[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by kkg

Thanks for giving this important bit of information and yes about the area to stay. Now I am in dilemma whether to book online form OYO and Treebo (will their bookings be honored) or hunt for hotels when I reach there.

I did refer about this 'Development' when I first replied few days back and also suggested an option to book - By a call.

Originally Posted by paragsachania

Only advise - There is a protest by the association of hotels in Western India (was in Gujarat and may spread to Maharashtra too) and they have boycotted popular portals like MMT and Goibibo. So please book your stay carefully. A call to the hotel may also be a good idea.

Is arriving there and then looking for hotels advisable as I think the hotelwalas take advantage when they see a family with kid along at around 7-8 pm. May be it doesn't happen in that part of India but here in north specially in hill stations it is quite rampant.

This is peak season for Gujarat and Vadodara is a popular destination and with Statue of Unity becoming a POI, it becomes even more suitable for stay for those coming from Mumbai/Pune side as well. So better to call and make an advance booking than rely on any booking done via online portals.

Originally Posted by SJM1214

From last many years, I have stopped relying on any third party booking sites for hotel bookings. Why don't you search hotels on google for your preferred area? Most of the hotels have their phone numbers updated in the google search. It is better to call them directly for hotel booking. I

For me its the other way round. Online Portals always worked cheaper be at any location. There was a time when one could call the hotel directly, tell them that you are getting cheaper deal online and the hotel would oblize and match that or even better that if you directly booked via Hotel Reception. But off late, they simply tell you go ahead and do the booking online right in front of them because they cannot beat the offers by these portals. I have had recent experiences of booking at at Gondia in Maharashtra and Seoni in MP where I booked sitting in the reception itself after the staff said they can't offer any better.

Of course, online portals may not be the best options for other places like the Himalayas or interior locations where monopoly might play a role, but places like Ahmedabad, Vadodara etc, where there is a plethora of choice available, online should work better [If one ignores the current state of affairs].

[R-Six]

We just got back after a fun weekend in Udaipur and the road conditions after crossing Gujarat border until you get into the Udaipur city is pathetic. With the 6 lane widening in progress, there are a lot of stretches where the road is almost like a single lane road.

It took us almost 6.5 hours to cover 270kms in the afternoon, something I normally cover in 4-5hrs. Please keep this in mind when planning your trips to the Statue of Unity.

Drive Safe,
R-Six

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by R-Six

We just got back after a fun weekend in Udaipur and the road conditions after crossing Gujarat border until you get into the Udaipur city is pathetic. With the 6 lane widening in progress, there are a lot of stretches where the road is almost like a single lane road.

It took us almost 6.5 hours to cover 270kms in the afternoon, something I normally cover in 4-5hrs. Please keep this in mind when planning your trips to the Statue of Unity.

Drive Safe,
R-Six

Updaipur bypass and the section nearing Himmatnagar (GJ-RJ Border) was always a pain. This is one reason, in the last few years of my driving towards Delhi, I have taken the Himmatnagar route just once.

The best bet would always be - Ahmedabad - Kalol - Mehasana - Palanpur - Abu Road - Udaipur. The roads are fantastic end to end and if one is not visiting Udaipur, you reach a point beyind Udaipur that straightaway takes you towards Chittorgarh.

[R-Six]

Originally Posted by paragsachania

The best bet would always be - Ahmedabad - Kalol - Mehasana - Palanpur - Abu Road - Udaipur.

Isn't it a quite longer than the traditional Ahmedabad - Himatnagar - Shamlaji - Udaipur route? I think it might be more than 50-60KMs. With the additional distance, we might not even save any time taking this route either.

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by R-Six

Isn't it a quite longer than the traditional Ahmedabad - Himatnagar - Shamlaji - Udaipur route? I think it might be more than 50-60KMs. With the additional distance, we might not even save any time taking this route either.

I wont mind spending 30-45 minutes extra over spending time crawling and negotiating potholes. I guess most of us will prefer the same.



Even with the extra distance, it would hardly take 30 minutes more over the traditional route.

