Today, I am here to talk about the two prolific and must-visit places of Gujarat-the Rann of Kutch in Bhuj and Somnath temple and Dwarka city near Okha. One provides the vibe of the local culture of Gujrat along with performances far and wide, whereas the latter one gives a sense of pride as to how vibrant our ancient India was. Somnath temple marks India’s wealth in the past, and Dwarka celebrates the kingdom of Lord Krishna, which though submerged, is intact in deep waters!

Reasons why you must visit Bhuj and Dwarka:

• Kutch Rann Utsav is a colorful festival that takes place in Rann of Kutch, lasting for three months from November to January, which includes camping, musical and dance performances, camel rides, handicraft shows, etc. This is one of India’s most anticipated festivals, which everyone should visit once.

• The Rann of Kutch is a spectacular site for photography, especially at night, sunrise and sunset. Yes, you get to see several cultural and musical performances, which give you a glimpse of local traditions and cultures.
• The Nava Talav Lake in Kutch is an excellent spot to view birds like pink flamingos, pelicans, storks, and cranes. This place is just a must-visit for bird watchers and photographers.

• Bhuj, the capital of Kachchh, is known for its Kachchh handicrafts and historic buildings – the Aina Mahal and Prag Mahal, for example, are both worth a sight.

Location: Bhuj is 400 km west of Ahmedabad, and Dwarka is 450 km west of Ahmedabad.

Tourist Attraction on the spot:

In Mahal Palace Bhuj-Aaina, Prag Mahal Palace, Kutch Museum, Shree Swaminarayan Temple, Kutch-Rann Utsav;  Mandvi-72 Jinalaya Jain Temple, Mandvi Beach, Vijaya Vilas Palace; In Dwarka-Rukmani Devi Mandir, Dwarka Beach, Shree Dwarkadhish Temple; Somnath Mandir and Beach

Tourist Attraction in Vicinity:

You can visit Ahmedabad, Gir Sanctuary, and Diu UT in the vicinity

Distance Charts:(Bhuj/Kutch)

• Dwarka(400 km)
• Gir Sanctuary(400 km)
• Ahmedabad(330 km)
• Mumbai(850 km)
• Jaipur(880 km)
• Pune(990 km)
• Lucknow(1450 km)
• Margao,Goa(1450 km)
• Delhi(1150 km)
• Dehradun(1340 km)
• Shimla(1460 km)
• Hyderabad(1500 km)
• Chennai(2180 km)
• Cochin(2300 km)
• Kolkata(2340 km)

How to Reach Bhuj-Dwarka-Somnath:

Road Routes:

Delhi-Jaipur-Ajmer-Palampur-Samakhiali-Bhuj-Samakhiali-Jamnagar-Dwarka-Veraval/Gir/Somnath

IMPORTANT NOTE FROM MY EXPERIENCE:

1)The Kutch is to be visited during the mid-November to Mid-January period when the whole Kutch region brightens with festivities and people(It goes upto mid-Feb, but most of the aura is gone)-don’t forget to get your light woolens-gonna to be cold!

2)Somnath Temple and Gir Sanctuary are must-visits in Gujarat-both are known for prominent reasons-the former for the representation of Golden ancient India and later being home to Asiatic lions. So do have a day for both of these reserved!

3)Gir Sanctuary usually can be seen by taking a car inside the Sanctuary-you don’t need to pay extra for a Safari van in the Sanctuary- if you have hired a car or have your own -pay the entry fees, and you are good to go-way cheaper!

RAIL:Bhuj, Somnath and Dwarka -all these 3 have their own railway stations connected by long distance trains.

AIR: Rajkot and Ahmedabad have their airports from where rail/road both can help in serving.

ROAD: The roads are butter smooth, but GSRTC state transport lags behind in terms of maintaining timings-so don’t make a tight schedule – have a buffer of 2 days.Dwarka and Bhuj sections have good road networks and they both connect each other as well, though you will need to change transport systems time to time.

Map:

Time to Visit:

September to March is a good time to visit these places

Spend Time With:

Friends, Groups,Solo, Family,Couple

Food and Lodging:

Hotels are lots more, so guest houses in large numbers with mere charges of INR 300-500/day. And I didn’t feel a need to book. Food is available in main towns like Somnath. Veraval, Dwarka, and Bhuj have many options, but when you go towards kutch, the shops are few and quite distant, making carrying some food necessary.

Expense:

A 5-day trip to these three places will cost:(Assuming you reach Bhuj by morning from Ahmedabad the prev night)

Food: INR 100/person/day(3 times a day)X5

Transport: INR 2000 for Ahmedabad-Bhuj/Dwarka/Somnath round trip by bus/train.INR 100 for Bhuj local sightseeing and keep INR 600 for kutch aside.INR 500 for Mandvi and INR 300 for Dwarka and Somnath.

Lodging: INR 500/day X5

Entry Fees: INR 300 with the INR 100 fee in kutch. Many places within Bhuj and Somnath have this entry ticket system.

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Total: 7800 INR

Nearby Attractions(Bhuj/Kutch)

• Mumbai(850 km)
• Pune(990 km)
• Bhopal(920 km)
• Mt. Abu(430 km)
• Bhandardara(880 km)

• Dwarka(400 km)
• Gir Sanctuary(400 km)
• Ahmedabad(330 km)
• Jaipur(880 km)
• Ajmer(750 km)