#1 of 13 Places to Visit in Rann Of Kutch

At a distance of 5 km from Rann Tent City and 6 km from Dhordo Village, the Great Rann of Kutch is a salt marshy land located in the Kutch district of Gujarat, India. Located in the far north of Gujarat, it is reputed to be one of the largest salt deserts in the world and among the prime places to visit in Rann of Kutch.

Covering an area of about 7500 sq. km, the Great Rann of Kutch borders Pakistan and occupies a part of the Thar Desert which also extends into Rajasthan. The Great Rann of Kutch is known for its white desert, the most popular attraction of all tourist places in Kutch. A large part of the Great Rann of Kutch submerges in water during the rainy season and becomes dry during the winter season, leaving a vast expanse of salt land, which dazzles like a diamond under the scorching sun and appears like an eerie under the bluish glow during the night hours. The Rann of Kutch is the only large .....

...read more

#2 of 13 Places to Visit in Rann Of Kutch

At a distance of 116 km from Great Rann of Kutch and 160 km from Bhuj, Narayan Sarovar or Narayansar is a village in Lakhpat taluk of Kutch district in Gujarat. Situated near Koteshwar Mahadev Temple, it is considered as one of the places of pilgrimage for Hindus in India and among the must visit places in Kutch.

The village got its name from the holy Narayan Sarovar Lake. Narayan Sarovar Lake is one of the 5 holy lakes of Hinduism, along with Mansarovar in Tibet, Pampa in Karnataka, Bindu Sarovar in Gujarat and Pushkar in Rajasthan. According to the Hindu mythology, the lake is associated with a time of drought in the Puranic area, when Lord Vishnu appeared in response to the avid prayers of sages and touched the land with his toe, creating the lake, now revered as holy to bathe in.

There are seven stone temples surrounded by the lake namely Sri Trikamraiji, Lakshminarayan, Govardhannathji, Dwarkanath, Adinarayan, Ranchodraiji and Laxmiji, built by the wife of Maharao Desalji. .....

...read more

#3 of 13 Places to Visit in Rann Of Kutch

At a distance of 5 km from Fulay village, 30 km from Nakhtrana and 61 km from Rann of Kutch, Chhari Dhand Bird Sanctuary is a wetland conservation reserve situated near Fulay village in Kutch district of Gujarat State in India. Located on the edge of arid Banni Grasslands and the marshy salt flats of the Rann of Kutch, it is one of the popular wetlands in Gujarat and among the best places to visit in Kutch.

The Chhari Dhand is a seasonal desert wetland and only gets swampy during a good monsoon, receiving water from the north flowing rivers as well as from the huge catchment areas of many surrounding big hills. Chhari means salt affected and Dhand means shallow wetland in local Kutchi language. The wetland was originally spread over 227 Sq. km, out of which 80 Sq. km was the water filled area. This place is a paradise for bird watchers and ornithologists as this seasonal desert wetland attracts nearly 200 species of migratory birds every year in the monsoon and winter seasons. Due .....

...read more

#4 of 13 Places to Visit in Rann Of Kutch

Kutch Rann Utsav is an annual festival celebrated in White Desert of Great Rann of Kutch, Gujarat. Also known as Kutch Festival, it is one of the popular festivals of India and among the famous annual festivals celebrated in the Kutch region of Gujarat, India.

Rann Utsav is organised by the residents of Kutch in collaboration with Gujarat Tourism every year. One of the biggest salt deserts in the world, the Great Rann of Kutch celebrates this desert carnival in order to showcase the culture and tradition of Gujarat. This 3 months long festival starts on 1st November 2018 and ends on 20th February 2019 every year but the best time to visit this festival is during December, when the attractions will be at prime energy.

The festival is a complete bliss with warm hospitality, folk performances, adventure sports, and ethnic demonstrations. Camel Safaris, Local art and handicraft bazaar, meditation and yoga center, live music concerts and folk dance shows are the main activities .....

...read more

#5 of 13 Places to Visit in Rann Of Kutch

At a distance of 46 km from Great Rann of Kutch, 48 km from Dhordo and 89 km from Bhuj, Kalo Dungar or Kala Dungar is a hill located near Khavda town in Kutch district of Gujarat. It is one of the most famous attractions in Great Rann of Kutch that can be visited as part of Kutch Tour.

Situated at an altitude of 458 m, Kala Dungar literally means Black Hill in Gujarati language is the highest point of Kutch and offers jaw dropping view of the entire region, especially the Rann and the Indo-Pak border. The hill is also the site of a 400-year-old temple of Lord Dattatreya, the three-headed incarnation of Lord Brahma, Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva in the same body. Legend says that when Dattatreya walked on the earth, he stopped at the Black Hills and noticed many hungry jackals and offered them his body to eat. When jackals started eating Dattatreya's body, his body automatically regenerated. The practice of feeding jackals is still followed by the people. Priest of the temple prepares .....