[Caesar]

Dears

I am planning a road trip at end of Dec, as under:

Day 1 - Chandigarh - Ajmer (via Panipat, WPE, Jaipur Bypass)
Day 2 - Ajmer - Deesa (via Pali, Sirohi, Palanpur)
Day 3 - Deesa - Bhuj (NH27, Dudhai etc)
Day 4 - Bhuj
Day 5 - Bhuj
Day 6 - Bhuj - Udaipur (retracing till ~Sirohi)
Day 7 - Udaipur
Day 8 - Udaipur
Day 9 - Udaipur - Jaipur
Day 10 - Jaipur - Chandigarh

The queries I have, and I'd be grateful for any suggestions:
1. Is there anything fundamentally wrong with the itinerary?
2. Any route suggestions, especially since it is my first time into GJ
3. What is the best place to see Rann from? Dhordo?
4. What all to do in Bhuj for the two full days?
5. Fuel quality pointers for RJ and GJ - Diesel

[udayjani]

Originally Posted by Caesar

2. Any route suggestions, especially since it is my first time into GJ
3. What is the best place to see Rann from? Dhordo?
4. What all to do in Bhuj for the two full days?
5. Fuel quality pointers for RJ and GJ - Diesel

Hi Caesar,

I’ve recently done my Ahmedabad to Bhuj rod trip and it was very exciting. I borrowed my brother in laws 2002 Honda city petrol. We started from Ahmedabad around 2 PM and reached Bhuj well before 5 PM. The roads are superb in complete Gujarat. Although at few times you will encounter potholes due to recent rains during monsoon.

Since you are travelling to Bhuj, I will recommend you going to below places if you are spiritual.

Mata no madh
Narayan Sarovar
Koteshwar - This is the western most part of India. End of roads. The temple is at the banks of Arabian Sea and around few kms via boat to reach Pakistan. You will notice BSF camps at the end of road here.

Please note that before starting to Koteshwar fill the fuel since there are no petrol or diesel pumps in Koteshwar. The last petrol pump in this stretch is around 50 kms away. However if you missed to refuel, people sell fuel here for 10 extra per litre just like seen in movies.

Apart from these thread temples you can also visit, kalo Dungar. From here you can view the complete Rann of Kutch. The view is mesmerising during After sunrise and before sunset.

Make sure the car you are travelling has hill assist since it’s uphill. And the interesting thing is that while travelling to kalo Dungar, you will have to cross - Tropic of Cancer. You will encounter gravitational pull at certain places along the Tropic of Cancer as your car will go uphill without accelerating.

Uploading few pics from my journey.

[abhikb]

Originally Posted by Caesar

The queries I have, and I'd be grateful for any suggestions:

You can cut one day in Bhuj and take a halt at Mount Abu which will fall enroute after Sirohi. Further since you are going to Udaipur you can also plan one day for Kumbhalgarh and the move towards Jaipur.

Further, Traffic police in Rajasthan will harass you for one or the other reason. Seatbelts for person sitting next to driver is compulsory in Rajasthan. While traveling in Gujarat police may stop you for yellow sticker on headlights which earlier used to be mandatory for cars but nowadays it isn't. They easily extract 500-1000 Rs. citing this reason.

In nut shell ask them specifically about the issue for stopping your vehicle and don't fall into their trap. Never hand over the keys of the car or any document to police without asking for a valid reason.

Overall the drive would be pleasant, fueling shouldn't be an issue in RJ or GJ since all highways are equipped with sufficient fueling stations. If you are driving a petrol car or bike then fuel might be costly in Rajasthan.
Udaipur to Ajmer route might slow you down after Nathdwara since 4 lane work is under progress.

[am1m]

Originally Posted by udayjani

You will encounter gravitational pull at certain places along the Tropic of Cancer as your car will go uphill without accelerating.

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...as60882700.cms

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravity_hill

"...rather they are purely optical illusions occurring due to the structure of land on either side of the road. It may look that the cars, water and balls are rolling up hill, but in reality they are sloping downward, the way they should be. The horizon line and other attributes of the surrounding vistas trick the brain into assuming the slope as uphill"

[Mu009]

Looking for some advice on a Gujarat road trip, ASAP.

