I am glad to share this experience with you all. Since it was the most memorable and mesmerizing experience we ever had in Gujarat. Gujarat is always famous for its business and cultural capital Ahmedabad. But for those who are looking for something more or apart from the city’s hustle then this post is ideal for them. Everybody has seen or known of sand dunes deserts all over the world but I bet less has known or visited the white desert; the name has come from its look which is due to salt. Famously, it is known as The Great Rann of Kutch. Apart from this, there is a lot more to see and explore in Kutch. I hope the below itinerary and other details would help you to experience the largest district of India.
Best Time to visit
During Rann Utsav (The Great White Desert Festival) which starts every year in November and lasts till February.
Road Trip: Ahmedabad to Kutch
Day 1: December 2, 2017
The total distance from Ahmedabad to Kutch is 400 km via NH 947. It took 7 hours for us to reach by car. We totally enjoyed the views while crossing the landmarks coming our way. Firstly, we crossed Bhuj en route then reached Kutch our stay destination. The time we were close to the destination, absolutely bowled by the road views we were getting to see along the whole way. We couldn’t resist ourselves to stop by and come out of the car to feel the fresh boundaries outside. This was the only road we get to see so clear and free of hustle and bustle. Finally, we reached our pre-booked destination ‘Rann Kandhi Resort’ at 2 pm. It is actually a village homestay. We had a cool experience with the local culture. They provided all the three meals buffet (Breakfast, lunch, and dinner) which was included in Rs.3600/- per day along with stay for a family of three (2 adults, 1 kid). There are also other village homestays, guesthouses and luxury stay to locate in Kutch region. After having lunch and a quick nap, we were ready to explore this place.
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Kalo Dungar: Black Hill, the Highest point in Kutch
First, we headed towards the famous black hill named ‘Kalo Dungar’ by locals. The hill gets its name from the texture and color. It is the highest point in Kutch, at 462 meters. We get to see a panoramic view of Great Rann of Kutch from here.
Things to do
- Dattatreya Temple– There is a small nice Dattatreya Temple built at the top.
- Sunset point– Witness beautiful sunset from the height of 458 meters with a panoramic view of the Great Rann.
- Magnetic Field Zone– Experience the magnetism at Kalo Dungar. One can stop their vehicle at one spot and witness it moving against the gravitational field at neutral gear.
- Indian Bridge– You need to carry binoculars or else could buy at the site to see Indian bridge from Kalo Dungar. This bridge connects the Indo-Pak border and needs permission from BSF and that is likely not possible. The only way is one can see it distantly.
Khavda: The Pottery village
This village lies in the west of Great Rann of Kutch, famous for its crafts, pottery, and sweets. The catchy thing about this village is that all the traditional artwork products are run by local women.
Don’t forget to explore the Kutch Handicraft
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Rann Utsav 2017 at the White Desert
After spending a jam-packed evening exploring some amazing places in Kutch district, next, we stopped by the location for ‘Rann Utsav 2017’. This was the only place we found crowded because of the festival. At the entry point to Great Rann, was lit with full cultural market exhibiting things and cuisine of Kutch. We came to know that the entire exhibition would end at 9 pm and we could get entry into the white desert. It was around 8 pm we left to our resort for dinner. In the resort, we enjoyed our meals with local cultural music performances. After dinner, we headed back to Great Rann. It was the super full moon night. The first step we took at the salt crystal land of the white desert was unimaginable. It felt like the first step on the moon itself with some water patches in between salt crystal layers. The whole area surrounding us looked pure white, nothing else. When we looked up in the sky, a super full moon was smiling at us. 🙂 Felt like we were looking at the moon from the moon. Rest is beyond my explanation. The below photographs can do justice to some extent only. The real feeling and experience could be felt by being there only.
The Great Rann of Kutch
Day 2: December 3, 2017
Last night sleep was spent restlessly as we were not totally satisfied with our visit to Great Rann in the night. We made up our mind to wake up early before sunrise and witness the great beauty of the Great Rann once more. With a firm decision, in the morning we reached there on time. Karen was sleeping. It was still dark and we were again in the White Rann. We waited for a few minutes and nature delivered us its best colors in the sky before sunrise. Here, Karen also accompanied us in the greatest show of nature. It felt like an astounding achievement for us. Then arrived the greatest show of nature, the stunning sunrise. We had never seen such a spectacular sunrise before. We were completely happy and filled with a sense of accomplishment for this trip.
Watch The Great White Desert Live👇👇
With the most memorable and wonderful experience of our lives till date, we headed back to Ahmedabad but along the way we had other plans too. There were more to do and experience from the largest district of India. Will be continued from here, stay tuned for the next post on our Memoir from the Shaken City of Gujarat: Bhuj.
