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Western India · Ahmedabad · Kutch · Great Rann · Gir National Park

Gujarat Grand — Lions, White Desert & Living Craft

India's most underestimated state: a UNESCO World Heritage city of carved havelis and 15th-century step-wells, the last wild Asiatic lions on earth, the extraordinary textile villages of Kutch where a dozen embroidery traditions have survived unchanged for centuries, and the Great Rann of Kutch — 30,000 square kilometres of white salt desert that transforms under the full moon into the most surreal landscape in India. Ten days through one of the subcontinent's great undiscovered journeys.

10 Days / 9 Nights
Ahmedabad UNESCO City
Asiatic Lion Safaris
Great Rann Full Moon
Kutch Craft Villages
Wild Ass Safari
From $2,990 pp
Duration
10 Days / 9 Nights
Route
Ahmedabad → Modhera → Patan → Little Rann → Bhuj → Kutch Villages → Great Rann → Gir
Signature Wildlife
Asiatic Lion (Gir) · Indian Wild Ass · Flamingos · Leopard
Best Time
October to March; avoid June 15–Oct 15 (Gir closed)
Headline Hotel
House of MG, Ahmedabad — finest heritage hotel in Gujarat
Starting Price
$2,990 per person
📅 Day-by-Day Itinerary
Day
1
Ahmedabad
Arrival in Ahmedabad — India's First UNESCO World Heritage City
Arrive at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, Ahmedabad. Transfer to your heritage hotel in the old city. Ahmedabad was declared India's first UNESCO World Heritage City in 2017 — and the old city richly deserves the designation: a labyrinth of pols (traditional residential neighbourhoods), havelis, mosques, temples, and step-wells that span 600 years of layered history. Evening: a guided walk through the extraordinary pols of the old city at dusk — the carved wooden facades of the havelis, the neighbourhood gateways that could be sealed in emergencies, the bird feeders on every rooftop. Dinner at a Gujarati thali restaurant — the great vegetarian feast for which Gujarat is justly famous.
Airport TransferUNESCO World Heritage City WalkOld City Pol NeighbourhoodCarved Haveli FacadesGujarati Thali Dinner
Day
2
Ahmedabad
Sabarmati Ashram — Sidi Saiyyed Jali — Adalaj Step-Well
Full Ahmedabad day. Sabarmati Ashram — where Mahatma Gandhi lived and worked from 1917 to 1930, and from which he began the famous Dandi Salt March in 1930. The ashram is a place of extraordinary peace and historical resonance — Gandhi's personal belongings, his spinning wheel, his correspondence, his sleeping quarters unchanged since he left. Sidi Saiyyed Mosque — the 16th-century mosque whose stone jali (lattice window), carved in a pattern of intertwined trees and branches, is one of the most celebrated pieces of stone carving in Indian art and the inspiration for the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad logo. Adalaj Step-Well — a 15th-century five-storey step-well of extraordinary architectural complexity, its walls covered in intricate carvings that descend to the cool water at the bottom.
Sabarmati Gandhi AshramSalt March Historical SiteSidi Saiyyed Mosque JaliIndo-Islamic ArchitectureAdalaj Step-Well 15th Century
Day
3
Ahmedabad → Modhera → Patan → Little Rann of Kutch
Sun Temple — UNESCO Step-Well — Wild Ass Sanctuary
Drive north from Ahmedabad. Modhera Sun Temple — an 11th-century Solanki-dynasty temple dedicated to the sun god, aligned so that at the equinoxes the rising sun illuminates the central deity directly. The temple tank (kund) in front is covered with 108 small shrines in a stepped design of breathtaking geometric precision. Patan: the Rani ki Vav step-well — a UNESCO World Heritage Site and arguably the finest step-well in India, a seven-storey reverse temple descending to the water table, its walls lined with over 500 intricately carved panels of deities, celestial women, and mythological scenes. Afternoon drive to the Little Rann of Kutch — a 5,000 square kilometre salt flat that is the last habitat of the Indian wild ass (khur) — the fastest wild equine in the world.
