7 days, 6 nights ยท Ahmedabad, Patan, Somnath, Gir, Narmada
Seven-day Gujarat tour package: the last wild lions and the Saurashtra coast
The two extra days go south-west into Saurashtra, and they buy the one thing Gujarat has that nowhere else on earth does: the last wild population of Asiatic lions, in the Gir forest. Beside it sits Somnath, one of the twelve Jyotirlinga shrines, rebuilt after being destroyed repeatedly over a thousand years, standing directly on the Arabian Sea.
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Gir
The last wild Asiatic lions, and how the safari works
Asiatic lions once ranged from Greece to eastern India. They now exist in the wild in one place: the Gir forest and the country around it in Saurashtra, where a population that fell to a few dozen in the early twentieth century has recovered to something over six hundred. That recovery is one of the genuine conservation successes in India, and it is the reason to make the drive.
Safaris run in forest-department vehicles from the Sasan Gir gate in fixed morning and afternoon slots, with permits issued against passport or identity details and a limited number released per slot. They sell out in season and cannot be arranged reliably on arrival, so the desk books them with the itinerary. Our chauffeur drives you to the gate and waits; private vehicles are not permitted inside.
The park is closed for the monsoon, roughly mid-June to mid-October. December to March is the best window: the vegetation is thin, water sources are few and the animals are easier to find. Sightings are good but not guaranteed, and anyone promising you a lion is guessing.
The Saurashtra leg
Somnath, Diu and the coast
The south-western peninsula, which almost no short Gujarat itinerary reaches.
Somnath
One of the twelve Jyotirlinga shrines, on the shore where the Arabian Sea begins. Destroyed and rebuilt repeatedly since the eleventh century; the present temple dates from 1951. The evening light-and-sound show is popular.
Gir and Sasan
The sanctuary gate, the interpretation zone at Devalia for a near-certain sighting in a fenced area, and the forest itself. About 45 km from Somnath.
Diu
A former Portuguese territory about 90 km from Somnath, now a union territory — which means, notably, that it is not dry. A fort, a beach and a completely different atmosphere from the mainland.
The driving
The circuit's long legs
About 1,400 kilometres over seven days; this is a driving circuit and the Saurashtra legs are the reason.
- Ahmedabad to Somnath — about 400 km, 7 hours South-west through Rajkot and Junagadh. The longest day on the circuit, scheduled with an early start.
- Somnath to Sasan Gir — about 45 km, 1.5 hours North into the forest belt.
- Sasan Gir to Ahmedabad — about 340 km, 6 hours North-east through Junagadh and Rajkot, or broken at Rajkot if the day feels long.
- Ahmedabad to the Statue of Unity and back — about 200 km each way The Narmada leg, as on the five-day circuit.
The Rann
The alternative seventh and eighth day
There is a second way to extend a Gujarat circuit, and for some travellers it is the better one. The Rann of Kutch, north-west of Ahmedabad beyond Bhuj, is a salt desert that floods in the monsoon and dries to a white crust in winter — roughly ten thousand square kilometres of it. In the dry months it is one of the more surreal landscapes in India.
The Rann Utsav, a tented festival village near Dhordo, runs from about November to February and is how most visitors see it; outside those months the White Rann is accessible but there is no infrastructure. Bhuj, the base, is about 330 kilometres from Ahmedabad and holds the best craft traditions in the state — Ajrakh block printing, bandhani tie-dye, Rabari embroidery — in villages around the town.
Gir and the Rann do not combine well inside a week; they are in opposite directions from Ahmedabad and each deserves its own days. The desk will build either and the charter builder prices a longer circuit covering both on the same published card — realistically that is ten days.
Booking
How to book the seven-day circuit
Book the transport direct on the booking page, fare fixed before payment. Gir safari permits need passport or identity details and are issued against fixed slots that sell out in season, so send those with the booking through the contact page. Cancellation is free beyond 72 hours, then 10%, 50% and 100% inside 72, 48 and 24 hours.
