[pcpranav]

I did Saurashtra trip in Mar'13 :

and did Kutch trip in Oct'13 :

maybe some of you would have read about Beyt Dwarka bridge :

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/c...w/45720402.cms

http://deshgujarat.com/2014/12/31/ok...ealink-bridge/

not sure of current status of bridge works

Saurashtra trip details as posted earlier :
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/route-...ml#post3077883

PS: Mods pl merge this data to my earlier post. thanks.

[Hatchlover]

Dear Friends,

Can you guys help me with what route should be taken for Mumbai to Somath

Economy of time is important rather than distance.

Is it doable in 12 hours , I will be leaving Borivali by 5 am.

A brief outline of route will be very helpful.

Thanks,
Naveen

[avasekeh]

Reviving the thread.

Need some guidance/help in doing a gujarat trip with family. Family means my parents, wife and two kids.

I am planning on taking a flight to Ahmedabad and starting the trip from there. The intent is to cover dwaraka/somnath/beaches if any and any other places in between. (Like balkha tirtha, muchukunda caves, jambavan caves, rukmini temple etc)

Can you suggest how many days we need for a trip like this? Once we work out a schedule ill start booking flight tickets, and i plan to do this last week of september. (dates are open sep 21 onwards)

Would self-driven cars be a better choice vs hiring taxis for the trip duration? Some of the travelogues suggest that doing it via dwaraka -porbandar - somnath is a better option than the other way round. Does the recommendation still stand?

thanks for the help!!
Gak

[ravib]

Hey,

I just did a similar trip Last December 2016 during Christmas holidays.

Here is my recommendation, because you are traveling with parents and kids. You can plan for 5 to 6 days for reasonably comfortable trip.

Option-1
-----------------
1) Day-1 : Bangalore-Bombay-Rajkot by AI Flight and then Rajkot to Dwarka by hire Taxi which is 2 hours drive in excellent roads. Better to book taxi from you hotel in Dwarka. Evening Dwarka Darshan.
2) Day-2 : Bet Dwarka, Nageshwar which is a half-a-day trip and nearby beaches.
3) Day -3 : Dwarka to Somnath via Porbandar with stop over to see Gandhi's birth place. (About 5 to 6 hours drive). Evening Somnath Darshan.
4) Day-4 : Somnath Darshan again on Morning and visit Sasan Gir which is about 2 hours drive max. Take night train to Ahmedabad.
5) Day-5 : Ahmedabad sightseeing if you wish or take a flight back to Bangalore.

Option-2
------------------
1) Day-1 : Bangalore-Ahmedabad by Flight and then take train to Somnath.
2) Day-2 : Somnath Darshan and nearby beaches.
3) Day-3 : Somnath-Dwarka by Porbandar. Evening Dwarka darshan.
4) Day-4: Bet Dwarka, Nageshwar, which is a half-a-day trip.
5) Day-5 : Dwarka-Rajkot and take flight back to Bangalore.

You can adjust the above plan according to your convenience, energy or interests.

I think you better go for hired taxis instead of Self-driven cars. I really liked the excellent and extremely helpful people in Gujarat. So you will enjoy the trip well.

Have a great trip and good darshan!

-Ravi

[ampere]

Originally Posted by avasekeh

s.
I am planning on taking a flight to Ahmedabad and starting the trip from there. The intent is to cover dwaraka/somnath/beaches if any and any other places in between. (Like balkha tirtha, muchukunda caves, jambavan caves, rukmini temple etc)

- Would suggest if you can hire one cab from Ahmedabad start and to end.
- Land in Ahmedadad morning; and drive to Dwarka D1 and reach by evening
- 2 Nights in Dwarka (Dwarkasheeh, Bhet Dwarka, Nageshwar Jyotirling, Rukmani Talav and one evening by the beach)
- One night in Somnath. Can visit Porbandar when on the way from Dwarka to Somnath.
- You can do the circuit either way.
- Gir is close to Somnath (~40km). But question is can you manage the tickets and safari.

