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Kutch
Unimaginably Splendid
TOUR OVERVIEW
Let’s discover Kutch. Splendid, mysterious and overwhelmingly diverse Kutch. The largest district of India has so much to offer – stark and varied landscapes, vibrant and unique handicrafts, geological and archeological wonders and of course, unique culinary experiences.
Soak in the landscapes, lore and hospitality. And of course, enjoy the sisterhood of your fellow travellers.
Please read everything carefully. You should be sure of what you are signing up for. We welcome your questions.
Price – INR 58,500 + 5% GST
Single occupancy surcharge – INR 16000 + 5% GST
GALLERY
Day 1 - 24 Dec 2022
Reach Ahmedabad. After breakfast, proceed to the Little Rann of Kutch, experiencing a gradual change in the landscape and wildlife. LRK is known for its variety of winged friends and wild ass. Get on to a jeep safari across the cracked brown earth of the Little Rann. Overnight at Little Rann of Kutch.
Day 2 - 25 Dec 2022
Let us enter Kutch today. Kutch is a unique blend of unimaginable landscapes, harsh life, kind people, magnificent architecture and colourful art. Reach Dholavira today. Get your first glimpse of the White Rann today. Watch the sunset from the chipper point. Walk on the salt desert (White Rann). Overnight at Dholavira
Day 3 - 26 Dec 2022
Visit the pre-Harappan excavation sites of Dholavira today. Recently declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, It is one of the five largest Harappan sites and the most prominent archaeological sites in India belonging to the Indus Valley Civilization. It is also considered as having been the grandest of cities of its time.
Spend the sunset today at the Rann of Kutch Lake and visit Fossil Park as well. Overnight at Dholavira.
Day 4 - 27 Dec 2022
If weather and road conditions permit, we will take the cross country road from Dholavira to Khavda. The road passes through the Salt Desert and cuts down the earlier distance by 150 kilometers. Reach the Centre for Desert and Ocean which works on conservation in the area.
Early evening, visit the Tal-Lyari Riverbed rock formations. The prehistoric rock formations along the Lyari riverbed are breathtaking in their beauty and grandeur. Overnight at a local homestay.
Day 5 - 28 Dec 2022
It’s an early day today. We will be taking you for an early morning bird safari today, in Chhari Dhand. The Chari-Dhand wetland conservation reserve is located on the edge of arid Banni grasslands and the marshy salt flats. It is currently legally protected under the status as a Protected or Reserve Forest in India.
After check out, proceed to Nirona – one of the most famous artisan villages of Kutch, to get live demonstrations of Rogan practised by just this village in the entire world. Move to a 110 year old heritage haveli, which will be our home for the next 2 days. Overnight at Devpur.
Day 6 - 29 Dec 2022
Wake up at leisure, after breakfast visit Chadva Rakhal, Maharo’s Reserve forest and enjoy your lunch with nature. Start for Lakhpat thereafter. Once a bustling port, Lakhpat fort is now almost a ghost town. Watch the sunset over the Kori creek from the fort rampart. Overnight at Devpur.
Day 7 - 30 Dec 2022
After breakfast, check out to explore Bhuj. Visit the Kutch Museum and Palaces. Wander through the Bhuj market. Spend some time at Bhujodi – a weavers’ village and Hiralaxmi Trade Park for various handicrafts of Kutch. Overnight at Bhuj.
Day 8 - 31 Dec 2022
After breakfast, checkout and visit Ajrakhpur, a village with multiple national awardees preserving the block print art. Also explore Shrujan LLDC for its beautiful and well curated collection of handicrafts from around the Kutch. Reach Ahmedabad late evening. Enjoy a lavish dinner on New Year’s eve. Overnight at Ahmedabad.
Day 9 - 01 Jan 2023
Post breakfast, proceed to the airport for your respective flights. Trip Ends in the new year with new memories.
Inclusions
- All meals – Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner and two tea/coffee, starting from breakfast on Day 1 till breakfast on Day 9
- Transport in an AC vehicle throughout the trip from pick up at the Ahmedabad airport on Day 1 till the drop at Ahmedabad hotel on Day 8.
- Tractor, if needed near the White Rann in Dholavira
- Drop from Ahmedabad hotel to the airport on Day 9
- Parking and Toll
- All stay on twin/double sharing basis
- All entry and permit charges.
- Folk music program in Dholavira
- Wild Ass Sanctuary safari at Little Rann of Kutch with naturalist
- Morning bird safari at Chhari Dhand with naturalist
- Guided tour of Dholavira Archaeological Site.
- Guided tour to Tal-Lyari Riverbed
- Lunch at Maharo of Kutch’s private forest reserve
- Guided tour of the ghost town of Lakhpat.
Exclusions
- Tips
- Shopping
- Food other than inclusions – Lunch and dinner on Day 9, mid-meal snacks etc.
- Camera charges
- Tips and personal expenses
- Medication
- Flights/Train to Ahmedabad and back, from your city of residence.
- Any cost arising due to natural calamities, personal flight delays and aspects beyond our control. We will definitely facilitate an alternative and handle the contingency, the cost being yours.
- 5 % GST.
Terms & Conditions
REFUNDS/CANCELLATION:
If cancelled 90 days or more in advance, cancellation fee is 12% of the trip amount.
- 25% of the trip cost if cancelled 89 – 60 days in advance.
- 50% of the trip cost if cancelled 59 to 16 days in advance.
