[abhikb]

On the eve of 74th Republic Day, we are pleased to announce The Border Quest which is a unique combination of a border to border road expedition and exploration towards the uncharted path. The expedition will start from Nadabet Indo-Pak Border and shall go via the border route upto Longewala Indo-Pak border. This expedition will not only course the uncharted route but shall also give the participants to try their 4X4s into the famous Sand dunes of The Great Indian Desert (Thar Desert).

Highlights of the Event:

1) Border to Border Route through the Desert trail.
2) Star gazing and Night Desert Safari.
3) Dune bashing.
4) Explore the uncharted route.
5) Expected participation of 35-40 Cars

Organized by

TCOG Adventure and Expedition
Creatix events and productions

Email: tharstory@gmail.com
Instagram handle: tharstory_tcog
Contact details: 7976635012, 9828940777, 9824196305

Schedule:



Registration Fee:



1) Adults (12 years and above): Rs. 34,999 upto two people.
2) Extra Person: Rs. 16,999
3) Children (6 -12 years): Rs. 7999
4) Children below 6 years: Complimentary

Inclusions:

1) 4 Nights Stay & All 3 meals.
2) Folk Dance & Music.
3) Dinner at Dunes with complimentary drinks **
4) Off-roading/Dune Bashing
5) Border visit
6) Entry fee towards attractions mentioned in the itenary.
7) Convoy and off-road guide.

Exclusions:

1) Any type of personal expenses.
2) Fuel Expenses will have to be borne by the participants.
3) Toll charges will have to paid by the participants.
4) Meals other than specified in inclusions

Terms and Conditions:

1) Registration charges of Rs. 34,999 is for Driver and Co-driver which shall be applicable in case of Single person also,
2) Additional person apart from driver and co-driver shall be chargeable at Rs. 16,999.
3) For registration upto 3 persons, rooms shall be provided on triple sharing basis, for registration upto 4 persons, 2 rooms shall be provided on double sharing basis.
4) Kids upto 6 years are complimentary.
5) Kids from 6 to 12 years will be charged seperately at Rs. 7999, kids above 12 years will be considered as an adult.
6) Registration amount is non-refundable.
7) Only 4X4 and AWD cars are allowed to register.
8) All rights reserved to TCOG Adventure & Expedition and Creatix Events & Production
9) Terms and condition apply

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[VND]

The event looks very well curated, it is going to be an amazing one.
Can't wait for the convoy to roll!

[DrDhara]

Now this looks like the most appropriate way of celebrating patriotism! Travelling through the border route will be a dream come true… count me in!

[goni23us]

Vow Abhik, this seems one of a kind event. Gives me goosebumps.
Truly agree with @VND Can't wait for the convoy to roll!!

[resurrectedvss]

Looking forward to the event. Success of Roar to Explore- Season 1 gives us a boost of confidence and an opportunity to explore the uncharted territory especially by Gujarat’s 4*4 owners

[bhavik.1991]

What a wonderful experience this will be!
Very well curated itinerary. Abhik, your 4x4 and touring expertise will make this fun, adventurous yet relaxing experience for participants without having the need to worry about logistics

[SportsMedicine]

75 Years of Republic India. What a way to celebrate. Kudos to team TCOG for making such home grown event happen. Add me in and hoping to roll with the convoy soon.

[zameendar]

This is going to be one hell of a trip. Please DON'T MISS if you have a 4x4 -- I think registrations will close this week.

Attaching photos from the 'Roar to Explore' event organized by the same group last year... This Thar is known as 'keeling machine' in TCOG circles and it's raring to go to the Indo-Pak border!

[Tejas@perioimpl]

So where's the report after all this marketing done here? Would love to see a proper report and pics.

[abhikb]

Event Report



The Border Quest event was concluded successfully, it had a good turn out of 34 Cars, most of which being the new thar owners. We went through one of the unexplored roads, had the opportunity to explore places which have been untouched and unexplored.



Final Itinerary & Route Plan


Day-0: Reporting at Tharad

Day-1:

-Tharad to Nadabet
- Flag-off at Nadabet Indo-Pak Border
- Nadabet to Munabai via Mavsari, Sata, Dhanau
-Munabao to Sam

Day-2:

- Sam to Longewala
- Longewala to Tanot border via Ramgarh
- Tanot to Sam

Day-3:

- Dune Bashing
- Event Gala Dinner on Dunes

Day-4:

- Break fast & Checkout

Essentials we carried

1.Tyre Inflator
2.puncture kit
3.engine oil
4.coolant
5.coolant pipe
6.first aid kit
7.Mosquito repellent
8.Basic meds
9. Sunscreen
10. Tyre inflator/deflator
11. Garbage bags
12. Toilet tent
12.Jump Starter
13. Headlight bulbs
14. Car RC and insurance, in case owner is not present authorization letter in name of the driver

-No. of 4x4s: 34
-Key Border Points touched: Nadabet, Munabao, Longewala, Tanot (Bawariya Check-post)
-Dune bashing: Check
-River Bed Trail Drive: Check (20 Kms)
- Unique 4x4s: Gurkha BS-6, Pajero Sport & Jeep Compass

Briefing session:

Briefing session was held at Ahmedabad on 22nd January, 2023 in order to explain the route map, preparation to be done at participant's end and much more. The session was streamed live through our Instagram page live feed for outstation participants.