Other wise what you need is about 4 nights over all for Dwarka/Porbandar/Somnath. (Travel to Ahmedabad from Bangalore excluded)

[shriram81]

I am planning a road trip to Saurashtra Gujarat in 3rd week of December 17 and have few queries. I am travelling from Pune with family (5 persons) in XUV 5OO.

1 - For Pune to Dwarka which route from below should I prefer?
Pune-Vadodara-Nadiad(by NE1)-Kheda-Dholka-Rajkot-Jamnagar-Dwarka
or
Pune-Vadodara-Ahmedabad(by NE1)-exit Ring road-Rajkot-Jamnagar-
Dwarka

2 - I am visiting Dwarka, Bet Dwarka, Porbandar, Somnath, Diu and Gir
Forest.
Any other place in this circuit worth visiting?

3 - Please recommend good budget hotels for stay at Dwarka, Somnath and
Diu.

4 - Please recommend highway/City food joints for meals and breakfasts on
route Pune-Dwarka-Porbandar-Somnath-Diu-Sasan Gir-Junagarh-Rajkot-
Pune.

[aaggoswami]

Originally Posted by shriram81

1 - For Pune to Dwarka which route from below should I prefer?
Pune-Vadodara-Nadiad(by NE1)-Kheda-Dholka-Rajkot-Jamnagar-Dwarka
or
Pune-Vadodara-Ahmedabad(by NE1)-exit Ring road-Rajkot-Jamnagar-
Dwarka

2 - I am visiting Dwarka, Bet Dwarka, Porbandar, Somnath, Diu and Gir
Forest.
Any other place in this circuit worth visiting?

3 - Please recommend good budget hotels for stay at Dwarka, Somnath and
Diu.

My take:
1) Follow Pune-Vadodara-Ahmedabad(by NE1)-exit Ring road-Rajkot-Jamnagar- Dwarka. NE1 will seriously save on time. Though NH8 is also good, two wheelers and three wheelers will slow you down.

2) Gangeshwar Mahadev in Diu is worth a visit. Had been to Diu a fortnight ago. INS Khukri memorial on Diu can also be on your list.

3) Diu- I stayed at Hotel Panchmurti. One room, double occupancy cost me rs. 1500/- for one night and with food+water it was Rs. 2600/-. Word of caution for most budget hotels in Dui, tea wont be available early in the morning. I called up for tea at 7 AM as I had to reach Vadodara on same day. A polite and clear reply that tea wont be available before 8:00 AM gave me another hour of sleep. Wanted to leave by 9 AM, left late then. Diu also sleeps early, dont expect markets to be open beyond 9:30~10:00 PM.

Not so sure about food on highway as I was a different route, but Bamania restaurant in Diu is trusted.

Am assuming you plan to do Rajkot-NE1 via S.P.Ring Road, enroute around 20 kms from Bagodara, Lothal Archaeological site is there. Just in case you want to visit. Your total distance will increase by approx 40 kms., I have visited Lothal and didn't find it as special but definitely the thought of people living there and that being a thriving place did interest me. There were very few visitors when I went and also a small museum might interest you. I visited some time ago, not sure if the museum is still operational, ideally it should be.

If you want to avoid Lothal, around 15 km detour one way from Bagodara will take you to Kot Ganesh temple. Parking here is very messy, but a soothing temple to visit. This will take 30 kms. more enroute to get onto NE 1.

I wanted to stay at Somnath since it was already 480+ kms from Vadodara, but there was smell of fish due to Veraval that made me avoid Somnath. Decided to drive till Diu and it turned out to be a bad decision. Somnath-Diu Road was in horrible state. This was on 14-10-2017 and I certainly thought that going back to Gondal would have been smarter. To make matters worse, it rained quite well near Somnath on that day.