...read more

#6 of 13 Places to Visit in Rann Of Kutch

At a distance of 110 km from Great Rann of Kutch and 148 km from Bhuj, Siyot caves are the ancient rock cut caves located near Siyot village in Kutch district of Gujarat. Also referred as Kateshwar Buddhist Caves, it is one of the popular places to visit in Kutch and among the popular tourist places in Gujarat.

Dated around the first century AD, the Siyot Caves are a group of five rock-cut caves. The main cave has east facing sanctum, ambulatory and space divisions which suggests a Shiva temple from the first or second century. The cave was used by Buddhists later which can be concluded based on the seals found herein and the traces of Brahmi inscriptions. Other caves are simple single cells. The folklores suggest that Siyot Caves were among the 80 monastic sites reported by the travellers from China during the 7th century at the mouth of the Indus River. Local people believes that these caves were used by dacoits to hide things looted from .....

...read more

#7 of 13 Places to Visit in Rann Of Kutch

About Koteshwar Mahadev Temple

At a distance of 2 Km from Narayan Sarovar, 15 Km from Lakhpat, and 119 Km from Great Rann of Kutch, Koteshwar Mahadev Temple is an ancient Hindu temple located at the small village of Koteshwar in the Kutch district of Gujarat. Also known as Kotilingeshwar Temple, Koteshwar Temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva. Situated near Narayan Sarovar, it is one of the sacred pilgrimage sites in Gujarat, and among the top places to visit in Rann of Kutch. It is located on the westernmost inhabited outpost of the Indian subcontinent and is the only point of construction between the two sceneries, the calm sea and the deserted terrain.

History of Koteshwar Mahadev Temple

The Koteshwar Temple was built in 1820 by Jetha Shivji Brahmashaktirya and Seth Sundarji, as indicated by the inscriptions located on the left side of the main entrance. The first references to Koteshwar appear in the accounts .....

...read more

#8 of 13 Places to Visit in Rann Of Kutch

At a distance of 33 km from Narayan Sarovar, 100 km from Rann of Kutch and 138 km from Bhuj, Lakhpat is an abandoned town in Kutch district of Gujarat. At the junction of Kori creek and Rann of Kutch, it is the last town situated at the western end of India, on the India - Pakistan border and among the popular places to visit in Kutch.

Lakhpat derives its name from the prosperous maritime trade which generated a daily income of One Lakh Koris, a Kutch monetary unit. According to another legend, the town was founded by Rao Lakha, so it was known as Lakhpat. Lakhpat is a fortified town with high walls, several gates and bastions made out of hard stone. The 7 km fort walls, erected in 1801 by Fateh Muhammed, are still nearly intact, and offer tremendous views out over the Rann.

Lakhpat was an important port city during the 1800s which had a population of about 15000 people. History suggests that before the earthquake, the Indus River used to flow right next to the town and connected .....

...read more

#9 of 13 Places to Visit in Rann Of Kutch

About Mata No Madh Desh Devi Maa Ashapura Temple

At a distance of 77 Km from Rann of Kutch and 101 Km from Bhuj, Desh Devi Maa Ashapura is a popular Hindu temple located in Mata No Madh town of Kutch district, Gujarat. Mata No Madh Temple is dedicated to Maa Ashapura, the household deity of former Jadeja rulers of Kutch State and she is also considered the patron deity of Kutch. The goddess is also referred to as Desh Devi, meaning the Goddess of the people. It is one of the significant temples in Kutch region and among the popular places to visit as part of the Rann of Kutch tour packages.

History of Mata No Madh Desh Devi Maa Ashapura Temple

The Mata No Madh Temple, constructed in the 14th century by Ajo and Anagor, who were ministers of Lakho Phulani from the Bania caste, suffered damage during the earthquake of 1819. It was subsequently reconstructed in 1823 by Sundarji Shivji and Mehta Vallabhaji, .....

...read more

#10 of 13 Places to Visit in Rann Of Kutch

At a distance of 42 km from Gateway of Rann, Banni Grassland Reserve or Banni Grassland is natural grassland located on the outer southern edge of the desert of the marshy salt flats of Rann of Kutch. It is often referred to as the largest tropical grassland in Asia and among the well-known places to visit in Kutch.

Spread over an area of 2500 Sq. km, the Banni Grassland Reserve is known for rich wildlife and biodiversity. The word 'Banni' comes from Hindi word 'banai', meaning made. The land here was formed from the sediments that were deposited by the Indus until it changed its course due to the 1819 earthquake. Banni Grassland having numerous large, medium and small sized wetlands attracts migratory birds to breed and rest in winter. The Kutch Desert Wildlife Sanctuary which spans over an area of 380 Sq. km and the recently notified 227 Sq. km Chhari Dhand Conservation Reserve are part of the Banni Grasslands.