[abhikb]

Day-0, 25th Jan-23, Reporting at Tharad:

Our flag-off Point Nadabet was 200 kms from Ahmedabad which is a 4 hour drive, hence, we had planned for Reporting at Tharad which is 60 kms away from Nadabet.

The convoy was formally flagged off from BPCL Outlet near Helmet char rasta at Ahmedabad, BPCL's state head came down personally to greet the participants. Post flag-off all the participants were to report at Tharad directly and check-in at the hotel.

Day-1, 26th Jan-23, Tharad-Nadabet-Munabao-Sam:

All the participants were required to assemble at Nadabet by 8:30am, a short information about Nadabet is as mentioned below:

Nadabet is designed to take the visitor on a journey of grit and resilience.

Right from the gates till the very Indo-Pak border located 25KM inside, it is an enthralling experience where every visitor entering, will leave a patriot.

T-Junction and 0-point offer tourists a wholesome experience along with many other attractions. A high watch-tower is especially designed to give the visitors a view across the zero line, as well as a number of scenic spots.

It is jointly managed between Gujarat Tourism and BSF.

The Border Quest event flag off was part of the event proceedings at Nadabet, the team got a grand reception as the flag off was done at the hands of IG-BSF GJ frontier.

Post flag off the convoy rolled from Nadabet and took the State highway upto Mavsari, from there on we had to cross a 20 kms river bed and move upto Bakhasar. From Bakhasar we had to travle upto Munabao using Bharat mala road via Sata-Gagariya-Gadra Road. On such a drive, refueling points area must, in this regard BPCL team ensured hassle free transit at their petrol pumps on Bharat mala road.

We had arranged lunch for the participants at Serva on Bharat mala road itself. The departure from Nadabet had delayed slightly hence, the convoy could reach Munabao around 6pm right before sunset. BSF had arranged for Tea and refreshments at Munabao for all the participants and we were allowed to go upto Zero Point which otherwise is not allowed on this stretch.

Short information about Munabao is as follows:

A 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in)-wide metre-gauge line from Luni to Shadipalli, in Sind, was built across the Thar Desert in 1902 and the line from Shadipalli to Hyderabad (now in Pakistan) was regauged.The Luni–Barmer–Munabao section was converted to 5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm) broad gauge in 2004.

During the 1965 war, the railway station came under the control of Pakistan.

According to a 1929 issue of the Railway Gazette, the Sind Mail used to run on this route between Ahmedabad and Hyderabad, Sindh. The route was in use with through services between Jodhpur and Karachi till around 1965. On the Pakistan side, Khokhrapar was the terminus of a metre-gauge branch line from Hyderabad, Sindh via Mirpur Khas, 135 km from the border.

The rail link across Munabao–Khokhrapar border was restored in 2006. As per the agreement between Indian and Pakistan railways, the Thar Express travels once a week from Karachi during a six-month block, crosses the international border, and the passengers change over to an Indian train at Munabao for their onward journey to Bhagat Ki Kothi in Jodhpur.

On the Indian side the Thar Link Express runs non-stop once a week from Bhagat Ki Kothi (near Jodhpur) to Munabao and back. Pakistan Railways have set up a new railway station at Zero Point. There is a passenger train linking Munabao to Barmer, which ran on all days except Monday.

The train connectivity has now been stopped since 2019 escalation of tension between India and Pakistan.

The final leg of the journey between Munabao-Sam was around 170 Kms, 3 hours drive on Bharatmala road and followed with a Narrow stretch of road through the dunes. We started from Munabao around 7pm, since the route was desolated and mobile network was not available on this route, the entire convoy rolled together on this route and we made it to the resort right on time around 10pm.

During the registration session this communication was made to the participants that the first day's drive will be 13-14 hours, this helped to prep up the participants for the day and also through our food partner Kabhib, food packets were distributed at Munaboa to keep people charged for the last leg of the journey.

[abhikb]

Day-2, Sam-Longewala-Tanot-Sam:

Day-2 of the quest was to take us to two more border points of historic importance, Longewala and Tanot border. While Longewala is easily accessible, for Tanot border zero point one needs to reach before 3:30pm get the formalities done with BSF and drive from the temple to Zero point.

The total drive for the day was about 180 Kms which started around 10:30am and ended at 9pm. The visit to Tanot border Zero point marked the culmination of the border to border drive, in all we covered about 4 border points, each having its own significance.

[abhikb]

Day-3, Dune Bashing & Gala Dinner on dunes:

The third day of the border quest was an action packed one, the participants were first briefed about the day’s proceedings and then we slowly started moving in convoy towards the dune bashing location which was 15 kms from Sam.

Before entering the dunes, a more technical briefing was given to the participants, this included do’s and Don’t and the basic technicalities of driving in the dunes.

All the participants had a good 4 hours dune bashing session after which everyone made their way back to the hotel.

Since, this was the last Engagement of the event a gala dinner was organized in the dunes for all the participants. This provided a different experience and a much needed rejuvenation to everyone.

[abhikb]

Happy faces means successful expedition

While people enjoy and refresh their memories, Team TCOG is already working on the next quest.