Gujarat holiday and the Rann of Kutch, India

Arabian Sea shores and vast salt marshes combine with superb textiles and tribal village culture to make Gujarat a sublime off-the-beaten track Indian jewel.
Ahmedabad Rann of Kutch salt marsh and salt desert Bhuj Poshina UNESCO heritage Champaner Jain temples - Shatrunjaya Sun temple at Modhera Tribal villages Arabian Sea shoreline Gondal Baroda Indian textiles
Price
£3350To£3395 excluding flights
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Duration
15 Days
Type
Small group
More info
Price includes all activities/equipment, tour leaders, local guides and drivers, meals, transport (excluding international flights), accommodation and entrance fees as outlined in the itinerary. Optional Single Supplement available
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Description of Gujarat holiday and the Rann of Kutch, India

Gujarat is one of India's most dazzlingly diverse states, home to both a 1600km coastline and one of the world's largest salt deserts. Seasonal marshlands around the Little Rann are a wildlife beacon for wild ass and flamingos, while Gujarat is renowned for some of the finest textiles in India. Its large Jain community underpin both a stunning heritage of white marble temples plus exquisite vegetarian cuisine.

This village-focused tour opens up this wondrous state, from the surreal Rann of Kutch and the ancient town of Bhuj to tribal Poshina, the UNESCO World Heritage site of Champaner and the marvellous mountain top Jain temple complex at Shatrunjaya.

Kick off in the state capital Ahmedabad with visits to perhaps the world's finest textile museum plus Mahatma Gandhi’s ashram, as well as touring the atmospheric old city. Your rural odyssey begins with tribal villages of the Garacia, Adivacyi & Bharad en route to Poshina, plus the Kumbharia Jain Temples and a lakeside picnic lunch.

Following visits to the step-well at Patan and the 1000-year-old Sun temple at Modhera, you reach the eye-popping landscape of the Kutch – vast seasonal salt marshes that become giant salt deserts in the hottest months. Discover how indigenous people and wildlife thrive in both the Little Rann of Kutch and Great Rann.

The Arabian Sea beckons next, tracing the coast for several hours to Gondal, where you stay in one of three fabulous palaces here. Visit the town's famous market, temples plus grand houses – one boasting a fine vintage car collection, another the home of the royal family of Palitana.

You'll also visit the breathtaking Jain temple complex at Shatrunjaya, as well as Laxmi Vilas Palace, Fatehsingh Museum and UNESCO-listed Champaners ancient fort around Baroda.

Price includes all activities/equipment, tour leaders, local guides and drivers, meals, mineral water, all transport (excluding international flights) , all accommodation and all entrance fees as outlined in the itinerary.

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Price information

£3350To£3395 excluding flights
Convert currency:
Price includes all activities/equipment, tour leaders, local guides and drivers, meals, transport (excluding international flights), accommodation and entrance fees as outlined in the itinerary. Optional Single Supplement available
Make enquiry

Check dates, prices & availability

Travel guides

Rural India
One thing you will notice on our rural India holidays and their reviews is the abundance of names. Husna the female driver, Rawla Singh at the castle,...
Gujarat
Gujarat is one of India’s lesser-visited regions where vast salt flats, the Arabian Sea and the last hunting grounds of Asiatic lions make for a varie...

Holiday information

Small group tour:
Small group travel is not large group travel scaled down. It is modelled on independent travel – but with the advantage of a group leader to take care of the itinerary, accommodation and tickets, and dealing with the language. It’s easy to tick off the big sights independently – but finding those one-off experiences, local festivals, travelling markets and secret viewpoints is almost impossible for someone without the insider knowledge gained from years in the field. Those with a two-week holiday, a small group tour will save valuable planning time.
Pricing:
The currency converter above works on today’s interbank exchange rate. We do take bookings in a variety of currencies, but the rates are often set months in advance and may therefore differ from those shown above which are for guidance purposes only. Please enquire for details.

Responsible Travel

As the pioneers of responsible tourism, we've screened this (and every) holiday so that you can travel knowing it will help support the places and people that you visit, and the planet. Read how below.

Planet

By keeping the group size to a maximum of 12, we can also minimise the human impact on the fragile sites and ecosystems we visit.
We attempt to reduce plastic bottle use wherever possible by promoting use of reusable and filtered water bottles. Our partnership with Water-To-Go provides a discount on filtered water bottles to our clients. We do not provide water from plastic bottles to our clients in country but always ensure there is regular access to drinking water on our tours.
Using no carbon transport such as cycling or walking not only gives you a slower paced experience, but also cuts environmental damage and tourist carbon footprint. We are committed to low-level tourism impact and we keep group sizes to a maximum of 12 to avoid huge tour bus loads of tourists, which increases environmental damage but also is less likely to be welcomed by locals. Slower travel also allows for more chances to interact with people from another culture.
Throughout most of the trip we will be travelling in minibuses. Travelling as a group in a small bus contributes less pollution than a multitude of vehicles. We will also be exploring some areas on foot, to not only soak up the amazing sights at a slower pace, but to reduce our environmental impact and footprint along our journey.

People

In Little Rann we will visit a traditional artisan, known for weaving India’s finest textiles. Visiting artisans not only provides income to them via selling their goods, but also ensures they are able to continue their craft and pass it onto the next generations.
On each Group tour we use local ground handlers. This means that all operational costs go directly into the local economy and help improve employment opportunities in remote regions. Such support can also be seen in our incorporation of homestays, locally owned hotels, family run restaurants and the services of local guides and drivers into our itineraries, which ensures that the money you spend with us goes directly into the local economy and local community.
We will be staying in a guesthouse in some nights for a unique glimpse into the traditions and customs of local life. The homestay/guesthouse market helps them to provide good, clean and interesting accommodation which in turn allows them to educate their children, improve their standard of living and look after their ill. The wonderful thing about this kind of interactive tourism is that everyone gains – the families financially and us with the wonderful welcome and experience they give us. Wherever possible we stay in locally owned accommodation, eat in locally owned establishments and purchase supplies from the local nomads.

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