Modhera Sun Temple 11th CenturyEquinox Solar AlignmentRani ki Vav UNESCO Step-Well500 Carved PanelsDrive to Little Rann of Kutch
Day
4
Little Rann of Kutch — Wild Ass Sanctuary
Wild Ass Safari — Salt Flat Landscape
Full day in the Little Rann of Kutch (Rann means salt desert). Morning and afternoon jeep safaris in search of the Indian wild ass — herds of 20 to 200 animals moving across the blinding white salt flat with the horizon shimmering in every direction. The Little Rann is also home to nilgai, wolf, striped hyena, desert fox, flamingos, and the great Indian bustard. The landscape itself — an immense white flatness under an enormous sky — is one of the most visually dramatic in India.
Wild Ass Morning SafariWild Ass Afternoon SafariIndian Wild Ass (Khur) HerdsGreat Indian BustardFlamingo FlocksSalt Flat Landscape
Day
5
Little Rann → Dasada → Ahmedabad → Bhuj
Drive to Bhuj — Gateway to the Great Rann
Drive to Ahmedabad for a domestic flight to Bhuj (1 hour) — the gateway to the Great Rann of Kutch, the enormous salt desert that transforms under the full moon into the most surreal landscape in India. Check in to your Bhuj heritage hotel. Afternoon visit to the Bhujia Fort, the Prag Mahal Palace (a 19th-century Italian-Gothic palace in the middle of Kutch, topped with an astronomical clock tower), and the Aina Mahal (the 18th-century Hall of Mirrors). Evening: the vibrant Kutchi craft market — Kutch is the textile art capital of India, producing embroidery traditions of extraordinary complexity from a dozen different communities.
Drive to AhmedabadAhmedabad–Bhuj Domestic FlightBhuj Heritage ArrivalPrag Mahal Italian-Gothic PalaceAina Mahal Hall of MirrorsKutchi Craft Market
Day
6
Kutch — Village Craft Trails
Artisan Villages — Living Craft Traditions
A full day visiting Kutch's extraordinary artisan villages — each community producing its own distinct embroidery, weaving, or pottery tradition. Bhujodi village: known for shawls and stoles woven in the Rabari community's distinctive black-and-white geometric patterns. Ajrakhpur: the centre of ajrakh block printing — a resist-dyeing and block-printing technique using natural indigo and madder that has been practiced here for centuries and recently registered as GI-certified craft. Hodka village: Harijan community embroidery — the most intricate needlework in Kutch, using tiny mirrors stitched into geometric patterns. Ludiya village: the painted houses of the Lundi community, whose exterior walls are decorated in traditional patterns renewed each year.
Bhujodi Weaving VillageAjrakhpur Block PrintingHodka Mirror EmbroideryLudiya Painted HousesRogan Art Live DemonstrationGI-Certified Kutch Crafts
Day
7
Kutch — Great Rann Full Moon Night
Drive to Dhordo — Great Rann of Kutch at Sunset and Moonrise
Drive from Bhuj to Dhordo (85km, approximately 1.5 hours) — the edge of the Great Rann. The Great Rann is a 30,000 square kilometre salt marsh — the largest salt desert in the world — which floods during the monsoon and dries to a blinding white crust in winter. At sunset, stand on the edge of the Rann and watch the sky turn every shade of orange and red above an infinite white plane. If the timing aligns with the full moon, this landscape transforms into something beyond description — the white salt reflecting the moonlight to produce a landscape that seems to be lit from within. Overnight at the Rann Utsav tent city (the official Gujarat Tourism glamping village on the edge of the Rann).