Day by day
The seven-day itinerary, leg by leg
The five-day circuit with Saurashtra added; the Ahmedabad-to-Somnath leg is the longest day and is scheduled with an early start.
| Day | Where | What the day covers | On the road |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Ahmedabad | Met at the airport. Sabarmati Ashram, the Jama Masjid, and Manek Chowk after dark. | Airport to the city ~10 km |
| Day 2 | Ahmedabad, Modhera and Patan | The pol heritage walk at dawn, then north-west to the Modhera sun temple and Rani ki Vav at Patan. | ~270 km round trip |
| Day 3 | Ahmedabad to Somnath | The long leg south-west through Rajkot and Junagadh. Into Somnath for the temple on the shore and the evening. | Ahmedabad-Somnath ~400 km, 7 hrs; depart 06:30 |
| Day 4 | Somnath to Sasan Gir | The temple at dawn, then north into the forest belt. An afternoon safari slot if one is held. | Somnath-Sasan Gir ~45 km, 1.5 hrs |
| Day 5 | Gir | A dawn safari in forest-department vehicles, the Devalia interpretation zone in the afternoon, and the forest villages. | Gate 5-10 km from the lodges |
| Day 6 | Gir to Ahmedabad | North-east through Junagadh and Rajkot, arriving in the evening. | Sasan Gir-Ahmedabad ~340 km, 6 hrs |
| Day 7 | The Statue of Unity | South-east to the Narmada for the statue and the viewing gallery, then back to Ahmedabad for the flight, or on to Vadodara. | ~200 km each way, 3.5-4 hrs |
What it costs
The 7-day Gujarat circuit: two ways to buy it
Seven charter days at the published rate, for the car rather than per person. Gir permits and safari vehicles are forest-department charges billed at cost; private cars cannot enter the sanctuary.
Transport package — firm, published
Every kilometre of the 7-day circuit in a private chauffeured car: the chauffeur, the vehicle, fuel, and the driver's meals and accommodation on the road. Priced at the published charter-day rate × 7 days, the same figure as the rates page.
From $13,650 - $16,380 per car for the whole circuit
On the international card · Premium MPV · GST extra · tolls, parking and state entry taxes at cost
All-inclusive — stays, meals and entries
The same itinerary with hotels, breakfasts, monument entries and a licensed guide arranged for you. Because we contract stays per departure date and per hotel category, this tier is quoted on request rather than published — we will not print a per-person figure we cannot hold.
Send the dates and the hotel category you want (3-star, 4-star, heritage or palace) through the contact page and the desk returns a written quote, itemised, within one working day.
| Vehicle class | Cars | Per charter day 10 hours / 300 km | 7-day circuit International card, USD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Premium MPV 6 passengers, 5 bags |
Toyota Innova Hycross & Kia Carnival | $1,950 - $2,340 | $13,650 - $16,380 |
| Executive sedan 3 passengers, 2 bags |
Mercedes-Benz E-Class & BMW 5 Series | $1,700 - $2,040 | $11,900 - $14,280 |
| Luxury SUV 5 passengers, 4 bags |
Toyota Fortuner, Land Cruiser & Mercedes-Benz GLS | $2,250 - $2,700 | $15,750 - $18,900 |
| Group van 12 passengers, 12 bags |
Force Urbania & Tempo Traveller (executive) | $3,200 - $3,840 | $22,400 - $26,880 |
What the transport package includes
- A private, air-conditioned vehicle of the class you book, held for the whole circuit — the same car from the first pickup to the last drop, never shared and never re-assigned.
- One professional chauffeur for the whole circuit, holding a commercial licence and a state transport badge, police-verified and background-checked, in uniform and speaking English and Hindi.
- Fuel, the chauffeur's own meals and accommodation on every outstation night, and the vehicle's permits, fitness certificate and insurance.
- All airport, railway-station and hotel transfers inside the itinerary, with the flight tracked on the arrival leg and 60 minutes of waiting included after landing.
- A named coordinator at the desk for the whole trip, reachable on one number, who holds the run sheet and moves a leg when a day runs long.
- A written confirmation before departure carrying the chauffeur's name and licence number and the vehicle registration, so a security office or a hotel can check it against the operator record.
What it does not include
- Hotels, meals and anything consumed off the road — those are the all-inclusive tier, quoted on request rather than published.
- Monument and museum entry fees, which differ for Indian, SAARC and foreign visitors and change by notification; the desk quotes the current figures with the itinerary.
- Licensed local guides, which we arrange city by city on request and bill at cost.
- Tolls, parking and state entry taxes, charged at cost against receipts rather than estimated into the fare.
- Air and rail tickets into and out of the circuit, which the travel desk books separately.
- GST, added to every figure at the applicable rate, and any night allowance where a leg runs between 10 pm and 6 am.
- Airport transfers include 60 minutes of waiting after landing and meet-and-greet at the arrivals exit.
- The charter day (10 hours, 300 km) includes fuel and the chauffeur's meals and accommodation on outstation nights.
- Night driving between 10 pm and 6 am carries the night allowance per night; a second chauffeur is added on days over 12 hours.
- Tolls, parking, state entry taxes and permits are charged at cost against receipts; monument and guide fees through the travel desk are itemised.