Have left it a little late (starting this weekend), but only the window was decided, not the destination. Finalised only yesterday evening.

The trip will be ex-Indore from 17th morning to 24th evening. So a total of 8 days are available.

Vehicle - Endeavour 3.2 4x4

Here are my must-dos for the trip:

1. Full moon night (19th) in the white sand desert. Does leaving from Indore on the 17th give me a chance to do anything on the 18th - given that catching a full moon at the White Sand desert is my top priority? Is the place to spend the full moon night at LRK or GRK? Which has the white sand? If it is LRK, priority 2 can be addressed on either side of the full moon night:

2. Driving across LRK and seeing as much of the wildlife there (Wild Ass Sanctuary) as possible. Am equipped with a shovel, air compressor and sand ladders. What else would I require for driving through LRK?

3. Seeing as many birds as possible in Nalsarovar. What about stay options at Nalsarovar? I'm assuming tickets aren't a problem (just like Bharatpur).

Here's the rest of the stuff I want to add (if possible), in order of priority:

4. Safari in Gir. Would like to know about ticketing procedure and availability potential for Gir. I'm assuming tickets are a problem (just like Kanha/Bandhavgarh etc).

5. Drive to Western-most point beyond Bhuj.

6. Coast drive from Diu to Dwarka. Strictly no religious places. So a drive only - no stopping at famous places. Wouldn't mind a beach side gourmet/fine-dining lunch though

7. Shopping for the famous textiles of Gujarat. I understand that Surat is a hub too, but I assume Ahmedabad will be as good, and more importantly is more conducive route-wise. Primarily looking for bed covers and bed sheets in general, and for garments, only ladies' pant tops with traditional designs.

Want to avoid crowds as much as possible.

Proposed route into Gujarat: Indore-Jhabua-Godhra-Ahmedabad (the blue one in the photo). Not necessary that Ahmedabad be the first stop of the day, just as a general trajectory.


Any and all information welcome - haven't even begun my research yet (spent all day detailing - first washing the car to prep it for a pre long road trip protective wax).

Also:
8. Assuming most roads are good and fast - the car will take car of the bad ones.
9. Pointers on potential dangers/scams, road issues, police harassment of out of state vehicles etc.

Points are added for convenience - simply start off with the point number and I'll get the context.

Cheers!
And thanks in advance.

[am1m]

Some answers:

Originally Posted by Mu009

Which has the white sand?

The Great Rann is the 'White Desert'. Soft mud beneath and salt over that. As a few people have mentioned on other threads, please try and avoid driving on that, spoils the place and there are chances of the car getting stuck.

Originally Posted by Mu009

What else would I require for driving through LRK?

Trucks and vehicles cross the LRK. There are tyre tracks you can follow, as far as I can remember from my bike trip there in '07. (We got lost though and finally followed a safari jeep out of the Rann). A description of a more recent crossing by a BHPian is here on this thread: https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/trave...ous-kutch.html (Rann-dezvous at Kutch)

Originally Posted by Mu009

Drive to Western-most point beyond Bhuj.

That would be Narayan Sarovar I guess. At least the Western-most point accessible to civilians with no Defence ties.

Originally Posted by Mu009

Want to avoid crowds as much as possible.

A couple of recent travelogs have said the crowds are reducing, but the next 2 weeks are the last of the Rann Utsav, so may see some crowds trying to catch the last Full Moon of this Rann Utsav.

Originally Posted by Mu009

Pointers on potential dangers/scams, road issues, police harassment of out of state vehicles etc.

Not sure if that 'yellow sticker on headlight' thing is still being enforced in Gujarat. Some reports say no, some say cops are still using that as an excuse to extract money from non-GJ vehicles.

Do let us know how the trip goes, am heading there in mid-March.

[earthian]

Originally Posted by Mu009

1. Full moon night (19th) in the white sand desert.

GRK is the place. There would be red gutka spit marks on the pristine white rann near the ingress point. Don't lose heart and walk into the rann for 300-500 meters and all would be well.
It would be crowded on full moon nights, thats for sure.

Driving across LRK and seeing as much of the wildlife there (Wild Ass Sanctuary) as possible. Am equipped with a shovel, air compressor and sand ladders. What else would I require for driving through LRK?

