[(Alok)]

Beautiful travelogues, AS ALWAYS. I am subscribing the thread to get instant updates.

[tsk1979]

We were inside the Rann, with bleak horizons to all sides
The white elephant was ready to run


And so were we. For city dewellers such open space is pure bliss


The Parched dry land.


We drove around some, and recced the area. It was good to go. Time for high speed runs!
Ready, Get Set


And Go


The RVM shot


Driving high speed on the Rann is truly an experience which cannot be explained.
I have not seen such isolation ever, barring Ladakh.

Time to make some rings!


After an hour of fun and driving, it was time to move towards our exit location. And time for more Khur Spotting

TO BE CONT...

[NetfreakBombay]

How did you navigate in this terrain? Perfect place to get lost, due to lack of landmarks.

[hvkumar]

The isolation of the Rann is awesome.

[phamilyman]

Tanveer,

lovely stuff and awesome pics as always - your white elephant pics are amazing.

However, you're mistaken when it comes to the tracks - the mud mounds/stones are the ONLY correct way to navigate through the rann. If you're on the truck route (deep inside), from one you WILL be able to see the next one on the horizon. Worked for me everytime I visited!

[MileCruncher]

Tanveer, Awesome travelogue!

Look forward to see how did you get stuck and also got unstuck. And the story about Kannada actress as well!

BTW could you throw some more light on the resort that you stayed?

Cheers

[maddy42]

One more rann travellogue!! Nice pics there tanveer. Could you post more details on the resort?

[tsk1979]

Originally Posted by NetfreakBombay

How did you navigate in this terrain? Perfect place to get lost, due to lack of landmarks.

GPS
I have Oziexplorer, the best offroad navigation software ever made. So with Harsh's track, and entry exit points shining like beacons, I actually had no trouble navigating.
Infact, we could confidently drive around, without worrying about getting lost

Originally Posted by hvkumar

The isolation of the Rann is awesome.

Yup!

Originally Posted by phamilyman

Tanveer,

lovely stuff and awesome pics as always - your white elephant pics are amazing.

However, you're mistaken when it comes to the tracks - the mud mounds/stones are the ONLY correct way to navigate through the rann. If you're on the truck route (deep inside), from one you WILL be able to see the next one on the horizon. Worked for me everytime I visited!

Oh, I had no idea. I guess they are the GPS of yesterday

Originally Posted by MileCruncher

Tanveer, Awesome travelogue!

Look forward to see how did you get stuck and also got unstuck. And the story about Kannada actress as well!

BTW could you throw some more light on the resort that you stayed?

Cheers

Originally Posted by maddy42

One more rann travellogue!! Nice pics there tanveer. Could you post more details on the resort?

Thanks maddy and mc
The resort is Desert coursers
welcome to desert coursers

[Chevy_lover]

Awesome pics, Tanveer! Loved all of them! Waiting for the next part!

[tsk1979]

Thanks Chevy Lover!

Here is a video of running the Rann. I was shooting, and wife was driving

YouTube - Running The Rann

[tsk1979]

We drove on and as we neared the exit, we found more Khurs.
They are lighter in color than Kiangs, and quite a bit more shy. Infact, we could not approach even within 100 meters.

So how do you get nearer? Well you stop the car shut down the engine, and start walking

On foot we could get withing 20-30 meters of the Khurs. any nearer they would gently trot away


I was wondering what made them so shy. And then I realized its to do with the hunting. Infact, a guy in Bhuj confirmed this too.
Till a few years back, lot of people used to go and hunt inside the little Rann, even after it was made a wildlife sanctuary. This has made these animals much more wary. Thanks to the Army presence in Ladakh, the Kiangs have multiplied as no poacher dares to operate there. However, here things are different. Little Rann has little policing, and the it does not touch the border, and you have wierd psychos everywhere in the country, so why this place should be different. So its a sort of survival instinct
But thankfully, due to tourism, policing has improved, and now villagers have other means of income. Salt farming has also increased prosperity here, and you won't find local villagers willingly helping poachers for money.
So maybe in a few years time, the Khur population will also increase!

After some roaming about, it was time to get back on the track. The white elephant was waiting


And as we raced towards the exit, a entire herd started crossing our path, and then on noticing us started running by our side!




Near the exit they took a detour and left us in the dust!


So this was the only wildlife spotting we did in the Rann.
The exit came, and it was a small dirt road heading towards Adesar.

But before hitting the highway we decided to visit a salt farm
It looks like snow, doesn't it?


The WA in the white salt


Even the Air was salty!
Beyond the horizon lies the little Rann


Finally, it was time to say goodbye to the Rann, and get on the NH15 Expressway

TO BE CONT.......

[tsk1979]

Here is a Khurs HD video

YouTube - Khurs in the Little Rann

[download2live]

What these Animals eat while they are moving around in desert?

OT: You will get your truck some desalting treatment? All that salt dust under the chassis won't lead to any corrosion?

[tsk1979]

Originally Posted by download2live

What these Animals eat while they are moving around in desert?

They stay near the edges, but often cross the desert in search of bushes and grasslands at the edges. So food is not a problem. the SW and SE edges of the Rann have plenty of vegetation

OT: You will get your truck some desalting treatment? All that salt dust under the chassis won't lead to any corrosion?

We never really, ran very hard in the salt flats, nevertheless, we got a full underbody wash done, with pressure wash of every crevice near the end of the trip.

[MileCruncher]

I was checking the coordinates posted previously and it showed in the middle of a water body on the map. Would be great if you can post the actual route you took on a map.

Cheers