Tour packages · from Ahmedabad

Tour packages from Ahmedabad: stepwells, sun temples and the last wild lions

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Ahmedabad is the base for the most under-visited good circuit in India. Gujarat holds two UNESCO World Heritage sites within a morning of the city, the tallest statue on earth two hundred kilometres south-east, and the only wild Asiatic lions left anywhere out west in Saurashtra — and it receives a fraction of the visitors that Rajasthan next door does.

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3 circuitsFrom one city

100 kmTo Modhera, 2 hrs

GirThe last Asiatic lions

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The case

Why Gujarat is the value circuit in western India

Rani ki Vav at Patan is a seven-storey stepwell dug into the ground, carved with over five hundred principal sculptures, a UNESCO World Heritage site and the image on the two-thousand-rupee note. On most days you can walk it almost alone. An hour away, Modhera’s eleventh-century sun temple has a stepped tank with 108 subsidiary shrines. Either would be a headline monument in Rajasthan; here they are quiet.

Ahmedabad itself became India’s first UNESCO World Heritage City in 2017, for the walled old city of pols — dense residential clusters with carved wooden facades, shared courtyards and bird feeders, organised by community and trade. The morning heritage walk through them is one of the better urban experiences in the country.

And two hundred kilometres south-east, on an island in the Narmada, the Statue of Unity rises 182 metres with a viewing gallery inside the chest. The contrast between that and an eleventh-century stepwell, inside one circuit, is most of what makes Gujarat interesting.

The roads help. Gujarat has some of the best highway surface in India and the distances between these places are moderate, so a five-day circuit has no leg over about four hours. The city guides cover Ahmedabad, Vadodara and Surat.

The stepped tank at the Modhera sun temple

Choosing

Which circuit for which trip

Two lengths of Gujarat, and two neighbours within reach.

Five days

The core circuit: the Ahmedabad pols, Adalaj, Modhera, Rani ki Vav at Patan and the Statue of Unity. Two UNESCO sites and no long driving.

Seven days

The Saurashtra version, running south-west to Somnath on the Arabian Sea and the Gir forest for the last wild Asiatic lions.

Into Rajasthan

Udaipur is about 260 kilometres north of Ahmedabad, which makes the Rajasthan circuit a natural continuation on the same car.

Down to Mumbai

The Maharashtra circuit is a short flight or a long drive south, for the Elephanta and Lonavala caves.

Practical notes

Three things specific to Gujarat

Gujarat is a dry state. Alcohol is prohibited, and while foreign visitors and out-of-state Indians can obtain a permit through licensed hotels, it takes time and the selection is limited. This surprises travellers more than anything else about the state and is much better known in advance than discovered at dinner.

The food more than compensates. Gujarati thali is one of the great regional cuisines and almost entirely vegetarian, served as an unlimited succession of small dishes; the street food around Manek Chowk in Ahmedabad after dark is a genuine attraction in its own right, and the chauffeur will know where to stop.

Two festivals are worth planning around or avoiding. Navratri in September or October fills Ahmedabad for nine nights of dancing and takes every hotel room in the city. Uttarayan, the kite festival on 14 January, is spectacular and books out months ahead. Gir closes for the monsoon, roughly mid-June to mid-October, which governs the seven-day circuit entirely.

The third thing is the weather. Gujarat is hot from March to June, often well above forty degrees in the interior, and the circuit only works in those months if sightseeing moves to the early morning and the late afternoon. November to February is the season, comfortable and dry, and it is also when the Gir safaris are at their best and the Rann of Kutch festival runs in the salt desert north-west of the state.

None of this is a reason to avoid Gujarat — it is a reason to pick your dates deliberately. The desk will say plainly whether the dates you have in mind suit the circuit you want, and will suggest the other length or a different month rather than selling you a week that will not work.

Carved wooden facades in the old city of Ahmedabad

Before you go

A day in Ahmedabad before the driving starts

The pol heritage walk starts at dawn from the Swaminarayan temple at Kalupur and takes about two and a half hours through the walled city. It is organised, inexpensive and genuinely excellent — carved havelis, hidden squares, bird feeders on poles, and an explanation of how the pols worked as social units. It is the single best thing to do in the city and almost nobody books it.

The Sabarmati Ashram, where Gandhi lived from 1917 to 1930 and from which the Salt March began, is on the river and takes an hour. It is spare, well presented and quiet. The Calico Museum of Textiles is the other major draw and requires advance reservation with limited places — worth asking the desk about at booking rather than on the day.

Adalaj, about 18 kilometres north, is a fifteenth-century stepwell and a useful preview of Rani ki Vav. It takes forty minutes and works well on the way out of the city or as a late afternoon on the arrival day.

In the evening, Manek Chowk. The square is a jewellery market by day and a street-food market from about nine at night, and it is one of the more enjoyable late evenings in India. The Ahmedabad guide covers the districts and the airport.

