Grand Gujarat: Saurashtra Spiritual Circuit & Statue of Unity
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. Visit the subterranean 15th-century Adalaj Stepwell to admire its five stories of carved Solanki stone pillars. Continue to Sabarmati Ashram on the riverbank, the center of Mahatma Gandhi's non-violent freedom struggle. In the late afternoon, explore the ornate complex of Akshardham in Gandhinagar, followed by a walk along the Sabarmati Riverfront promenade. Overnight stay in Ahmedabad.
After breakfast, make a morning stop at Sidi Saiyyed Mosque to see the iconic stone latticework tree of life. Depart on the four-lane highway to Rajkot. Check into your hotel upon arrival. In the afternoon, visit Kaba Gandhi No Delo (the ancestral home where Mahatma Gandhi spent his childhood), the historic Watson Museum inside Jubilee Garden, and view the colonial architecture of Rajkumar College. Spend the evening browsing local markets for traditional Rajkot silver and Patola weaves. Overnight stay in Rajkot.
Drive west toward the westernmost tip of the Saurashtra peninsula. Arrive in the sacred city of Dwarka, one of the four cardinal Char Dham pilgrimage centers, and check into your hotel. In the afternoon, visit the 12th-century Rukmini Devi Temple, famous for its exterior carvings. At sunset, head to the sacred 2,200-year-old Dwarkadhish Temple (Jagat Mandir) to participate in the evening Sandhya Aarti and witness the ceremonial raising of the 52-yard flag (Dhwaja Arohan). Take an evening walk along the Gomti Ghats. Overnight stay in Dwarka.
Begin with an early morning drive across the cable-stayed Sudarshan Setu bridge to Bet Dwarka and visit the ancient Krishna temple, followed by a stop at Nageshwar Jyotirlinga. Return to check out and drive south along the coastal highway. Stop in Porbandar to visit Kirti Mandir (the three-story ancestral haveli where Mahatma Gandhi was born) and Sudama Temple. Continue south to Somnath by late afternoon. Check into your hotel and proceed to the seaside Somnath Jyotirlinga Temple to attend the evening Aarti and watch the sound-and-light show against the backdrop of the Arabian Sea. Overnight stay in Somnath.
Visit Bhalka Tirth after breakfast, the sacred spot where Lord Krishna rested under a banyan tree, and view the Triveni Sangam. Check out and embark on the highway journey across Saurashtra and central Gujarat toward Vadodara (Baroda). Arrive in Vadodara by late afternoon/early evening and check into your hotel. Spend a relaxed evening sampling authentic Gujarati Thali dining in the cultural capital of Gujarat. Overnight stay in Vadodara.
Begin with an unhurried morning tour of the grand Laxmi Vilas Palace in Vadodara—a palatial Indo-Saracenic residence four times the size of Buckingham Palace, featuring sprawling gardens and an armory. Midday, drive 90 km to Ekta Nagar (Kevadia) to visit the Statue of Unity (182 meters). Take the high-speed elevator to the 153-meter Viewing Gallery inside the chest of the statue for panoramic views of the Sardar Sarovar Dam and the Satpura/Vindhya ranges. Tour the exhibition museum, Valley of Flowers, and the laser light-and-sound show. Continue the highway drive back to Ahmedabad. Check into your hotel. Overnight stay in Ahmedabad.
After breakfast, explore the UNESCO World Heritage Walled City: visit the intricately carved white-marble Hutheesing Jain Temple, walk past Teen Darwaza, and admire the courtyards of the historic Jama Masjid. Pick up Bandhani textiles and snacks at Law Garden before direct drop-off at Ahmedabad Airport (AMD) or Ahmedabad Junction for your onward journey.
