Gujarat - Rajasthan Road Trip

smartcat

Me and a couple of friends of mine are planning on a road trip to Gujarat and Rajasthan (from Bangalore). The priority is to explore the desert (Rann of Kutch and the Thar desert).

Questions -

- After I get to Ahmedabad, where do I go? I need a roadmap from Ahmedabad to Barmer or Jaisalmer (Rajasthan) via the Rann of Kutch. I don't want to come back to Ahmedabad after seeing Rann.

- Is there a cheap accomodation between the 2 destinations? Or should we be completing this journey in a day?

- How are the roads? Are there adequate fuel pumps on the way? And note that we do not have a 4-wheel drive car - is that okay?

- What would the temperature be like in Gujarat and Rajasthan in end-June? Any precautions to be taken?

Thanks!

Ashwin

anindya911

Hi Smartcat

You can take the road Ahmedabad - Mahesana - Radhapur - Gandhidham - Bhuj - Gandhidham - Radhapur - Tharod - Sanchore - Barmer, for the map you can checkout this website. www.mapmyindia.com
You can find basic hotels/lodges at the towns in between, it won't be much comfortable but it will be cheap.
I have found the roads of Gujarat in much better condition than MP and Maharashtra. There are ample Petrol pumps on the highways, but as a rule of thumb carry a Jerrycan of fuel (20-25 lts), to avoid running dry between nowhere. Two wheel drive is allright for driving on the roads and won't do any good if you try to drive over sand.
I will suggest that you re-consider your timing, June-July is not good time to visit Kutch & Rajasthan. The heat will take the fun part out of the adventure. Post monsoon, ie Nov-Feb is a good time for the road journey.

Hope this helps

Anindya

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Jorge Reverter

From Bhuj you can go through Patan and visit there the city and the sun temple in Modhera and from there the road to Barmer via Sidhpur - Palampur - Deesa - Sanchor - Barmer.

Weather will be terribly hot, I was in the area last February and was already hot.

Jorge

smartcat

Oh, Do I have to go to Bhuj? We just want to drive on the salt flats for a while, spot the Wild ass and go on to Rajasthan. Will I be able to do that if I take the Ahmedabad - Mahesana - Radhapur -Tharod - Sanchore - Barmer route? I have a large India map with me and from the map, it looks like we are driving close to the Rann.

Our idea is to spend maximum time in Rajasthan rather than Gujarat this time. We will come back to Gujarat later maybe and explore the entire state (Diu/Daman, Dwarka, Bhuj etc)

>> won't do any good if you try to drive over sand

Once we get to Jaisalmer, I hope to hop on to one of those 4 wheel drive camels!

>>> Weather will be terribly hot, I was in the area last February and was already hot
>>> you re-consider your timing, June-July is not good time

My friend is getting married in Surat. Hence the visit. I can ask my friend to postpone his marriage but I think he will ask me to go take a hike

tigerwatcher

If your main aim is to see the wild asses there is no need at all to go to Bhuj(though I found it a fascinating place) as the asses are plentiful in the Little Rhann.I was there this January and stayed at Camp Zainabad(see L.Planet)or contact them at zainabad@hotmail.They are at Dasada north of Patdi.From there to Mt.Abu is 190 km.on decent roads and and from there you have a choice of routes in Rajasthan.
You will need a four wheel drive and a good guide is essential.The Rhann is a salt flat and there are no roads.Your only"signposts"are the rocky outcrops and it is very,very easy to get lost.The heat haze when I was there was bad in the afternoon-it will be a lot worse in Summer- and though I was with a guide it took him quite some time to get his bearings on the return trip from the middle of the Little Rhann.Well worth a visit as the bird life-cranes,flamingo ,raptors etc.is fantastic as well.
Hope this is of some help,
Tigerwatcher.
PS.It is a good idea of yours to visit the other places you mentioned as I think you will find Gujarat a great state despite being alledgely "dry" but you can make up for that in Diu!!

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smartcat

I wasn't aware of 'Little Rann'. After a little bit of Googling on Little Rann, my Gujarat plan is almost ready. I will be getting to Jodhpur via Ahmedabad - Dasada - Modhera - Mehasana - Mt. Abu. I am thinking about doing the Rann thing without a guide - Garmin GPS should ensure that we don't get lost and my friend - he is an ass. I hope he will be able to track his wild counterparts .

My priority list of 'places to see' in Rajasthan would be -

- The desert and camels
- Forts & Palaces
- Water bodies/Wild Life

in that order. I have a maximum of 5 days to explore Rajasthan. My Rajasthan plan looks something like this -

Mt. Abu - Jodhpur - Jaisalmer - Kheecham/Gajner (wildlife) - Bikaner - Sambhar Lake - Jaipur.