- No gratuity is expected. GST is shown separately on every invoice. Cancellation terms are on the cancellation policy page.
- Vintage cars and stretch limousines are quoted per event.
- GST at 5% on chauffeured hire (18% where input credit is claimed) is added to every figure. The full international card is on the rates page; the charter builder prices a circuit of any length live, and the booking page takes the payment direct.
- Cancellation is free more than 72 hours before the first pickup, then 10% inside 72 hours, 50% inside 48 hours and the full first day inside 24 hours or for a no-show — the schedule on the cancellation policy page.
Questions
The 7-day Gujarat circuit: frequently asked
Where else can you see Asiatic lions in the wild?
Nowhere. Gir and the surrounding country in Saurashtra hold the only wild population left, recovered from a few dozen a century ago to something over six hundred.
How do Gir safaris work?
Forest-department vehicles from the Sasan gate in fixed morning and afternoon slots, with permits issued against passport or identity details and limited numbers per slot. They sell out in season and are booked with the itinerary.
When is Gir open?
Roughly mid-October to mid-June; it closes for the monsoon. December to March is the best window, when vegetation is thin and water sources few.
Is Diu worth adding?
It is about 90 km from Somnath, a former Portuguese territory with a fort and beaches — and, as a union territory, it is not dry, which some travellers consider the main attraction after five days in Gujarat.
Can we do Gir and the Rann of Kutch together?
Not well in a week — they are in opposite directions from Ahmedabad. Realistically that is a ten-day circuit, which the charter builder will price on the same card.
How long is the drive to Somnath?
About 400 km and seven hours, the longest day on the circuit. It is scheduled with an early start and a lunch stop rather than squeezed after a morning of sightseeing.
Same circuit, other lengths
The Gujarat in a different number of days
On the route
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Book
Book the seven-day Gujarat circuit direct
Seven charter days price live by vehicle class, fare fixed before payment. Send passport details with the booking for the Gir permits.
Weddings, film units, multi-day chauffeur hire, outstation journeys and anything with more than one vehicle are quoted by a person: call (877) 860-3388 or send the outline and a coordinator replies with a written quote.
Offers through BookingWorldwide.net
Hotels and flights for this itinerary, through BookingWorldwide.net
The stays along this route are on BookingWorldwide.net; reserve them there or ask our desk for the all-inclusive quote, and the chauffeured legs are lined up against whichever you choose.
Flight + hotel packages
Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Goa and Kerala bundles for festival weeks, school holidays and long weekends, with the airport transfer added to the same itinerary.
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Delhi, Agra and Jaipur hotels on one booking, and the RUTZ.IN chauffeur for the whole circuit quoted beside it.
See current offers on BookingWorldwide.net →Palace and heritage hotels
Udaipur, Jaipur, Jodhpur and Hyderabad palace hotels, chosen with the transfer distance from the airport in mind.
See current offers on BookingWorldwide.net →Goa and Kerala resorts
Beach and backwater resorts for the weeks a chauffeur is only needed at each end of the stay, with Dabolim, Mopa or Cochin airport pickups timed to the flight.
See current offers on BookingWorldwide.net →Hill-station stays
Shimla, Manali, Mussoorie, Darjeeling, Ooty, Munnar and Coorg hotels, with the SUV from the gateway airport quoted on the same plan.
See current offers on BookingWorldwide.net →Wildlife and safari lodges
Ranthambore, Jim Corbett, Kaziranga, Periyar and Bandhavgarh lodges and safari permits reserved before the car is dispatched.
See current offers on BookingWorldwide.net →Tickets and experiences
Taj Mahal entry, Kerala houseboats, Jaipur hot-air balloons, city walks and festival tickets reserved ahead so the chauffeured day runs to the plan.
See current offers on BookingWorldwide.net →International flights
Fares into every airport on the airports page, so the car is timed to a confirmed arrival rather than an estimate.
See current offers on BookingWorldwide.net →Self-drive car rental
For the middle days of a trip, returned to the airport where the RUTZ.IN chauffeur collects you again.
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See also, and where the facts come from
On RUTZ.IN: India tour packages · 5-day Gujarat tour · Cities · Charter · City to City · Rates · Tourists.
Official references used on this page:
- Ministry of Tourism, Incredible India Official destination guides and tourist statistics.
- Ministry of Road Transport and Highways Motor Vehicles Act rules for commercial permits, licences and passenger carriage.
- National Highways Authority of India Expressway and toll information for the intercity routes we drive.
- India Meteorological Department Forecasts and monsoon warnings we check before hill and coastal journeys.