- Last 15 days – no show – the entire amount will be forfeited.
- If you use our services to book flights, cancellation charges of the flights will apply.
F5 CARES FOR YOUR SAFETY!
- We will be filling only upto 10 seats in a 13 seater vehicle.
- Your tour lead will be fully vaccinated, masked up and will be carrying sanitizer.
- As tourism picks up, most destinations will most probably be crowded – we are planning our trips such that we do not have to spend a long time in enclosed crowded spaces.
- Proper ventilation in indoor and closed spaces mitigates the viral load and the risk of CoViD infection. While we will hire a high quality AC vehicle, we will be using the AC only when it is absolutely required. For the most part, we will encourage the windows to be open and fresh air to circulate in the vehicle.
COVID ADVISORY
- It is mandatory to be fully vaccinated to be a part of F5 trips.
- Please do keep in mind that even restaurants where we stop on the highway for breakfast/tea might be crowded. Always exercise caution.
- Please do not travel if you have symptoms prior to the trip – for your own and other people’s safety.
- ALWAYS mask up, carry your sanitizer and take all precautions while on the trip. Stay safe and have fun!
Disclaimer
- F5 Escapes is in no way responsible for any untoward incident happening due to the ignorance/negligence of the guests, natural/man-made calamities, accidents or any other events that are out of human control during the trip.
- All our trips are well-researched, including identifying access to medical facilities. In case of a medical emergency, F5 will assist the traveller in getting medical attention.
- F5 reserves the right to cancel the trip under certain conditions – in such a case, the amount will be refunded in full.
- The trip is NON-ALCOHOLIC as Gujarat is a dry state.
Arrival & Departure timings
This trip is to ex-Ahmedabad. Joining us from a different city?
Reach Ahmedabad on Day 1, latest by 9 AM and book your return journey anytime on Day 9. Trip ends after breafakst on Day 9.
Weather
It is the peak of winter in Gujarat, so expect cool to cold weather. Dress up in layers. But also expect sharp sun as this is a desert. Temperature might vary from 12 degree to 25 degree.
*Please note that now a days, climate/ weather is dependent on many factors and unpredictable hence above information might be subject to change during your actual travel days
Stay
LRK – A family run resort with mud bhungas
Dholavira – Bhungas run by a local trust. All proceedings from the resort go towards education.
Chhari Dhand – Locally run homestay promoted by the local conservationists.
Devpur – 110 years old heritage haveli, hosted by the local royal family
Bhuj – Luxury hotel accessible to relevant places in Bhuj
Ahmedabad – A Luxury hotel near Ahmedabad airport
NOTE ABOUT SMOKING:
Everyone joining is an adult and we realise that we cannot dictate the behaviour on how you should enjoy the trip. All we ask is to respect your roommate’s comfort smoke outside the room, even if the rooms have ashtray.
Fooooood!
We have tried and planned your meals at great restaurants/homestays/villages etc. even at the king’s private reserve! But there will be instances where we will need to have lunch on the way from one city to another. The local Kutchi and Gujarati food will be the focus.
Note > Prepare > Accept > Embrace:
- A little bit of walking will be required.
- You will have to sit and travel in a tempo traveller for long while travelling from Zainabad to Dholavira, Devpur to Lakhpat and Bhuj to Ahmedabad.
- We have planned some early mornings where breakfast will be packed. This is because Kutch is pleasant in the mornings and evenings as the sun is too sharp to enjoy outdoors.
- Toilets are generally not a problem but at times when we are driving across the vast desert of Kutch, we may have to resort to nature’s way of bushes as there is practically nothing else and no one around! The points of departure and arrival will have good toilet facilities.
- Some monuments decide to close at the last moment due to maintenance issues. It is impossible to predict it now. We have planned the trip so as to avoid their official closing days. In most cases, we will be able to re-do them on some other day, in the eventuality of maintenance closure.
- Note on Rann Utsav – We are avoiding Dhordo – the main site for Rann Utsav – in the itinerary, because it is overly commercialised and crowded. The Great Rann of Kutch has many accesses and we will access the Salt Desert from Dholavira and during our ride from Dholavira to Khavda, literally through the White Desert. We will experience the cuisine, folk performance, handicrafts of Kutch in their natural setting as opposed to the Tent City.
Please understand that Rann Utsav is a fair of sorts arranged around the White Rann but is not an event/concert. We are going for a more authentic experience of Kutch.
- Note on full moon – Yes, the white rann looks amazing on the full moon day. But it looks amazing almost every day when the moon rises. The full moon in December is falling on 7th December 2022 and 6th January 2023. Since this is a Christmas break trip, we will not be able to cover any of these dates. The moon usually rises in West India late in the night, so chances are that you will not be able to see the moon before midnight on a full moon day.
- Kindly cooperate with your trip lead and follow the guidelines given by her so that we can execute the plan as smoothly as possible.
- Please come with an open mind and we will guarantee you experiences of a lifetime!
‘F5 Escapes’ is a Bangalore-based, experiential travel company, with a focus on redefining the way women travel in India. The premise of F5 is an ambitious dream – to put India on the global travel map as a preferred destination for women from across the globe.
F5 Escapes offers fixed departure all-women group tours, customized itineraries for families, groups and solo travellers. We also do in-city engagements which include #JustGo travel meetups, workshops to educate women on travel safety, sustainable menstruation, motorbiking etc.