Gujarat people walking near brown concrete building during daytime

Colors of Gujarat

Highlights

Ahmedabad | Balaram | Dasada | Bhuj | Hodka | Gondal | Junagadh | Sasan Gir | Bhavnagar | Baroda

Highlights:

  • Wildlife and bird watching safari into the Little Rann
  • Visit the village of Dhamadka to see the block printing
  • Stop at Village Dhaneti to see Ahir embroidery
  • Visit Kala Raksha Trust, an NGO dedicated to preservation of traditional arts
  • Visit the historic city of Junagadh

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Accommodations

At IWorld of Travel, we understand that where you stay is as important as the destination itself. Rest assured, we are in the process of hand-selecting accommodations that align with our high standards of luxury and comfort. Our portfolio exclusively features 4 and 5-star properties, as well as boutique hotels that are not just places to stay, but integral parts of your travel experience. These establishments are chosen for their exceptional service, prime locations, and the unique charm that they bring to your journey. We are committed to ensuring that your accommodations will enhance your trip and we look forward to sharing the details with you soon.

Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival in Ahmedabad
Upon arrival, meeting and transfer to your hotel by private car. The rest of the day is yours to relax and unwind.

Day 2: Ahmedabad
The morning is yours to become acquainted with the area. In the afternoon, visit the Jamma Masjid and Siddi Saiyad mosques and a 15th-century stepwell. Continue to Sabarmati Ashram, former home to Mahatma Gandhi, which is now a center to both preserve his history and to educate people in his great philosophies, values and teachings. Drive past the Law Garden Market, famous for its colorful handicrafts and textiles and is quite a visual treat. The evening is at leisure. (B)

Day 3: Ahmedabad
After breakfast, set off for in the early morning for the city’s Heritage Walk. Beginning from the picturesque Swaminarayan Temple in Kalupur, the walk covers the numerous pols, Havelis and other historic sites in Old Ahmedabad, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Later proceed to visit the Calico Museum, one of the most celebrated textile museums in the world for its distinguished and comprehensive collection of Indian textiles. (B)

Day 4: Ahmedabad | Balaram
After breakfast, drive north to Balaram and check into Balaram Palace Resort, once the hunting retreat of the Lohani Nawab of Palanpur, and is now a Heritage hotel. Enjoy your afternoon excursion to the Ambaji Temple, 12th-century Kumbharia. En route to Ambaji visit some small villages to see settlements of tribes like Adivasi, Garasia and Bhil. (B,D)

Day 5: Balaram | Dasada
After breakfast, drive to Sidhpur to visit old Havelis and mansions of the Bohra Muslim community and the ruins of the Rudra Mahalaya Temple, destroyed in the 15th century. Visit the Salvi family who have continued this traditional art and have preserved it even today. Later proceed to the town of Modhera to see the 11th-century Sun Temple complex, the Solanki dynasty’s highest architectural achievement and now a protected Monument of National Importance. Continue to your resort in Dasada. (B,D)

Day 6: Dasada
Enjoy a morning wildlife and bird watching safari in the Little Rann of Kutch, an area that is rich in biodiversity and ecologically important for wildlife. After lunch at the resort proceed on a village tour visiting the tribal communities of Dasada which are mainly nomadic pastoralists. Crafts of the region were an integral part of their lifestyles. (B,L,D)

Day 7: Dasada | Bhuj
Morning drive to Bhuj, with stops in some villages to see various handicrafts. After lunch, visit the Kutch Museum, the oldest museum of Gujarat. We will also visit the Palace of the Royal Family and Prag Mahal. Later visit the Sharad Bagh Palace, now converted in a museum, was the king’s residence right up to 1991 when the last king of Kutch died. (B,D)

Day 8: Bhuj | Hodka
After breakfast, head into the Banni Grasslands Reserve, a belt of arid grassland known for rich wildlife and biodiversity. Visit Kala Raksha Trust at Sumrasar Sheikh, an NGO dedicated to the preservation of traditional arts. Later visit a village, where the last surviving practitioners of an ancient painting style known as rogan will beguile you with the brilliance of this art form. Explore the tribal villages around Greater Rann of Kutch specializing in different forms of handicraft. After lunch, explore the village of Dhordo, with its beautiful vast white desert, formed of salt. In the evening, witness tribal cultural dances and dinner. (B,D)

Day 9: Hodka | Bhuj
After breakfast, you will begin your journey to small villages where you will see the beautifully painted houses of the Meghwar tribe and later, visit the Samma tribe. Next, you will travel to Kalo Dungar, the highest point in Kutch, to view the beautiful sunset at Indo-Pakistan border. (B,L,D)

Day 10: Bhuj | Morbi | Gondal
After breakfast, drive to Gondal via Morbi- with its quaint cobbled alleyways and buildings reminiscent of 19th-century Europe. Continue your onward journey to Gondal, where the 18th-century Naulakha Palace, the oldest existing palace of Gondal, houses a collection of antiques and princely relics of the Jadeja Rajput rulers. (B,D)

Day 11: Gondal | Sasan Gir
Morning transfer to Sasan Gir via the historic city of Junagadh, home to many historic sites, including Uparkot Fort, Buddhist cave sites and many museums. After lunch, enjoy the wildlife safari at the Gir National Park, one of India’s best-preserved nature sanctuaries and home to lions, other felines and a wide variety of wildlife. (B,L,D)

Day 12: Sansan Gir | Bhavnagar
Early morning safari. Return to your hotel for breakfast and later drive to Bhavnagar. After settling in your hotel, enjoy a city tour of Bhavnagar including the Takheteshwar temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. Built on the top of a hillock, you can view the whole city and the Gulf of Khambat from the temple premise. (B,L,D)

Day 13: Bhavnagar | Baroda
Early morning departure for Palitana, a major pilgrimage site for Jain, to visit the famous Palitana temples located atop Shatrunjaya Hills and crowned with 863 temples. There is also an archaeological museum that houses the objects found from the sites like mirrors of bronze and copper, perforated and painted potteries, toy bullock carts, beads, jewelry and a variety of objects made from stone, shell, and bone. (B)

Day 14: Baroda | Ahmedabad
Today, drive to the weekly markets either at Chotta Udepur/ Kanwat or Rangpur/ Sajadi. In these markets, different tribes like Rathwas, Bhils and Nayaks can be seen. After witnessing the tribal Haat, visit the tribal museum in Chotta Udepur. Later stop at a Rathwa house, to see the painting known as Pithora followed by a drive to the Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This hill fortress is studded with forts with bastions, scattered over an area of 6sq km. (B)

Day 15: Depart Ahmedabad
Transfer to the airport for your return flight. (B)

Program Code

F-2077

Tour Length

15 Days / 14 Nights

Tour Countries

Tour Regions

Tour Specialties

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