[Sandy28]

Originally Posted by SDP

Was speaking to a travel agent today and he highly recommended Kankaria lake for spending 3-4 hours ..let's say from 4pm till 8pm. He mentioned that it has been done up well, there is a mini-train, boating facility, laser-show and a zoo nearby. He said with kids and parents, we will enjoy it.

I have never really considered this place. Any opinions?

Yea the Kankaria lake has been renovated and is a great attraction. Kids will surely love to be there. Once the sun is down, you can just sit by the water and enjoy the laser show and the cool breeze. If you are into junk food, this is the right spot. On the whole a good place but you can expect some crowd due to the diwali holidays.

[sushil.raddi]

Please note that the Hotels in Dwarka are generally full so ensure you book early.
Do not miss the Madhavpur sea face road enroute from Gir to Dwarka.
Road from Sasan Gir to Verawal (enroute to Dwarka) is not very good.

[SDP]

Updates on the planning:

1. First 3 days at Ahmedabad finalized. Hotel almost booked.

2. Sasan Gir Sinh Sadan - they are not taking any booking till mid-December because of Gujarat state elections. Other properties in Sasan Gir seem pretty expensive. I don't think I will get anything below 3-4K per night per room. So planning to stay in Somnath instead. Planning to book Somnath Trust guest house, which is supposed to be good.

3. Sasan Gir safari booking. Have called them and prepared the visitor's details. Would fax them tomorrow. Who uses fax in these days? Not expecting the whole safari booking experience to be smooth.

4. Day 4 and Day 5 would stay back in Somnath. Day 6 early morning head towards Dwaraka. Reach by 11AM. Spend time till 6PM and then head towards Jamnagar/Rajkot and stay in Jamnagar/Rajkot for the night. Have not booked a hotel yet.

[Sandy28]

Originally Posted by SDP

Updates on the planning:

Day 6 early morning head towards Dwaraka. Reach by 11AM. Spend time till 6PM and then head towards Jamnagar/Rajkot and stay in Jamnagar/Rajkot for the night. Have not booked a hotel yet.

As HVK has already pointed out, Day 6 is prety tight. Even if you make it to Dwarka by 11 am, 6-7 hrs will be a stretch. The temple has specific darshan timing. So you will have to plan for it. There is also Bet Dwarka, Rukmini temple, Nageshwar temple to visit.

Since you plan to do a night halt at Jamnagar/Rajkot and then move to mumbai the next day, you could consider a night halt at dwarka and an early morning start straight up to mumbai.

[SDP]

Originally Posted by Sandy28

As HVK has already pointed out, Day 6 is prety tight. Even if you make it to Dwarka by 11 am, 6-7 hrs will be a stretch. The temple has specific darshan timing. So you will have to plan for it. There is also Bet Dwarka, Rukmini temple, Nageshwar temple to visit.

Since you plan to do a night halt at Jamnagar/Rajkot and then move to mumbai the next day, you could consider a night halt at dwarka and an early morning start straight up to mumbai.

Thanks Sandy28. A night halt at Dwaraka on day-6 makes a lot of sense.
The only concern is that puts us 930KMs away from Mumbai at the begining of day 7. Google maps suggest 14.5 hours. My personal guess is more like 16-17 hours including breakfast, lunch and dinner breaks. My father is 71. Although the car is comfortable for long drives, I am still skeptical whether 16-17 hours would be too much for him.

I am tilting towards another option of elongating this trip by an additional day and stopping at let's say Vadodara for Night-7 and then continuing to Mumbai on Day-8.

In this option, there would be 8 hours of drive on day-7 and 6 hours on day-8. Slightly concerned that it would look like we spent 2 days just for travelling back.

Without straying away from the main route from Dwarka to Mumbai, can some more sightseeing be included in day-7 (and possibly even day-8)? 2-3 hours per day? Jamnagar marine park? Anything around Rajkot? Anything else in Vadodara, Bharuch etc on Day-8 (Sunday)?

Thanks in advance.
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More updates about planning:

1. Faxed the Lion Safari booking application to Sasan Gir. Called them to confirm if they have received it. They said the fax goes to the main office and would reach them later in the day. Asked me check back tomorrow.

<Anybody has experience with advance booking of lion safaris?>

2. For Day 4 and 5, called up Lilavati Guesthouse of the Shree Somnath Trust. They said they have rooms available on those days. Asked me to send them a DD and a covering letter with booking details. Would do that tomorrow morning.