Am I missing a 'must-see' place?

hitanshu

a. Flamingos, other birds would be in Dec-Jan. The Rann is flooded in the rains and the migratory birds descend in winter.

b. If I understand right, the entire idea is to get a *flavor* of the Rann, like: http://www.flickr.com/photos/free-ri...7594052095098/ (I'd crossed it then, but its not something i'd recommend in Jun-Jul!)

So, Bhuj, etc is a complete waste of time. I don't have my maps with me, but I reckon you should take Ahd-Sanand-Viramgam-(take left for Patdi)-Kharaghoda. Kharaghoda has salt flats and producing factories. There's two approach routes, one parallel to railway tracks right before the station (at the level X-ing), and in the village, there's a small track which bikes can pass through to hit the main rann road.

c. Carry binoculars to ensure you maintain your bearings - you need only go some 10-15km into the Rann for your photo/wander lust

d. Be careful of the soil color. You're going at a great time when its 99% dry. By end july it becomes a blooody swamp once it rains there, ask locals before u enter.Wet soil exists in patches. If you just drive/ride blindly you risk getting your tyre stuck and the clayey soil is a pain to scrape out (keep a knitting needle for safety sake - we've once spent nearly 1 hour scraping our bike tyre/chains clean )

e. Might sound counterintuitive, but hire a guide. Catch any local at the village - you can bargain for 3 hours for 100-150 bucks. That guy will take you to salt mines, desolate stretches and the best mirages. Any wise old man would do. Make sure u see salt workers' feet. Legend has it that working in salt mines makes their feet so badly calcinated that their feet hardly burn when they are cremated!!

f. Start late. Its 100 km from ahd - two easy hours on peaceful roads. Best time to reach is about 10:30am, so you can bargain, fix a guide and be in the middle of the rann by 12 when you truly feel the heat and see the best mirages!

g. Your final route should be Ahd-Viramgam-Patdi-Kharaghoda-Viramgam (take left instead of right for V'gam) - Modhera (there's a road which goes to Modhera from there, just ask) - Mehsana - Palanpur- Deesa - NH15 from there (iirc)

h. You can certainly cross the Rann, as regularly done by truckies. You can either follow them, or follow their tracks, and keep riding between the markers (chunks of dry soil laid up like a pile on both sides of the main truck tracks). DONT use the GPS. Rationale being that the truckies use the dry portions. GPS cannot tell you what is dry, what is not. Backtracking can be a pain! Or again, hire a local as guide

i. Avoid Rann Runners (Zainabad Camp). They are a nice place run by the erstwhile Nawab, with good hospitality and okay food. However, the rann near that place is okayish and go there only if you want to STAY some days. As I see it, you can do two hours of timepass even by youself - just keep the salt towers in visual range by binocs! If you go too far, the same will appear on the other side as a mirage. be careful!

OK, enuogh gyaan from me for now. For more info, just drop me a pm or pref an email!

smartcat

Wow! That's some hardcore riding you did there. And isn't that a Bajaj Caliber? Now that's why I call a full paisaa vasool

Where do I find those fort type ruins I see in your pics?

>> Carry binoculars

Yes. We are doing that.

>>> you just drive/ride blindly you risk getting your tyre stuck and the clayey soil

Kinda expected this. But I hope we'll be able to get the car out with the help of floor and boot mats (for traction). We'll probably carry a couple of shovels too.

hitanshu

Those ruins are at Lakhpat, some 570km west of Ahd - the second most western settlement of India

Err ... you seem to mistake sand with sticky clay. That mat thing helps in the desert. In the Rann, the clayey soil gets into the disk brakes, the chain, everywhere and just JAMS the wheel. Completely. We had to remove the chain cover and scrape each niggling bit. And that is NOT fun! So just make sure you ride on the white/pale yellow stretches which are dry!

iwanttogoback

if you are in modhera you must see the sun temple. i have posted some photos in my gallery here.
absolutely beautiful and, because it is isolated, very quiet.

hitanshu

Err ... excusez moi. Modhera is genuinely sad. The superb place has been ruined by modern attempts to rebuild it with concrete blocks - you get good pics from a distance but up close it looks ugly and fake.

or maybe that's just my 2 cents I'd just say spend more time in jodhpur/jaisalmer, altho You can take a 20 min break at the temple. its hardly much of a detour, though not much of a destination.

iwanttogoback

yup. that's just your two cents worth.