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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.
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Sabarmati Ashram: The Simplest Room in India
Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad — Hriday Kunj where Gandhi lived from 1917 to 1930, the Charles Correa museum,…
Nadiad: Santram Mandir and the Book Town
Nadiad in Kheda district — the Santram Mandir and its social network, why Gujarat calls it Sakshar Bhumi,…
Anand: Inside India’s White Revolution
Anand in central Gujarat — how the Amul cooperative began in 1946, Verghese Kurien and Operation Flood, visiting…
The Forgotten Stepwells of Charotar
Beyond Rani ki Vav and Adalaj — hunting the unvisited stepwells of the Charotar, starting with Kapadvanj's Batris…
Dakor: Gujarat’s Great Krishna Fair Town
Dakor in Kheda district — the 1772 Ranchhodrai temple, the story of Bhakta Bodana and the idol from…
Pavagadh: The Ropeway to Kalika Mata
Pavagadh hill and Champaner — the Kalika Mata Shakti Peeth and its new 2022 shikhara, the ropeway and…
Jambughoda: Teak Forest Near Pavagadh
Jambughoda Wildlife Sanctuary in Panchmahal — 130 sq km of teak forest and reservoirs 25 km from Champaner-Pavagadh,…
Valsad: Alphonso Country in May
The Alphonso belt of Valsad, Gandevi and Navsari — why this coast grows it, the April-to-June season, how…
Don Hill: The Hill Station Nobody Visits
Don Hill in Dang district — higher than Saputara and almost undeveloped, with Adivasi homestays, forest walks.
Girmal Falls: Gujarat’s Tallest Waterfall
Girmal in Dang district is Gujarat's tallest waterfall at around 30 m — when it actually runs, the…
The Dangs in Monsoon: Gujarat’s Green Secret
Dang district in the monsoon — Gujarat's wettest, greenest corner, Girmal and Gira waterfalls, Saputara and Don Hill.
The Waghai Narrow Gauge: Gujarat’s Slow Train
Riding the 1913 Bilimora–Waghai narrow-gauge railway into the Dang forests — what the journey is like, checking it…
Dandi: The Beach That Broke an Empire
Dandi in Navsari district — why Gandhi chose salt, the 385 km march from Sabarmati, the National Salt…
Navsari: The Parsi Heartland
Navsari — one of India's oldest Zoroastrian centres, its Atash Behram and Parsi quarter, the Meherjirana manuscript library.
Dumas: Surat’s Black Sand Evening
Dumas beach near Surat — why the sand is dark, the evening food stalls that are the real…
A Surat Food Crawl: Locho, Ghari and Undhiyu
Surat food, and when to eat it — locho, Surti khaman, winter ponk, undhiyu and Chandni Padva ghari,…
Bharuch: The Golden Bridge and the Narmada Mouth
Bharuch on the Narmada — the ancient port of Barygaza that traded with Rome, the 1881 Golden Bridge,…
Kabirvad: An Island Made of One Tree
Kabirvad near Bharuch — a single banyan spreading across acres of a Narmada island, its association with the…
Rajpipla: The Kingdom Behind the Statue
Rajpipla in Narmada district — the Rajvant Palace, Maharaja Vijaysinhji's 1934 Epsom Derby win, Prince Manvendra's story.
Garudeshwar: The Narmada’s Quiet Ghat
Garudeshwar on the Narmada, 12 km from the Statue of Unity — the samadhi of Tembe Swami, the…
Zarwani Falls and the Shoolpaneshwar Forest
Zarwani waterfall in the Shoolpaneshwar sanctuary near Kevadia — the stepped cascade, the forest eco-campsite.
Dahod: Market Day in the Tribal Belt
Dahod in eastern Gujarat — the weekly Adivasi haats and how to visit them decently, the Ratanmahal sloth…
Chhota Udaipur: The Pithora Painters
Chhota Udaipur in eastern Gujarat — what Rathwa Pithora wall paintings actually are, how to see them respectfully.
Thol Lake: Flamingos an Hour from Ahmedabad
Thol Lake Bird Sanctuary, 40 km from Ahmedabad — a century-old irrigation tank turned Ramsar wetland with flamingos,…
Shamlaji: The Tribal Vishnu Fair
Shamlaji in Aravalli district — the Vishnu temple known locally as Kaliyo Dev, its huge Adivasi Kartik Purnima…
Idar: The Town Under the Rocks
Idar in Sabarkantha — climbing the granite boulder hill to its fort, temples and ruined palace, the town's…
Dev ni Mori: Gujarat’s Buddhist Chapter
Dev ni Mori near Shamlaji — the Buddhist stupa and monastery excavated in the 1960s, its inscribed casket…
Balaram: A Palace in the Banaskantha Forest
Balaram in Banaskantha — the Nawab of Palanpur's 1920s palace, now a heritage hotel beside the Balaram-Ambaji Wildlife…
Ambaji: The Shakti Peeth Without an Idol
Ambaji in Banaskantha — a major Shakti Peeth whose sanctum holds an inscribed yantra rather than an image,…
Taranga Hill: Solitude and Jain Marble
Taranga Hill in Mehsana district — the 1121 Ajitnath Jain temple built by Kumarapala, the Digambar shrines and…
Vadnagar: Gujarat’s Oldest Living Town
Vadnagar in Mehsana district — the twelfth-century torana gateway, Hatkeshwar Mahadev, Sharmishtha Lake.
