Home › Blog
The Gujarat Explorer Blog
Stories, slow guides and field notes from the road — the people, places and small moments that make Gujarat worth the trip.
Photo: Navratri garba · Wikimedia Commons
All
Wildlife
Food
Spiritual
Heritage
Festivals
Adventure
Off-Beat
Crafts
Statue of Unity: Is the World’s Tallest Statue Worth It?
An honest Statue of Unity visitor guide — the viewing gallery, tickets, the Kevadia attractions, best time to…
Rann Utsav: What a Night in the White Desert Is Really Like
What the Rann Utsav in Kutch is really like — the tent city, the full-moon night on the…
Ukai Dam: A Quiet Weekend Lake Near Surat
Ukai dam in Tapi district is a quiet weekend lake near Surat. A first-person guide to the sunset…
Chasing Monsoon Waterfalls in the Dangs
Chasing Gujarat monsoon waterfalls in the Dangs? Where Gira, Shankar and Zarwani run July to September, short treks,…
An Evening at Akshardham in Gandhinagar
Visiting Akshardham in Gandhinagar? A first-person guide to the carved sandstone shrine, gardens, evening water show and the…
Standing Under the Statue of Unity at Kevadia
Planning the Statue of Unity at Kevadia? A first-person guide to the viewing gallery, Narmada dam, Valley of…
Wilson Hills: The Quiet Plateau Above Dharampur
Wilson Hills near Dharampur is a quiet monsoon plateau above Valsad. A first-person guide to the forest drive,…
Surat: Where the World’s Diamonds and Fabrics Are Made
A first-person Surat guide to the city that cuts the world's diamonds and weaves its textiles, plus zari…
Devalia Safari: The Honest Way to See a Gir Lion
A frank Devalia Gir safari guide: how the fenced lion zone differs from the main Gir park, bus…
Champaner-Pavagadh: A Lost Capital and a Hilltop Goddess
A first-person Champaner-Pavagadh guide: the UNESCO ruins, Jama Masjid, stepwells, the ropeway and the Kalika Mata temple atop…
Modhera Sun Temple: Chasing the Light of the Solankis
Explore the Modhera Sun Temple: the Surya Kund stepped tank, Solanki carvings, the sabha mandapa and the equinox…
Dwarka: Standing Where Krishna Ruled the Sea
A first-person Dwarka pilgrimage guide: the Dwarkadhish temple flag, aarti, Gomti ghat and the boat to Bet Dwarka…
Eating Ahmedabad: Manek Chowk to Law Garden by Night
A first-person Ahmedabad street food guide: midnight feasting at Manek Chowk, the Law Garden khau galli, and where…
Dawn at Nalsarovar: Flamingos on a Silver Wetland
A first-person Nalsarovar Bird Sanctuary guide near Ahmedabad: dawn boat rides, winter flamingos and pelicans, best months and…
Rann Utsav: A Full-Moon Night on the White Desert
A first-person Rann Utsav Kutch guide: full-moon nights on the white salt desert, the Dhordo tent city, Kutchi…
Inside Laxmi Vilas Palace, Vadodara’s Royal Colossus
A first-person Laxmi Vilas Palace Vadodara guide: Indo-Saracenic grandeur, the Durbar Hall, Raja Ravi Varma art, the Gaekwad…
Tithal Beach: Black Sand and Quiet Evenings Near Valsad
A first-person Tithal Beach guide near Valsad: rare soft black sand, seaside Sai Baba and Swaminarayan temples, quiet…
Saputara: Two Cool Days in Gujarat’s Only Hill Station
A first-person Saputara hill station guide: monsoon greenery, lake boating, the ropeway, sunset points and Dang tribal culture…
Threads of Gujarat: Patola, Bandhani & Beyond
Gujarat textiles run from Patan's double-ikat patola to Kutchi bandhani tie-dye and mashru. A first-person guide to the…
Polo Forest’s Forgotten Temples
Polo Forest in Gujarat hides medieval Hindu and Jain temples deep in the Aravalli teak near Vijaynagar. A…
Kite Strings & Rooftops: Uttarayan Explained
The Uttarayan kite festival turns Ahmedabad's rooftops into a citywide duel of glass-coated strings and paper kites every…
Nine Nights, One City: Navratri in Vadodara
What Navratri in Vadodara is really like, from free neighbourhood garba to past-midnight dandiya, told by someone pulled…
Climbing Girnar: 10,000 Steps to the Summit
An honest first-person account of the Girnar climb near Junagadh, ten thousand stone steps to Gujarat's highest summit…
Stepping Down in Time: Gujarat’s Stepwells
A first-person guide to Gujarat stepwells, from the carved storeys of Rani ki Vav in Patan to the…
Somnath at Dusk: The Temple by the Sea
Visiting the Somnath temple at dusk: its history of ruin and rebuilding, the evening aarti by the Arabian…
A Beginner’s Guide to the Gujarati Thali
What is in a Gujarati thali, why it tastes a little sweet, where to eat the best one,…
The Lions of Gir: What a Safari Is Really Like
An honest first-person guide to the Gir lion safari: permits, the best season, what sightings feel like, and…
WHERE TO STAY
Find your stay in Gujarat
Compare live prices across the big booking sites and reserve in a few taps. Booking happens securely on the partner's site — we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Book directly on our partner sites — tap a provider to see live Gujarat hotels & prices:
SHOP THE REGION
Bring home Gujarat — & travel essentials
Hand-picked crafts and trip gear, available on Amazon.