Wild ass sanctuary is fairly near the highway and one can take one's car inside. However, if you want to cross over the LRK you may want to check with the locals first.

Seeing as many birds as possible in Nalsarovar. What about stay options at Nalsarovar? I'm assuming tickets aren't a problem (just like Bharatpur).

Nalsarovar is almost dry this season. No birds. You could get some luck in the wild ass sanctuary. though water levels would have by now gone down too. Thol is a possibility and Nakhatrana- where you would see as many raptors as you desire. Velavader is also recommended.

Safari in Gir. Would like to know about ticketing procedure and availability potential for Gir. I'm assuming tickets are a problem (just like Kanha/Bandhavgarh etc).

Your assumption is right. Get permits first. Good birding in Gir too.

Drive to Western-most point beyond Bhuj.

Not a problem, though i would suggest getting a permit and going to meet our BSF boys at Post 1111 next to the border (~800 meters)

Proposed route into Gujarat: Indore-Jhabua-Godhra-Ahmedabad (the blue one in the photo).

Indore-dhar-dahod-godhra -ahmedabad

[dsnaveen21]

Guys,
Looking for some advice on a Gujarat road trip

March 20 thane to vadodara (425 kms)
March 21 Vadodara to Somnath (480 kms)
March 22: Somnath-Dwarka-Bet, Dwarka-Rajkot
March 23: Rajkot-Vadodara
March 24: Rajkot to Thane

Is the above plan okay,
All roads good condition.
Please let me know few hotel to stay near Vododara, Somnath and Rajkot.

Thanks,
Naveen

[aditya.86]

Originally Posted by dsnaveen21

Guys,
Looking for some advice on a Gujarat road trip

March 20 thane to vadodara (425 kms)
March 21 Vadodara to Somnath (480 kms)
March 22: Somnath-Dwarka-Bet, Dwarka-Rajkot
March 23: Rajkot-Vadodara
March 24: Rajkot to Thane

Is the above plan okay,
All roads good condition.
Please let me know few hotel to stay near Vododara, Somnath and Rajkot.

Thanks,
Naveen

Naveen,

Somnath to Dwarka and back to Rajkot in a day might not be possible considering the current condition of roads. 4 laning work is in progress from Somnath to Dwarka and you might not be able to cover distance as planned.

Bet Dwarka is a further 35 kms from Dwarka temple and will easily take you around an hour or so.

Best option would be leave Somnath early on 22nd, finish Bet Dwarka first, on the way back head to Nageshwar and then the evening darshan at Dwarka.

Stay back at Dwarka and proceed to Vadodara direct from Dwarka which is around 500 kms and can be done in 8-9 hrs.

[am1m]

Got back from a 5000-km round trip yesterday. Bangalore-Mumbai-Lothal-Zinzuwada (Little Rann)-Patan(Rani-Ki-Vav)-Dholavira(Great Rann)-Bhuj-Lakhpat-Kalo Dungar(Great Rann)-Mandvi(Vijay Villas Palace)-Ahmedabad-Mumbai-Bangalore.

Amazing roads in Gujarat! Covering distance is not an issue at all. MH and KA have a lot of catching up to do to get there. The Rann is amazing! Thought it would be a bit dull this time, since it's the second time I've been there, but not at all, would definitely like to go there yet again.

Some points (since I had questions about these too before the trip):

*Absolutely no need for that silly yellow sticker on the side of the headlights in GJ. Drove all over the place in a KA-registered vehicle, was never stopped by cops.
*To visit the Great Rann at Dholavira or Dhordo, no need for permits. Was never asked for permits on the Dholavira side and on the Dhordo side, just needed to make an entry at the BSF check-point, 3 km from Dhordo. No need for any photocopies, just show any one person's ID.
*The Rann at Dhordo is in bad shape. Totally dry, not white anymore, at least not near the view point. Looks much better from the Dholavira side and from atop Kalo Dungar.
*Totally worth going during off season. The heat was quite bad (though, after returning to Bangalore, it does seem pretty bad here too!), but the lack of any crowds was totally worth it.