Sidhpur: Streets of Pastel Havelis
Sidhpur in Patan district — streets of pastel Bohra havelis built by travelling traders, the ruined Rudra Mahalaya…
Adalaj: The Stepwell That Breathes
Adalaj stepwell near Ahmedabad — the 1499 five-storey vav of Queen Rudadevi, its Hindu-Islamic carving, why it stays…
Rani ki Vav: The Queen’s Stepwell
Rani ki Vav at Patan — the finest stepwell in India, its 500+ sculptures, why being buried saved…
Dhordo: Sleeping on the White Desert
Dhordo, the gateway to the white Rann of Kutch — what the salt desert actually is, the Rann…
Bhuj: A City Rebuilt
Bhuj, twenty-five years after the 2001 Kutch earthquake — Aina Mahal and Prag Mahal, the Kutch Museum, how…
Mandvi: Where Wooden Ships Are Still Built by Hand
At Mandvi in Kutch, ocean-going wooden dhows are still built by hand without blueprints — how to visit…
Shivrajpur: Gujarat’s Blue Flag Beach
Shivrajpur beach near Dwarka is one of India's first Blue Flag beaches — clean water, marked swimming, snorkelling…
Khijadiya: Gujarat’s Best-Kept Birding Secret
Khijadiya near Jamnagar is a Ramsar wetland where fresh water meets salt — Dalmatian pelicans, Indian skimmers, flamingos…
Coral and Mangroves at Narara Reef
How to do the Narara reef walk in Marine National Park, Jamnagar — tides, permits, the octopus and…
Velavadar: Blackbuck, Wolves and Harriers
Velavadar Blackbuck National Park near Bhavnagar — India's largest blackbuck herds, Indian wolves, a world-class harrier roost and…
Palitana: Climbing to 900 Temples at Dawn
Climbing Shatrunjaya hill at Palitana — nine hundred Jain temples, 3,500 steps, the rule that nobody may stay…
Lothal: The World’s Oldest Known Dock
Lothal, the Harappan port 80 km from Ahmedabad — the great brick dockyard, the bead factory, the warehouse…
Dholavira: Walking Through a 4,500-Year-Old City
Dholavira, Gujarat's UNESCO Harappan city in the Rann of Kutch — its stone streets, sixteen reservoirs, the undeciphered…
Diu Island: A Travel Guide to Gujarat’s Portuguese Escape
A Diu island travel guide to Gujarat's Portuguese getaway — the great sea-fort, Nagoa and Ghoghla beaches, Naida…
The Little Rann of Kutch: In Search of the Wild Ass
A guide to the Little Rann of Kutch and its Wild Ass Sanctuary — the only home of…
Kutch Craft Villages: A Handmade Journey Around Bhuj
A guide to the Kutch craft villages around Bhuj — Nirona's Rogan art and bells, Ajrakhpur block-printing, Bhujodi…
The Perfect 7-Day Gujarat Itinerary: From Ahmedabad to the Rann
A perfect 7-day Gujarat itinerary from Ahmedabad — the Statue of Unity, a Gir lion safari, Somnath and…
The Best Time to Visit Gujarat: A Season-by-Season Guide
The best time to visit Gujarat, season by season — winter for the white Rann and Gir lions,…
One Day in Ahmedabad: A Walk Through India’s First Heritage City
How to spend one day in Ahmedabad, India's first UNESCO Heritage City — the pol heritage walk, Jama…
Top 15 Places to Visit in Gujarat: A First-Timer’s Bucket List
The top places to visit in Gujarat — the Rann of Kutch, Gir lions, Somnath and Dwarka, Rani…
One-Day Trips from Ahmedabad: 8 Escapes You Can Do in a Day
The best one-day trips from Ahmedabad — Modhera and Patan, Adalaj, Lothal, Nalsarovar, Champaner, Polo Forest and Vadodara,…
Saputara: A Weekend in Gujarat’s Only Hill Station
A weekend guide to Saputara, Gujarat's only hill station — the lake, ropeway and sunset points, Gira Falls,…
Gujarat in the Monsoon: Green Hills and Hidden Waterfalls
The best Gujarat monsoon getaways — Saputara and the Dang, the Gira, Zarwani and Hathni Mata waterfalls, and…
Dwarka to Somnath: Gujarat’s Great Coastal Pilgrimage Road Trip
Plan the Dwarka to Somnath road trip along Gujarat's coast — Dwarkadhish and Nageshwar, Bet Dwarka, Shivrajpur beach,…
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…
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