4 Top Tourist Places To Visit In Kutch

With its unique salty marshlands and next to no vegetation, Kutch or Rann of Kutch is a tortoise shaped region situated in Gujarat, India. Literally it means an area which alternately becomes wet and dry. With an array of nomadic tribes, artisans and wildlife, Kutch is a traveler’s delight. Kutch’s fantastic landscape offers surreal photography opportunities and breath-taking sunsets. It has won the reputation of being a favorite destination for culture explorers and art lovers from India and across the globe. Read on to find our curated list of top 4 tourist places to visit in Kutch.

The most beautiful time to visit in Kutch, if you happen to be an art aficionado, is during the Kutch Mahotsav. This festival gives not just a useful but also a delightfully beautiful insight into the culture that is waiting to be explored. It brings together everything that marks out the heritage of Kutch including the admirable lace handicrafts, hand woven clothes, hand painted Bandhani sarees and exquisite ornaments in silver and gold.

Located in the stunning port city of Maharao in Kutch is the Ahmedpur Mandvi Beach which is considered to be one of India’s most beautiful beaches. Heaven for water sport enthusiasts, the beach enchants travelers with clear waters and pristine sands. It is about 298 kms from the capital Ahmedabad and is very well connected by both road and rail. 

You can visit the ancient town of Dholavira, which was discovered in 1967. The ruins suggest that it is close to 4500 years old.  It lies to the north west of Khadir islands and is one of the most important Harappan excavation sites in India. As expected the discovered city is well planned and geometrically perfect, featuring a middle town, a lower town and a citadel. The artifacts found here have been linked to the Mesopotamian civilization and include beads, animal bones and terracotta ornaments.  The town is 445 kms from Ahmedabad and can be reached easily by rail. If you happen to be a history admirer, Dholavira is a must visit.

Another place that we highly recommend you visit is the Wild Ass Sanctuary. Established in 1972 following the principles of wildlife conservations in India it is located in the Rann of Kutch. Spreading over an area of 4950 kms it is a specialized sanctuary for the preservation of the rare wild ass sub-species called the Khur. The wild ass is a very hardy animal and is considered one of the strongest in the world. It can survive in very high temperatures, as much as 45 degree centigrade which is common in the Rann of Kutch during summers. Adults weigh around 230 kgs and are seen loitering around in the vast flatlands of Kutch, definitely a wildlife lover’s delight.

With a plethora of customs and traditions to be discovered, Kutch never fails to enchant tourists, especially with the honey dipped languages Kachchhi and Gujarati. After all Kutch was proof of the long flourishing Indus Valley Civilization.