Best of Gujarat: Saurashtra Spiritual & Cultural Circuit
Package Inclusions
Overview
Tour Itinerary
Arrive at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport (AMD) or Ahmedabad Junction (ADI). Meet your private chauffeur and transfer to your hotel. Begin your tour with a visit to the subterranean 15th-century Adalaj Stepwell, admiring its five stories of Solanki carved sandstone pillars. Visit the tranquil Sabarmati Ashram, the historic nerve center of Mahatma Gandhi’s freedom struggle. In the late afternoon, explore the grand complex of Akshardham in Gandhinagar, followed by a sunset walk along the illuminated Sabarmati Riverfront. Overnight stay in Ahmedabad.
Depart after breakfast along the four-lane highway toward Saurashtra. Arrive in the brass city of Jamnagar by early afternoon and check into your hotel. Visit Lakhota Lake and Palace Museum, set on an island in the lake. Later, visit the sacred Bala Hanuman Temple, renowned for its non-stop chanting of the Ram Dhun ("Shri Ram, Jai Ram, Jai Jai Ram") that has continued uninterrupted since August 1, 1964 (certified by the Guinness Book of World Records). Overnight stay in Jamnagar.
Drive west to Dwarka, one of the four cardinal Char Dham pilgrimage sites. Check into your hotel. In the afternoon, visit the 12th-century Rukmini Devi Temple, famous for its intricate outer carvings, followed by a stop at the Gomti River Ghats. In the late afternoon, enter the ancient five-story Dwarkadhish Temple (Jagat Mandir) for evening darshan and witness the ceremonial raising of the 52-yard flag (Dhwaja Arohan), followed by the evening Sandhya Aarti (7:30 PM). Stroll through the local bazaars for brass idols and souvenirs. Overnight stay in Dwarka.
Begin with an early morning excursion to Bet Dwarka via the signature cable-stayed Sudarshan Setu bridge, followed by darshan at Nageshwar Jyotirlinga. Check out and drive south along the Arabian Sea coastal highway. Stop in Porbandar to tour Kirti Mandir (the ancestral three-story haveli where Mahatma Gandhi was born) and the historic Sudama Temple. Continue south to Somnath by late afternoon. Check into your hotel and proceed to the seaside Somnath Jyotirlinga Temple to attend the 7:00 PM evening Aarti, followed by the 3D laser sound-and-light show (Jay Somnath) on the temple lawns overlooking the sea. Overnight stay in Somnath.
After breakfast, visit Bhalka Tirth, where Lord Krishna was believed to have rested under a banyan tree, and view the sacred Triveni Sangam. Begin the drive north toward Rajkot. En route, stop in Virpur to visit the revered Jalaram Bapa Temple (famous worldwide for accepting no monetary donations while providing free meals to pilgrims). Continue to Rajkot and check into your hotel. In the afternoon, visit Kaba Gandhi No Delo (Mahatma Gandhi’s childhood residence) and Watson Museum. Spend the evening browsing local markets for traditional Rajkot silver and Patola weaves. Overnight stay in Rajkot.
Depart early after breakfast back toward Ahmedabad. Tour the UNESCO World Heritage Walled City highlights: view the tree-of-life stone latticework at Sidi Saiyyed Mosque and explore the carved white-marble pavilions of Hutheesing Jain Temple. Pick up traditional snacks and Bandhani fabrics at Law Garden before direct drop-off at Ahmedabad Airport (AMD) or Ahmedabad Railway Station for your onward journey.