Drive to DhordoGreat Rann of Kutch SunsetWorld's Largest Salt DesertFull Moon Rann WalkRann Utsav Tent VillageCultural Folk Performance
🌙 The Great Rann under a full moon is one of the most extraordinary natural experiences in India. We time this overnight stay around the full moon whenever possible — inform us of your travel dates and we will confirm.
Day
8
Great Rann → Sasan Gir
Sunrise on the Rann — Drive to Gir — Asiatic Lion Country
Sunrise on the Great Rann — the white salt turning pink, then gold, then blinding white as the sun rises. Return to Bhuj, then drive south to Sasan Gir (approximately 5 hours) — the last stronghold of the Asiatic lion, a population of approximately 700 lions that survives nowhere else on earth outside Gujarat. Check in to your wildlife lodge at the edge of the Gir National Park. Afternoon safari.
Great Rann SunriseDrive to Sasan GirGir National Park ArrivalAfternoon Lion SafariOnly Wild Asiatic Lions on Earth
Day
9
Sasan Gir National Park
Full Day — Two Lion Safaris
Two safaris today: morning (6am) and afternoon (3pm), each 3 hours in the forest. The Asiatic lion is smaller and slightly different from the African variety — the male has a less full mane, the belly fold is more pronounced. They are in many ways more accessible than their African cousins: Gir's forest is dry deciduous, lower and more open than African bush, and the lions are habituated to vehicles. Pride sightings are common. The park also has leopards (often seen at dusk), striped hyena, jungle cat, marsh crocodile, Indian python, and 300+ bird species.
Dawn Lion Safari 6amAsiatic Lion Pride SightingsAfternoon Lion SafariLeopard & Striped HyenaIndian CrocodileExpert Forest Guide
Day
10
Sasan Gir → Rajkot → Departure
Final Morning Safari — Drive to Rajkot — Departure
Optional early morning safari (additional charge). Drive to Rajkot Airport (approximately 3 hours) for your departure flight. Alternatively, drive to Ahmedabad (approximately 5 hours) if your international connection is from there. Tour concludes.
Optional Final SafariDrive to Rajkot or Ahmedabad AirportTour Concludes
🏨 Accommodation
Ahmedabad — 2 Nights (Days 1 & 2)
House of MG (Mangaldas Girdhardas)
★★★★★
An 1924 heritage mansion in the heart of the old city UNESCO zone, lovingly restored into a boutique 5-star hotel. Every room is different. The Agashiye rooftop restaurant serves arguably the finest Gujarati thali in the world. Walking distance to the old city pols and Sidi Saiyyed Mosque.
Little Rann of Kutch — 1 Night (Days 3-4)
Desert Coursers Camp
★★★★☆
A boutique tented camp on the edge of the Little Rann, operated by one of India's finest naturalists. Expert wildlife guides, comfortable tents, excellent Gujarati meals, and unrivalled knowledge of the wild ass sanctuary.
Bhuj — 2 Nights (Days 5-6)
The Bhuj Heritage House
★★★★☆
A beautifully restored 150-year-old merchant haveli in the heart of Bhuj, within walking distance of the craft markets and the palaces. Hand-painted interiors, traditional Gujarat furniture, and a rooftop terrace with views of the Bhujia Hill.
Great Rann / Dhordo — 1 Night (Day 7)
Rann Utsav Tent City — Premium Tent
★★★★☆
The official Gujarat Tourism tent city on the edge of the Great Rann — large, climate-controlled tents with proper beds, private bathrooms, and attached cultural performance spaces. On a full moon night, the tent city is the best base for experiencing the Rann at its most extraordinary.
Sasan Gir — 2 Nights (Days 8-9)
Kiran Safari Lodge or Amidhara Resort
★★★★☆
A comfortable eco-lodge at the edge of Gir National Park with a private safari fleet and experienced local guides. Good restaurant serving Gujarati food. The lodge is located adjacent to the park boundary, reducing drive time to safari zones.
🚗 Transportation
✈️
International Arrival
Ahmedabad Airport to old city hotel. Private AC vehicle.