Somnath : Parking is a bit away from temple. If you are lucky or you are VIP, you can take your car a bit further than that near the temple. Car keys having remote operations and/or battery cell aren't allowed to be carried inside temple premises. You will have to deposit the car key at a free-of-charge locker service barely a parking lot away from entrance to Somnath temple.

Apart from the Somnath temple, there is a smaller temple where it is said that ShivLinga which was saved from destruction is there.

My route was different and hence am not aware of restaurants in your planned route.

[shriram81]

Originally Posted by aaggoswami

My take:
1) Follow Pune-Vadodara-Ahmedabad(by NE1)-exit Ring road-Rajkot-Jamnagar- Dwarka. NE1 will seriously save on time. Though NH8 is also good, two wheelers and three wheelers will slow you down.

Thanks aaggoswami for your valuable feedback.

1 - I will follow Pune-Vadoadara-NE1-SP R R -Rajkot-Jamnagar-Dwarka.
2 - INS Khukri is in my itinerary. Thanks for recommending Gangeshwar temple. I will visit this I have time.
3 - Acknowledged Diu hotel and timing you mentioned. Its helpful.
4 - Lothal, I have visited once and these kind of sites I like to visit. But this time plan is to cover as much distance as we can on Day 1 from Pune to Dwarka therefore we wont be visiting any place en-route.
5- Thanks you for parking and road staus info for Somnath. I am no VIP and need to follow all rules as we do always.

[Ry_der]

Originally Posted by shriram81

Thanks aaggoswami for your valuable feedback.

1 - I will follow Pune-Vadoadara-NE1-SP R R -Rajkot-Jamnagar-Dwarka.
2 - INS Khukri is in my itinerary. Thanks for recommending Gangeshwar temple. I will visit this I have time.
3 - Acknowledged Diu hotel and timing you mentioned. Its helpful.
4 - Lothal, I have visited once and these kind of sites I like to visit. But this time plan is to cover as much distance as we can on Day 1 from Pune to Dwarka therefore we wont be visiting any place en-route.
5- Thanks you for parking and road staus info for Somnath. I am no VIP and need to follow all rules as we do always.

Food options :-
Highways :- 'Honest' restaurants are the best.
Somnath. :- Many restaurants are located near the parking.
Diu :- Palacio de Diu ( totally recommended), Hotel Apaar, Hotel Cidade dE Diu.

Stay Options:-
Diu
Budget :- Hotel Apaar, Palacio de Diu, Cidade de Diu.

Luxury. :- Krishna Park Resort, Richie Rich Resort.

Activies in Diu:- Water sports ( Charges are on the higher side), Take a stroll in the Bird sanctuary, Nagoa Beach, Diu fort, Naida Caves

Tips.

1. Try to visit Alang in your return journey from Diu via Bhavnagar. Its hosts india's largest ship breaking industry. Its hardly 1/2 hour detour.

2. Book Gir permits in advance.

3. There is a mini safari in Devalia ( Open zoo type) recommended only if Gir permits couldn't be booked.

4. There are not many options to eat on Dwarka-Somnath route.

5. There is a beautiful beach named madhavpur which you will cross on dwarka- somnath route. Camel ride, snacks and panipuri available.

6. Stay alert while driving on Somnath Diu state highway ( Pot holes + Drunk drivers).

7. There is only one disc in diu. Nobody goes there but if you feel like hitting the dance floor, you can have the disc exclusively for yourselves.

8. The entire Dwarka to Bhavnagar route is 2 lane state highway with frequent movement of heavy vehicles.

9. Try to cover Dwarka Somnath route in daytime to witness the scenic beauty of the route.

10. On Rajkot Dwarka route, the roads are good till Jamnagar, after Jamnagar roads are not in a very good shape (Visited in May 2017).

11. Visit Beyt Dwarka in the morning itself, after 10AM it becomes very crowded.

12. Food availability in Diu after 22.30 is an issue.

13. Tankup before entering Diu as there is only one petrol pump in the city IIRC

Cheers!!