Banni is home to great biological diversity, having 37 grass .....

...read more

#11 of 13 Places to Visit in Rann Of Kutch

At a distance of 25 km from Rapar, and 124 km from Bhuj, Kutch Desert Wildlife Sanctuary is sanctuary located in the north eastern part of Kutch district in Gujarat. Situated in the Great Rann of Kutch, it is one of the famous places of wildlife in Gujarat, and among the popular places to visit as part of Rann of Kutch packages.

Kutch Desert Wildlife Sanctuary was established in February 1986. Covering an area of about 7505 sq. km, this is the largest Wildlife Sanctuary in India area wise and one of the largest seasonal saline wetlands of Gujarat having an average water depth between 0.5 to 1.5 meters. But, after October-November, water dries up and the entire area turns into a saline desert where thousands of Flamingoes nest and breed. The sanctuary has four hilly and rocky islands ('bets') such as Pachchham, Khadir, Bela, and Chorar .....

...read more

#12 of 13 Places to Visit in Rann Of Kutch

At a distance of 92 km from Rapar, 222 km from Bhuj, and 300 km from Great Rann of Kutch, Dholavira is an archaeological site at Khadir Bet in the Kutch district of Gujarat. Managed by ASI, it is the most prominent archaeological site in India belonging to the Indus Valley Civilization and among the must-include places in Kutch packages.

Dholavira represents the ruins of an ancient city of the Harappan civilization that was inhabited over 1,200 years from 3000 BCE through 1800 BCE. It is the larger of the two most remarkable excavations of the Indus Valley Civilization or Harappan culture in India, the other being Lothal. Locally called Kotada, the 250-acre area of Dholavira sprawls across the Khadir Island of the Great Rann of Kutch and is part of the protected Kutch Desert Wildlife Sanctuary, among the top tourist places in Kutch.

The .....

...read more

#13 of 13 Places to Visit in Rann Of Kutch

At a distance of 50 km from Surendranagar, 100 km from Ahmedabad, 238 km from Bhuj, and 320 km from Great Rann of Kutch, the Indian Wild Ass Sanctuary is a protected sanctuary located in the Little Rann of Kutch, Gujarat. Also known as the Wild Ass Wildlife Sanctuary, it is the largest wildlife sanctuary in Gujarat, and among the best places to visit near Ahmedabad for wildlife enthusiasts.

Spread over an area of 4954 sq. km, the Indian Wild Ass Sanctuary was established in 1972 and came under the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972. The Wild Ass Sanctuary of the Little Rann of Kutch is the only place on earth where the endangered Indian Wild Ass, known locally as the ghudkhar, still lives. One of the three surviving species of the Wild Ass in the world-the other two being found in Central Asia and in and around Tibet, the Khur is high on the list of endangered species. Known .....

...read more

No Places found for the selected filters

Most Asked Questions on Rann Of Kutch


  • What is the best season to visit Rann Of Kutch?

    Winters from October to March are the best time to visit Kutch, this is also the time the Rann Utsav or Kutch Utsav is also organised during the same time, and attracts large number of tourists from all over the world. Summers should be avoided as temperatures can go as high as 45°C while monsoon season will be suitable for nature enthusiast and wildlife lovers as the rains are not severe and is also the time when migratory birds arrive at Kutch in large numbers.

  • How many days are required to visit Rann Of Kutch?

    Rann Of Kutch usually requires complete full day to visit the most important attractions. There are several nice places to visit around Rann Of Kutch like Patan, Bhuj, Mandvi and Mount Abu which usually take additional one day for each place.

  • What is the budget required to visit Rann Of Kutch?

    Budget of Kutch trip depends on the trip duration and category of hotel you choose for your stay along with the kind of vehicle you prefer. Rann Of Kutch tour packages offered by Trawell.in start from as low as INR 5300 per person for a 2D/1N trip and from INR 11850 per person for 4D/3N vacation.

  • What are some must visit places & things to do while visiting Rann Of Kutch?

    Ensure to cover most important places to visit in Rann Of Kutch like Great Rann Of Kutch, Narayan Sarovar & Sanctuary, Chhari Dhand Bird Sanctuary, Kutch Desert Festival, Kalo Dungar, Siyot Caves, Koteshwar Mahadev Temple, Lakhpat, Mata No Madh Desh Devi Maa Ashapura, Banni Grassland Reserve, etc.

  • What is the operational season in Rann Of Kutch?

    November-January are the best operational season in Rann Of Kutch, mainly because of the full moon nights as the reflection of the moonlight on the white sand turns the place into an absolute paradise.


Top 3 Rann Of Kutch Packages