Suggested Read: Former Portuguese Colony in Gujarat: Diu Island
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Nice sharing information. If you any issue for the rann utsav festival or Resort then you visit us at:-https://kutchrannresort.com
Such breath-taking sceneries! Great photos and would love to experience being on a mountain that high!
Thanks.:)
The Rann Kandhi Resort sounds like a nice place to stay in Gujarat. And I didn’t know there were so many great outdoors things to do in India. The Great White Desert looks beautiful.
Yeah, indeed. It is the experience you would never regret. There is so much to explore in India.
What beautiful photographs! I love learning more about how diverse Gujurat is – there is so much to see and do there! Thank you!
Yeah, you can read about Gujarat in next post about historic city Bhuj in Gujarat. There is a lot more to learn about Gujarat. It is a legend in itself.
Beautiful pictures indeed! Hope this wonderful place in the future. Will use this as my reference in the future!
Thanks:)
I haven’t been to India yet and it’s intimidating how more and more fascinating places are popping up. When I go, I probably have to go for several years. The Magnetic Field Zone looks very interesting. Also the White Desert is really beautiful.
I hope you visit India. But my personal advice is to explore this vibrant country wisely. There is so much complexity in geography, culture, and weather of India. Like if you plan your visit in May-June then the southern part of India would be better to explore. If you need any advice from locals, don’t hesitate to contact us. Thank you. 🙂
That white desert landscape is so otherworldly! India has so much to offer, I love reading pieces like this about it! I hope we will visit ourselves at some point!
Definitely, you should visit the white desert at least once in a lifetime.:)
It looks like you had an awesome time in Gujarat! We’ve never heard of this place. The sunset in the white desert looks amazing! It reminds us a lot of our time in the Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia! Thanks for sharing this.
Yeah, actually this is the irony that many foreigners don’t know what else India could offer. They always trapped in conventional parts suggested by travel agencies and get fascinated by more overrated places. There is so much to explore in India. I never heard of any foreigner visiting this part of India. Only handful I guess.
Wow, this seems like quite the destination. I’ve never heard of the place so thanks for featuring it. It’s interesting how the photo at night still seemed so bright.
Yeah! Indeed it is a surreal destination to visit once in a lifetime. The night photo absolutely has blown us too. It was super full moon night and we were able to see the whole desert at night so bright and clear. Probably due to the white colour the light expanded.
This is not a part of India that I know or have visited. The Magnetic Field Zone sounds fascinating. and the white desert looks surreal.
You must visit Gujarat once. I am sure would not regret your visit. 🙂
For some reason, my visit to Rann of Kutch keeps getting delayed. I will certainly like to explore the place when the weather gets a little nicer.
Yeah! You should visit in winters. December-January is the best months to visit Rann of Kutch. I hope you will visit soon.
Wow, a visit to the Great Rann of Kutch looks like such an adventure. Thanks for sharing your great pictures.
Thanks! 🙂
Reputed to be one of the largest salt deserts in the world Rann of Kutch sure is a dreamy place. I have heard the night walks on the salt during the full moon is heavenly. Khavda: The Pottery village sounds like my kind of art – I would LOVE to explore this village. Lovely pictures and I really appreciate how you have introduced traveling to your daughter at such a young age!
Truly said Richa. Night walk on the white desert in full moon was the feeling beyond words. 🙂 The pottery village is a must place to explore although we didn’t have pictures of that. Thank you for your beautiful words of appreciation. Much obliged. 🙂
What a wonderful trip! I had not heard of the Great Rann of Kutch. Looks beautiful. I was wondering if it’s more crowded during the festival? Your photos don’t look as though it is too bad!
Yeah, it was crowded during the festival. But as I mentioned, we skipped the visit inside the desert during festival timings and opted to visit at night around 9 PM and early in the morning before sunrise. The festival timings were from the day onwards till sunset.
It looks like you guys had a really wonderful time! I could not handle seven hours in a car – especially with my whole family crammed in there. The views look really worth it
Yeah, we had a great time indeed. And even during our road trip, we totally enjoyed the views. As already mentioned this path towards Kutch is scenic and peaceful.
I truly appreciate this post. I have been looking everywhere for this! Thank goodness I found it on Bing. You have made my day! Thank you again
Isn’t it the best experience ever! We visited too last year and had a fab time!
Yeah, it was indeed the best experience we had till date. Thanks for sharing yours too. 🙂
Fantastic guide and beautiful pictures! the White desert looks surreal! I have been hoping to visit the Rann Utsav for a while now. This post will sure a point of reference when it happens!
Yeah, the white desert is never to miss a thing. I hope you would soon plan your visit to the Great Rann of Kutch. Thanks for the appreciation. I will take that. 🙂