🚙
Ahmedabad Circuit
Private AC vehicle: Ahmedabad–Modhera–Patan–Little Rann.
✈️
Ahmedabad → Bhuj
Domestic flight included. ~1 hour.
🚙
Kutch & Rann
Private AC vehicle: Bhuj–craft villages–Dhordo–Gir.
🦁
Gir Safaris
2 x 3-hour safaris in park-registered open vehicles.
🚙
Gir → Departure
Private AC vehicle to Rajkot or Ahmedabad Airport.
✅ Inclusions & Exclusions
Included in Your Package
  • 9 nights at handpicked heritage properties: Ahmedabad (2), Little Rann Camp (1), Bhuj Heritage House (2), Rann Utsav Premium Tent (1), Sasan Gir Lodge (2) + final night if needed
  • Daily breakfast; all meals at Little Rann camp (full board)
  • Ahmedabad–Bhuj domestic flight (economy)
  • 2 lion safaris at Gir National Park (park-registered vehicles)
  • 2 wild ass jeep safaris at Little Rann of Kutch
  • Private English-speaking guide throughout
  • All road transfers in private AC vehicle
  • Sabarmati Gandhi Ashram visit
  • Rani ki Vav UNESCO step-well (entry included)
  • Modhera Sun Temple entry
  • Prag Mahal and Aina Mahal palace tours, Bhuj
  • Kutch artisan village tours (Bhujodi, Ajrakhpur, Hodka, Ludiya)
  • Great Rann of Kutch sunrise and sunset experience
  • Rann Utsav tent city cultural folk performances
  • e-Visa assistance and 24/7 WhatsApp support
  • All park entry fees and government taxes
Not Included
  • International flights
  • Indian e-Visa fee (~$25–$80)
  • Lunches and most dinners (except Little Rann full board)
  • Travel insurance
  • Personal expenses, textile and craft shopping, gratuities
💰 Pricing 2025/2026
TravelersPer Person (USD)Season / Notes
Couple (2 pax)$2,990Oct–Mar, all heritage properties
Family (4 pax)$2,590Per person, Oct–Mar
Group (6–8 pax)$2,290Per person, best value
Solo Traveler$3,590Includes single supplement
Navratri Special (Oct)$3,290Couple pp — includes 2 Garba event nights in Ahmedabad
Rann Utsav Season (Nov–Feb)$3,090Couple pp — Rann Utsav festival tent city
All prices per person USD, double occupancy. Ahmedabad–Bhuj domestic flight included. International flights not included. Gir National Park is closed June 15 to October 15 every year.
🌟 TripRoutes India Insider Tips
  • House of MG in Ahmedabad is one of India's finest heritage hotels — the Agashiye rooftop thali dinner is a mandatory first-night experience
  • Book the Rann overnight around the full moon — the Great Rann under full moonlight is one of the most otherworldly experiences available anywhere in India
  • The Kutch artisan villages are best visited with a guide who has relationships with the craftspeople — you will see much more and buy directly from the maker
  • Gir National Park closes June 15 to October 15 every year — plan accordingly. The best months for lion sightings are November to May
  • Navratri in October (dates vary annually) coincides perfectly with this package — add 2 evenings of Garba dancing in Ahmedabad for one of India's most extraordinary festival experiences
  • The ajrakh block printing in Ajrakhpur is a GI-certified craft — if you want to buy authentic textiles, buy here directly from the artisans rather than from shops elsewhere
  • The Rani ki Vav step-well at Patan is the most extraordinary piece of medieval Indian architecture most visitors have never heard of — allow 2 full hours here
Starting From
$2,990
per person · heritage hotels · 10 days across Gujarat
Enquire & Book Now 💬 WhatsApp Us
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Also Consider
Rajasthan Royal Circuit →Mumbai, Caves & Goa →Tamil Nadu Temple Trail →

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