3. Would look at Dwaraka booking for Day-6 tomorrow. Most likely Damji Hotel. Fellow BHPian Ashish Pallod had recommended it. Would call up my travel agent.

[v&v]

SDP, its better to extend to 8 days. You are on a vacation.
You can stop over at Vadodara. Sursagar lake and palace is there to see.

or alternatively split Ahmadabad in 2 parts. Initially 2 nights and 1 night after Dwaraka.

3. Would look at Dwaraka booking for Day-6 tomorrow. Most likely Damji Hotel. Fellow BHPian Ashish Pallod had recommended it. Would call up my travel agent.

Book this in advance, most of the time its sold out.

[Sandy28]

Originally Posted by SDP

Thanks Sandy28. A night halt at Dwaraka on day-6 makes a lot of sense.
The only concern is that puts us 930KMs away from Mumbai at the begining of day 7. Google maps suggest 14.5 hours. My personal guess is more like 16-17 hours including breakfast, lunch and dinner breaks. My father is 71. Although the car is comfortable for long drives, I am still skeptical whether 16-17 hours would be too much for him.

I am tilting towards another option of elongating this trip by an additional day and stopping at let's say Vadodara for Night-7 and then continuing to Mumbai on Day-8.

In this option, there would be 8 hours of drive on day-7 and 6 hours on day-8. Slightly concerned that it would look like we spent 2 days just for travelling back.

Without straying away from the main route from Dwarka to Mumbai, can some more sightseeing be included in day-7 (and possibly even day-8)? 2-3 hours per day? Jamnagar marine park? Anything around Rajkot? Anything else in Vadodara, Bharuch etc on Day-8 (Sunday)?

Thanks in advance.

I can understand your concern - 17 hours will be too taxing for your parents. Adding 1 more day will be the best option. You can do full justice to Dwarka on day 6, do an early morning darshan on day 7 and then come to Vadodara for the night halt. You will still have ample time to check out the city and its royal legacy. Hotels are also available in plenty for a comfortable stay. Day 8, you can take a detour from Bharuch towards Kevadia Colony (about 30 km off the highway) and spend some time there. It is the Sardar Sarovar dam built over the Narmada dam and a good place to spend some time. Since the highway right up to Mumbai is fabulous, you will have a smooth drive home by early evening.

[SDP]

Originally Posted by v&v

SDP, its better to extend to 8 days. You are on a vacation.
You can stop over at Vadodara. Sursagar lake and palace is there to see.
.....

Thanks V&V. Would add Vadodara to the Day-7/8 plan.

Originally Posted by v&v

...Book this in advance, most of the time its sold out.

How true! I called them up and Damji is full more than a month in advance. I casually inquired how soon do the reservations happen and he told me for this period there was a group booking done 2 months back!

V&V, I am seriously exploring including Narara marine park in day-7. Can you please share contact details of Mr Mustaq of Hotel President and share some details about the charges for the permit, entry fees, guide etc. (I guess you have mentioned ~300 Rs in your travelogue.) A lot would depend on the low tide timings on that day. If the low tide is in the morning, only then Narara is doable for me. How does one check low tide timings for 23rd Nov today?

Originally Posted by Sandy28

I can understand your concern - 17 hours will be too taxing for your parents. Adding 1 more day will be the best option. You can do full justice to Dwarka on day 6, do an early morning darshan on day 7 and then come to Vadodara for the night halt. You will still have ample time to check out the city and its royal legacy. Hotels are also available in plenty for a comfortable stay. Day 8, you can take a detour from Bharuch towards Kevadia Colony (about 30 km off the highway) and spend some time there. It is the Sardar Sarovar dam built over the Narmada dam and a good place to spend some time. Since the highway right up to Mumbai is fabulous, you will have a smooth drive home by early evening.

Thanks for the recommendations on Kevadia colony and Sardar Sarovar dam. Would check them out and see if I can manage to cover them on day-8.

It would be better to do the research on places of interest in advance and be prepared. If one runs out of time, you can always drop something on the fly. You can not 'add' something on the fly.

Thanks again V&V, Sushil and Sandy28!

[v&v]

V&V, I am seriously exploring including Narara marine park in day-7. Can you please share contact details of Mr Mustaq of Hotel President and share some details about the charges for the permit, entry fees, guide etc. (I guess you have mentioned ~300 Rs in your travelogue.) A lot would depend on the low tide timings on that day. If the low tide is in the morning, only then Narara is doable for me. How does one check low tide timings for 23rd Nov today?