[skanchan95]

Originally Posted by Ry_der

13. Tankup before entering Diu as there is only one petrol pump in the city IIRC

Cheers!!

There is one more petrol pump near the industrial area. Ideally one should tank up in Diu, atleast that's what we used to do when we were based in Veraval. Diu being a Union Territory, has slightly cheaper fuel than Gujarat. Hotel Radhika near Nagoa beach had the best food on offer in Diu.

[Ry_der]

Originally Posted by skanchan95

There is one more petrol pump near the industrial area. Ideally one should tank up in Diu, atleast that's what we used to do when we were based in Veraval. Diu being a Union Territory, has slightly cheaper fuel than Gujarat. Hotel Radhika near Nagoa beach had the best food on offer in Diu.

Yes, now I remember the other bunk too.

Last time I checked, the petrol price in Diu was at par with Gujarat (or the difference was very low). Thanks to upcoming election, the fuel prices have been slashed recently. I would only prefer if the difference is Rs 5/litre or more considering the inconvenience.

I think Radhika restaurant is famous for its sea food on which I can not comment 'cause I am a vegetarian.

Diu was the first beach town of my life. I am totally in love with this place. I shifted to gujarat 2 years back. Since then, I have done 3 trips to Diu. Next trip was almost planned but the home minister didnt agree.

[skanchan95]

Originally Posted by Ry_der

Last time I checked, the petrol price in Diu was at par with Gujarat (or the difference was very low). Thanks to upcoming election, the fuel prices have been slashed recently. I would only prefer if the difference is Rs 5/litre or more considering the inconvenience.

The price difference I was referring to is from November 2012, after which we shifted to Mangalore. Back then the price difference was a good Rs 5-6 per liter if I remember correctly. We always made it a point to tank up in Diu during our 2-3 yearly trips to Diu from Veraval (other than Diu airport pickup/drop trips).

Originally Posted by Ry_der

I think Radhika restaurant is famous for its sea food on which I can not comment 'cause I am a vegetarian.

You get good veg food there as well. But you being a vegetarian, I can understand your reservations about going there.
We never tried seafood there. Being based in Veraval which is a major fisheries hub, we never faced shortage of seafood to prepare at home. Seafood in hotels we always avoided because it was rarely fresh and always frozen.
Veraval till date doesn't have a good non-veg restaurant. Going to Diu always was a welcome change for us. Foreigners who visit Veraval, always have a tough time.

[Ry_der]

Originally Posted by skanchan95

You get good veg food there as well. But you being a vegetarian, I can understand your reservations about going there.

This is really an eye opener, I really didnt know that the veg food is good there. I will definitly try it next time. I am equally comfortable with a pure veg and a veg-Non veg joint provided food is good.

Do the Diu
Cheers!

[shriram81]

Originally Posted by Ry_der

Food options :-
Highways :- 'Honest' restaurants are the best.
Somnath. :- Many restaurants are located near the parking.
Diu :- Palacio de Diu ( totally recommended), Hotel Apaar, Hotel Cidade dE Diu.

Ho Ry_der,
Thanks for all your info. Its helpful.

I have booked two Gir Jungle Safaris and one Safari of Devalia National Park.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by Ry_der

Diu
Budget :- Hotel Apaar, Palacio de Diu, Cidade de Diu.
Luxury. :- Krishna Park Resort, Richie Rich Resort.
Activies in Diu:- Water sports ( Charges are on the higher side), Take a stroll in the Bird sanctuary, Nagoa Beach, Diu fort, Naida Caves

A generic question on Diu. Though I understand each place has its unique points to visit, we skipped Diu because of time and went with rest Dwarka/Porbandar/Somnath/Gir/Bhavnagar etc.

The thought process was, we have seen enough of Goa and hence we did not want to spend more days at beaches. So the question is; what is that I missed?