As a travel enthusiast, the White Desert has always been on the top of our bucket list. While there can be many White Sand/Salt Deserts across the globe, you can start by first visiting the one that lies in the heart of your nation, Gujarat.
Therefore, my wife and I decided to take our first step and land at the Rann of Kutch. Hence, after many failed attempts, we finally booked our train ticket for our first adventure in year 2020.
Here is a brief summary of our itinerary, which we followed for our entire Kutch trip. While we may succeed in providing you with only our outline, you can alter it as per your feasibility.
Best season: Winter (Nov to Feb)
Day 1:
Boarded Kutch Express Train @5.45pm from Bandra Terminus and reached Bhuj station next Morning at 9am.
Day 2:
9.30Am - Picked our self-drive bike from M.K. Auto. (800 per day for Scooty without Fuel). Later, we had breakfast i.e. Dabeli from Bin Harif Dabeli Centre, which was a great start to our journey in Gujarat, with their well-known delicacies.
Woke up early and headed out at 6.30 am for sunrise. The temperature had dropped down to 7-8 Degree in the morning. Although it was freezing cold at this hour in the morning, we were surprised to spot so many tourists flocked together to witness the sunrise at the White Desert.
On our return, we visited the shops near Tent City. They have some amazing handicrafts. A visit to all these shops is a must so that you collect your piece of souvenir to take back home. Tourism & handicraft is only major source of income for most of the Kutch Villages. We got some beautiful bed-sheets, pillow covers from a vendor who also deals with Fab India.
Swami Narayan Temple: Carved in signature Swami Narayan style, this marble marvel Mandir is one of the most decorated temples of Bhuj. Located in the heart of the city.
Prag Mahal & Aina Mahal: The entire palace is made from Italian marble and sandstone. The grand durbar hall’s classic statues and chandeliers are the highlights of the Prag Mahal. This exquisite property has its clock tower, the top of which offers the panoramic view of Bhuj. The Prag Mahal boasts of the second highest clock tower in India. A portion of the palace is converted into the museum, exhibiting several remnants and personal collection of royal family.
We commenced our journey towards Rann of Kutch and it took us around 2hrs (90kms) to reach. Please note, in order to visit White Desert, one needs to have a permit to enter. As a tourist, you can easily obtain your permit at the Hodka Checkpost. It will cost you INR 100 per person and INR 25 bucks for 2-wheeler. This permit shall be valid until next morning (i.e.9am).
We booked our stay at Rann Sagar Homestay at Gorewali village. This is an amazing homestay, which will introduce you to the core rural culture of Kutchis. Once here, you can savour lip-smacking home-cooked meals (Chulha Cooked) and experience a homely hospitality which you might not be able to forget for life. Trust us, we had the most scrumptious and wholesome Kutchi lunch at this beautiful place. Yum Yum Yum!!!
Left from our homestay at 5pm to witness the beautiful sunset in White Desert. White Desert was just 7km from the place we were staying. There are many Security checkpoints of BSF - Indian Army since Indo-Pak border is Just 50km away from that place.
By the time we reached, the sun was setting on the White Sand/Salt Desert. The warm colours of the setting sun looked picturesque. Nothing looked more beautiful than this particular sunset that we got to witness. Everybody should at least witness this golden hour with his or her own eyes at this place once in a lifetime.
Tried our Hands on some Fun Photography :)
We returned around 9am and our host insisted us to come for a cultural program in the local school. It was 26th Jan - Republic day and we decided to motivate the kids with our support. It turned out to be one of the best things, as all the folk dance performances were a delight to watch.
Post that we had our breakfast. Since we had very little time in our hand, we decided to quickly freshen up and we left for Kala Dongar. It took us around 1.30hrs (50kms) to reach there. After being stuck in the Mumbai traffic for hours, you might be surprised to drive on the smooth and traffic-free roads of Gujarat. Straight patch of 25km with the whole road to one-selves.
"Kala Dongar" is the highest point in Kutch region where one we can have panoramic view of white desert & some people even say that one can see the Pak border (We could not see though). We got dressed like the locals for a quick snap at Kala Dongar. There were lot of people playing the Local Folk & we enjoyed our time there.
Day 4:
After having our breakfast, we made our way towards Bhuj. We were staying in Regenta Resort in Bhuj, which also happens to be one of the premium properties in Bhuj and our other motive was to have a peaceful time. You will get cheaper options to stay as well. After check-in, we left to have lunch at Umiyaji Dining Hall to relish Gujarati Thali.
Places to visit in Bhuj:
Chhatedi Bhuj: Royal Chatarrdi are one of the very popular site here. It is built of red stones. “Chatarrdi” in local language means Umbrella. Here, you will see a number of Royal umbrellas, which are constructed by royal kings to protect and provide shade to the dead royals. This place is so beautiful and royal that even one of the biggest Bollywood movie “Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam” was filmed here.
Shopping enthusiasts should head to Anam Ring Road & Bhuj Haat Market to buy Traditional Handicraft items. We got some amazing bargain on Dupattas and Bandhani suits.
Day 5: (Optional)
One can visit Mandvi Beach & Vijayavilas Palace. .
We took a flight from Kandla Airport direct to Mumbai along with truckloads of memories.
Total expenses incurred: INR 25k for a couple.
Cost Breakup as Below:
Train - 1200*2 = 2400
Bike - 800*3 = 2400
Fuel - 600
Permit- (100*2)+25 = 225
Home Stay in Kutch = 7000 (2nights + all meals)
Hotel in Bhuj - 3500 (there are cheaper options available)
Misc. - 1000
Shopping - 2000
Flight - 3000*2 = 6000
Since we had such a wonderful time even with minimal time, we would want you all the experience the beauty of Gujarat at least once. Trust me, the heritage, culture, and tradition can make even a short trip to Gujarat worth all your penny. In case, you have any queries, DM us (vacay_couple) on Instagram, to resolve your concerns.