Enquire with them if Narara or Pirotan Island is open to tourist this year. Also they will have Tide info too. Usually there will be 2 timings if i remember right : 10 - 1 and 5 to 7.

Deputy Conservator of Forests,
Marine National Park, Van Sankul,
C.F. Office, Nr. Nagnath Road, Jamnagar-36001.
Phone : (O) 0288 255077.


As for Mustaq contact no, Let me just search old data for his mobile. Alternatively you can call up

Hotel President, Teen Batti, Jamnagar - 361 001, Gujarat, India. Phone: +91 288 2557491 Fax: +91 288 2558491 Email: info@hotelpresident.in

He owns this hotel and you will get all information required.

[SDP]

Thanks V&V for the info on Narara!

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On V&V's travelogue found "the TBHPian from Veraval" !

Originally Posted by skanchan95

I see you took these photos when majority of the boats were at sea. If you were unlucky enough to be there on a day when the piers are filled with boats, you won't be able to stand there for a second, the stench gets so unbearable. The locals, of course have got accustomed to that stench, but I see a lot of tourists passing through that bridge with handkerchiefs covering their noses and a silly looking grimace on their faces

I agree, noon is the best time to visit Somnath temple, during morning & evening time(specially during aarti time), there's too much rush and you won't even be able to get a proper glimpse of the Lord. The pot bellied cop would try to shoo away when you get close enough to get a proper glimpse.

Quoting him here to get his attention.
skanchan95, can you please throw some light on the current road conditions from Sasan Gir to Veraval and Veraval to Porbandar? How much driving time should one budget for Somnath to Dwarka on a early morning?

Thanks in advance!

[skanchan95]

Originally Posted by SDP

Thanks V&V for the info on Narara!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
On V&V's travelogue found "the TBHPian from Veraval" !



Quoting him here to get his attention.
skanchan95, can you please throw some light on the current road conditions from Sasan Gir to Veraval and Veraval to Porbandar? How much driving time should one budget for Somnath to Dwarka on a early morning?

Thanks in advance!

Sasan Gir to Veraval
I haven't been on the Sasan-Junagadh stretch recently. But some friends went to Sasan via Veraval-Talala-Devaliya about three weeks ago. Roads are OK-ish.

From Junagadh, ask for directions to Sasan.

From the main road look for the diversion to Devaliya (Devaliya is about 10 kms before Sasan). It is a sanctuary with guided tours into it, the last one at 1700 hrs.

Entry into Sasan Gir had been banned due to monsoon, but from October 15 it has resumed and you are allowed to take your private vehicle but it should be BS IV compliant. A better way into Sasan Gir would be the guided tours, which will take you all around and if you are lucky enough, you might even get to see the Asiatic Lions in the wild.


Veraval-Porbandar
Veraval to Porbandar is approximately 124 kms drive. The route one needs to follow is : Veraval-Gadu-Chorwad-Madhavpur-Porbandar. At Gadu, you have take a left for Chorwad. From there on, the roads are pretty much straight. If you drive sedately, it will take approximately 2 hours and 15 minutes to reach Porbandar from Veraval. Road traffic is not heavy. Roads are somewhere between bad and average uptil Mangrol( 45 kms drive from Veraval). From Mangrol onwards, the two laned roads are quite good. Do stop by at Madhavpur beach, pity they are not doing more to develop that beach.

Madhavpur beach...


There was particularly horrible stretch of road,which until last year was quite bad. I was shocked to find that stretch completely rebuilt on a drive to Okha a fortnight ago.

This was the condition of the road stretch about an year back...






That same stretch now:



If you plan to drive on to Dwarka from Porbandar, it will take two and a half hours. Roads are excellent, potholes are non-existent. Traffic is light too. When we drove to Dwarka/Okha a fortnight ago, we left Veraval at 6:30 AM and reached Dwaraka at 11:15 AM. Okha is another 35 kms drive from Dwarka.

Hope this helps.

This was a related thread I posted last year : http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/route-...arka-okha.html

[SDP]

Originally Posted by skanchan95

Sasan Gir to Veraval
I haven't been on the Sasan-Junagadh stretch recently. But some friends went to Sasan via Veraval-Talala-Devaliya about three weeks ago. Roads are OK-ish.

From Junagadh, ask for directions to Sasan.