How it works

What the transport package covers

One car and one chauffeur throughout, with the chauffeur’s own meals and accommodation on outstation nights inside the rate. Fuel, permits and insurance included; tolls, parking and entry charges billed at cost against receipts.

The price is the published charter-day rate multiplied by the days, checkable against the rates page. The Statue of Unity charges separate entry and gallery tickets, and Gir requires forest-department permits issued against passport or identity details for fixed safari slots — both are billed at cost, and the Gir permits have to be applied for in advance rather than bought at the gate.

Hotels, entries and guides are quoted separately through the contact page. For the seven-day circuit that is worth taking, because the Gir lodges are limited in number and fill in season.

The driving in Gujarat is genuinely easy by Indian standards. Ahmedabad to Vadodara is about 110 kilometres of expressway and under two hours; Ahmedabad to the Statue of Unity about 200 kilometres and three and a half; Ahmedabad to Patan about 125 kilometres and three. Nothing on the five-day circuit is a long day, which leaves time at each site rather than in the car.

Saurashtra on the seven-day version is longer — Ahmedabad to Somnath is around 400 kilometres and seven hours, and Somnath to Gir about 45 minutes. That single long leg is why the seven-day circuit exists as a separate length rather than as an extension tacked on, and the itinerary breaks it with a stop rather than running it straight.

Booking

How to book a circuit from Ahmedabad

Open the circuit, pick the length and the class, and book the transport on the booking page with the fare fixed before payment. Send passport details with the booking if the circuit includes Gir, so the safari permits can be applied for. The charter builder prices anything not published, including Bhuj and the Rann of Kutch.

From this city

Circuits that start in Ahmedabad

Each circuit below starts with a chauffeur meeting you at Ahmedabad airport. Prices are the published charter-day rate multiplied by the days of the circuit, for the car rather than per person.

Circuit	Days	Where it goes	Transport package, from executive sedan, whole circuit
5-day Gujarat tour	5	The Ahmedabad pols, Adalaj, Modhera, Rani ki Vav and the Statue of Unity.	$8,500 - $10,200
7-day Gujarat tour	7	Adds Somnath on the Arabian Sea and the Gir forest lions.	$11,900 - $14,280
6-day Rajasthan tour	6	North into Rajasthan: Jaipur, Jodhpur and Udaipur.	$10,200 - $12,240
4-day Maharashtra tour	4	South to Mumbai: Elephanta, the Lonavala caves and Pune.	$6,800 - $8,160

Every figure is the published charter-day rate on the rates page multiplied by the days of the circuit — for the car, not per person, and with no tour mark-up.
Hotels, meals, monument entries and guides are quoted on request through the contact page, itemised and in writing.
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.

Questions

Tour packages from Ahmedabad: frequently asked

Is Gujarat really a dry state?

Yes. Alcohol is prohibited; foreign visitors and out-of-state Indians can get a permit through licensed hotels, but it takes time and the selection is limited. It is much better known in advance.

What are the UNESCO sites?

Rani ki Vav at Patan, a seven-storey stepwell with over five hundred principal sculptures, and the walled city of Ahmedabad itself, inscribed as India’s first World Heritage City in 2017. Champaner-Pavagadh near Vadodara is a third.

When is Gir open?

Roughly mid-October to mid-June; it closes for the monsoon. December to March is the best window, and safari permits are issued against passport details for fixed slots that sell out in season.

Is the pol heritage walk worth doing?

It is the best thing to do in Ahmedabad and almost nobody books it — about two and a half hours at dawn through the walled city’s residential clusters, carved havelis and hidden squares.

Can we combine Gujarat with Rajasthan?

Easily. Udaipur is about 260 km north of Ahmedabad, so the two circuits join on the same car. The charter builder prices the combined route on the same published card.

Which festivals should we plan around?

Navratri in September or October fills every hotel in Ahmedabad for nine nights, and Uttarayan on 14 January books out months ahead. Both are spectacular if you want them.

Are hotels included in the price?

No. The published figure is the ground-transport package; hotels, entries, permits and guides are quoted separately in writing against your dates.

How long are the driving days in Gujarat?

Short on the five-day circuit — Ahmedabad to Vadodara is about 110 km and under two hours, to Patan about 125 km and three. The seven-day version has one long leg, Ahmedabad to Somnath at around 400 km and seven hours, which the itinerary breaks with a stop.

When is the best time of year to come?

November to February. March to June is hot in the interior, often well above forty degrees, and the circuit only works then with early mornings and late afternoons. The desk will say plainly if your dates do not suit the circuit you want.

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Pick the circuit and the class and the whole trip prices live, fare fixed before payment. Send passport details if Gir is included.

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.

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Tour packages from Ahmedabad: stepwells, sun temples and the last wild lions

Why Gujarat is the value circuit in western India