komic as well as langza.

Part 6: Kaza to Chandratal

This was the beginning of the tough part of the trip for us. From kaza, its mostly offroad till Chandratal. We filled up petrol at the worlds highest retail outlet on the way. Roads were in pretty bad shape. 

Gps does not show a route from kaza to chandrataal. You need to proceed towards bataal and take a left before you descend. There is a signboard pointing towards chandratal

Stopped at Key Monastery on the way. Beautiful place to visit.

There were a few water crossings, not too deep though. We reached chandratal by evening and our overnight stay would be at the campsite. It got really cold at night and electricity was available only between 7-9.

We also crossed kunzum pass (14900ft) on the way and stopped at Losar village for lunch. Some of the way was tarmac, most of it was offroad.

Next day, i chose to stay back at the campsite and the rest of the boys visited the lake. I had a bad experience driving in the rain and since it had rained quite a lot the previous night, the roads were all slushy.

Stay: Moon Lake Camps, Chandratal

Distance covered: 65 kms

Road condition : 40% tarmac, 60% offroad

Food: Average, Sleep quality decent

Weather: Quite cold at night, single digit temperature. Winter clothing required. Light to moderate rain, rain gear required

Part 7: Chandratal to Manali

The toughest part of the ride was left for the last day. From chandratal, we went back upto Batal, stopped at the world famous Chacha Chachi Dhaba and continued our way upto Gramphu. Upto Gramphu, there are no roads, the terrain is tough and lots of water crossings on the way. We also crossed the Chicham Bridge on the way down from Batal. It is Asia's highest bridge, across a 150 foot span, located at a staggering height of 13,596 feet. Had lunch at Losar and another checkpost where details of travellers and bikes were required.

The tarmac roads start after crossing Gramphu. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief after reaching Gramphu as the good roads started after that. Stopped at Khoksar checkpost and headed upto the wonderful Atal Tunnel to enter Solang valley and onto Manali upto our final destination on this ride.

 

Our trip came to an end at Manali and we were back at the hotel from where we started our ride by 7 pm in the evening. Had a nice group meet over bonfire and recalled all the good and bad times together.

Distance covered: 100kms

Road condition: 60% hardcore offroad, 40% tarmac

Weather: Below 20 upto Gramphu, light rain, winter clothing required. Rain gear recommended

Hotel stay at Manali: https://www.sandhyahotels.in/

Next day was our final day of the trip and we did some local shopping in Manali, visited Old Manali and had lunch at The Corner House Cafe, in Manali mall road. Excellent food.

Checked out from the hotel in the afternoon and took a bus back to Delhi.

Overall the preparation and arrangements made by Deyor camps could have been better. The first couple of days we had some issues with the bikes and had to ride at night, after that the trip was well managed. The show was handled well by the trip coordinator Gautam. Tsering was lightning fast with bike repairs and Chaman was very accommodating during the trip. I will definitely recommend Deyor Camps to my friends for future rides.

Part 8: New Friends

Made a lot of new friends on this trip. Shared good times and bad with the bunch and overall had a memorable trip.

We started out as complete strangers and over the course of a week, we got to know more about each other, helped one another during tough times and ended the trip knowing our fellow riders a little better. Hope to remain in touch with them.

If you have reached upto here, thank you so much for reading. Please share any comments that you may have, so i can improve further.

Take care and have a good day.