Discovery of Gujarat

Ahmedabad is the capital of Gujarat with almost five million. Its history pages contain unexpected treasures that are harmoniously developed. Visit the Calico Textile Museum, considered one of the finest museums of this style in the world. Unique, it contains beautiful brocades, precious silks, former Gujarat fabrics and antique looms. In the afternoon, towards Gandhinagar and visit the Akshardham Temple, the first temple of the Swaminarayan sect with Burmese teak wood sculptures covered in bright paint. Overnight at hotel.

Visit the Temple Hathee Jain Singh, dedicated to Shri Dharamanath, grand master Jain. This temple, one of the most richly decorated of all the temples of the city, was in white marble built in 1848 and its name comes from the generous donor who helped build it. Then the Jama Masjid mosque, built in 1423 which is the mausoleum of Mughal Sultan Ahmed Shah, the founder of the city. Continue to the Mahatma Gandhi’s ashram on the outskirts where they keep their personal belongings and work including its library with 35,000 books. Overnight at hotel.

Road to Poshina, very nice traditional village with its surrounding hamlets populated by a captivating mixture of various tribal communities: Garasias and Bhils. The craftsmanship is present with its blacksmiths manufacturer daggers, swords and arrows of silver and its potters where there are close ranks thousands of terracotta horses. These craftsmen make it a point of honor to show their expertise and you can admire the diversity and the rich ornamentation of these ethnic groups. Overnight at hotel.

Morning drive to Patan, ancient walled city, built on the banks of the holy river Saraswati. Patan was the ancient capital of Gujarat for over 660 years and has over a hundred Jain temples and magnificent old wooden houses. The Panchasara Parshvanath temple in white marble, is one of the largest in the city. Continue to Modhera, on the banks of the River Pushpavati, known worldwide for his solar village temple, one of the finest examples of religious architecture in Gujarat. Then on to Dasada. Overnight at hotel.

Departure to Zainabad and “Rann of Kutch” Natural Reserve of the last wild asses Asian endangered. We would have about 3000 and they look like wild horses. Reserves of nearly 5000 km², which rhymes with Nature that there was more wild, one can observe deer such as black buck, nilgai and chinkara, Indian fox with white paws, blue bull, wolf, wild cat or hare with long ears, also endangered. The bird life is also very present. It is in a salt marsh region, home of many tribes of Kutch living the salt trade for centuries. Overnight at hotel.

Early morning drive to Bhuj, walled city, extending the Thar Desert, on the ancient caravan route that came from Persia. On the way stop to Halvad, village houses decorated with carved wood. Then Gandhidham, 1950, whose primary objective was to build a city to host refugees from Pakistan during the partition. Gandhidham is a famous Jain pilgrimage center which contains many temples. Then on to Bhuj, the former capital of a small princely state with narrow streets, now the capital of Kutch district. Bhuj, which is sometimes called the Jaisalmer Gujarat has long lived on the fringes of the time and the gates guarding the city were, there is still some time closed the night. Overnight at hotel.

Visit this welcoming city with rustling animation markets and surrounded by a strong wall. The citadel in the heart of the bazaars, contains the Aina Mahal Palace, the Palace of Mirrors, built in 1752 by the reigning Maharaja which contains beautiful collections of everyday objects. In the afternoon, stroll through the countryside to go to meet the various Gujarati communities and find local crafts. Villagers work as cotton, wool, wood, and women make beautiful embroidery, colorful, inlaid mirrors, exported in Rajasthan. Overnight at hotel.

Morning drive to Gondal at the center of Gujarat. Gondal was once the ancient capital of the state of Saurashtra, a prosperous princely state which is full of ancient palaces of the 17th century. It was also a former principality in the province of Bombay from the time of British Raj. Visit the imposing palace Naulakha, the oldest and one of the finest in the city. The interior houses an impressive collection of all gifts received by the Maharajah of the time during her Silver Jubilee in 1940 The Orchard Palace, located in a huge complex of fruit tree gardens, where its name, is a wing of the Palace Huzoor (the current royal residence). The royal garages have a unique collection of cars. Overnight at hotel.

After breakfast, drive to Sasan Gir. In the afternoon safari in the Gir National Park, the last home of the Asiatic lion. This is the only place in the world except Africa, where one can see the lion in its natural habitat. Open since 1965, it covers an area of about 1500 km² of which a quarter is reserved for the protected and endemic fauna: leopards, sambar, chital (spotted deer), nilgai and wild boars and also one of the major habitats Chowsingha (four-horned antelope), wild asses and chinkara (Indian gazelle). Overnight at hotel.

Morning drive to the temple of Somnath, one of the twelve shrines dedicated to Lord Shiva. Continue to Diu, a tiny peninsula in the Arabian Sea off the coast of the Gulf of Cambay. This small enclave offers a mix of sun, beautiful sandy beaches fringed with palm and coconut trees, limestone cliffs and rocky coves lapped by a navy blue sea. The perfect place to relax. Overnight at hotel.

Visit this former Portuguese trading annexed to India in 1961, as further south Goa. We find traces of the colonial past in its architecture and its great churches white Catholics. Not to mention the language, since part of the population speaks Portuguese. The charm of Diu is its size. Human-sized city, it makes you forget the excitement somewhat characteristic of Indian cities. It is easy to discover the island throughout walks. Visit the Fort of Diu, an imposing structure with beautiful views of the sea, of St Paul’s Church of St. Francis of Assisi Church and Gangeshwar temple dedicated to Shiva. Overnight at hotel.

Early departure for Palitana, originally imperial city later became the capital of the princely state of Palitana. Shatrunjaya hill, overlooking the city, is one of the holiest pilgrimage sites of Jainism with its top 860 intricately carved temples in marble and in nine speakers. They were built by followers over a period of 900 years from the 11th century. Overnight at hotel.

Morning drive to Bhavnagar located in the extreme southeast of the peninsula of Kathiawar. Once the capital of a princely state, Bhavnagar has several lakes and temples. In the afternoon, visit the Takhteshwar temple located on a small hill and offers a beautiful view of the Gulf of Cambay. Then the Gandhi museum that contains countless memories and testimonies of Mahatma Gandhi. In the evening, stroll through the bazaars of the old city. Overnight at hotel.

After breakfast, drive to Ahmedabad. Upon arrival, transfer to the airport for flight to Delhi for the return flight.