Rann Festival, stay tented

A bit on travel.

We recently went to Kutch region to attend Rann Festival organized by Gujarat Tourism. Reach Bhuj by flight or train from where pick up is provided.

What does the package consists of?

We took 3-night AC tented accommodation. There were about 300 tents set up at Dhordo village. Great facility and excellent planning. Food is good but beware it is Gujarati with lot of besan flour for all meals and less vegetables, barring that same salad served everyday.

This tented village has a small museum, shopping arcade, food court, an area for games and an amphitheater for performances. Yes, there are nice traditional Gujarati song and dance performances every evening.

Should you go?

You should go for the tented village at Dhordo. And remain there. AVOID the daily trips that are part of the package. Nothing against them, but a daily 3 hour drive (that is just one way) to not so spectacular destinations is absurd. Of course, the white sands could have been a consolation but unfortunately for us, the rains spoilt it. The salts had de-crystallized and instead of the white horizon, everything was brown.

On day one you are taken to small villages. Poor villagers! They are timid and as Savitha said we were intruding into their lives. Of course, you could shop in these places. But nothing special about them. On day two, I fell ill and we decided to stay put at the tent. Otherwise we would have gone to Indo-Pak border. Few people who did go for the trip said that it was a waste especially if you have the famous Wagah on mind. The border was a long distance from the place where people were taken.

To top it the third day options include either a trip to Narayan Sarovar or to Mandavi Beach. We went to the sarovar which was about four hours from Dhordo village. There are two temples - Kotteshwar and Narayan Sarovar - to visit. Though we were told that they have big significance for Hindus, we avoided it due to the long travel and probably because we are not as religious. While we came back cursing, others who went to Mandvi also were unhappy. Apparently, the beach is dirty. 

So, if you do want to go to Rann Festival, please stay back in the tents and relax. At this point of the year, the weather is pleasant and the Dhordo village is very good.