From the main road look for the diversion to Devaliya (Devaliya is about 10 kms before Sasan). It is a sanctuary with guided tours into it, the last one at 1700 hrs.

Entry into Sasan Gir had been banned due to monsoon, but from October 15 it has resumed and you are allowed to take your private vehicle but it should be BS IV compliant. A better way into Sasan Gir would be the guided tours, which will take you all around and if you are lucky enough, you might even get to see the Asiatic Lions in the wild.
...

Thank you so much for the latest detailed information!
I have a diesel vehicle and heard that diesels are not allowed inside Gir.
Would have loved to drive inside Gir in my own vehicle.

Originally Posted by skanchan95

...
Veraval-Porbandar
Veraval to Porbandar is approximately 124 kms drive. The route one needs to follow is : Veraval-Gadu-Chorwad-Madhavpur-Porbandar. At Gadu, you have take a left for Chorwad. From there on, the roads are pretty much straight. If you drive sedately, it will take approximately 2 hours and 15 minutes to reach Porbandar from Veraval. Road traffic is not heavy. Roads are somewhere between bad and average uptil Mangrol( 45 kms drive from Veraval). From Mangrol onwards, the two laned roads are quite good. Do stop by at Madhavpur beach, pity they are not doing more to develop that beach.

Madhavpur beach...
..

There was particularly horrible stretch of road,which until last year was quite bad. I was shocked to find that stretch completely rebuilt on a drive to Okha a fortnight ago.

This was the condition of the road stretch about an year back...
...
That same stretch now:
..

If you plan to drive on to Dwarka from Porbandar, it will take two and a half hours. Roads are excellent, potholes are non-existent. Traffic is light too. When we drove to Dwarka/Okha a fortnight ago, we left Veraval at 6:30 AM and reached Dwaraka at 11:15 AM. Okha is another 35 kms drive from Dwarka.

Hope this helps.

This was a related thread I posted last year : http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/route-...arka-okha.html

Thanks for the details and really appreciate you maintaining a separate thread just for this stretch. Your thread would definitely help a lot of people fine-tune their planning for this region.

Thanks again!
SDP

[skanchan95]

Originally Posted by SDP

Thank you so much for the latest detailed information!
I have a diesel vehicle and heard that diesels are not allowed inside Gir.

Glad to be of help
You are right, you can't drive your own vehicle "legally". But if you have "contacts", you can drive your vehicle inside. Trust me, I know it can be done .

Here's a live update of the route from Sasan to Veraval(via Talala). The route is one of those roads which I always find to be WIP. It is approximately 53 kms drive from Sasan to Veraval. Roads are quite bad at places and at many places, repair work is going on( something which is quite routine on this route -SH 26). The roads should be ok by the time you visit in November.

Did a trip to Devaliya Gir Interpretation Zone this evening. The trip inside the sanctuary are on mini buses which use Bio diesel. The last one leaves at 05:00 PM. Private jeeps of Forest Authority are also there to take you for safaris inside the sanctuary. The hotel where you plan to stay can organize this, I am sure. Here are a few snaps from today's trip.

[SDP]

I started getting into more details of the routes and for the Ahmedabad-Somnath stretch got a doubt.
Here's what Google Maps throws up:


My doubt is: this route does not seem to go through any major cities. I typically associate major highways with major cities. So should I instead take Ahmedabad -> Rajkot -> Gondal -> Junagadh -> Veraval?

Thanks
SDP

[skanchan95]

That(A'bad-Rajkot-Gondal-Junagadh-Veraval) is the correct route for travelling from A'bad to Somnath/Veraval.

Go for this route:
Ahmedabad > Limbdi > Rajkot > Gondal > Jetpur > Junagadh > Keshod > Malia > Veraval

The above route is a four laned highway and is pretty much straight, uptil Jetpur. At Jetpur, you have to take a left and exit the four laned highway to head for Junagadh(continuing straight on that route will take you to Porbandar). Just before approaching a flyover at Jetpur, you will find a service road on the left leading downwards(that's the cue for exiting the four laned highway). From there you have take first the left(for Junagadh) and got through Jetpur town.

From there on, two laned roads are good uptil Junagadh. But be prepared to face horrible roads on the Junagadh-Veraval stretch(~85 kms).

**In case you need to ask for directions, Jetpur is to be pronounced as Jetpur( with "T" to be stressed as hindi "ta" alphabet & not english "Jet"pur)