Birder's View

Here are some pictures that were taken during my parents (who were venturing out while I was in working away elsewhere! I decided write a little caption on it via secondhand experience...) visit to India in Nov2010. It was just the beginning of the season and therefore the place was not full. But yet, there were millions as you would see nearer to the horizon.

Kutchh was part of our Gujarat tour which started from Diu airport to Somnath (70 km), on to Dwarka (further 240 km) and then finally to Bhuj (another 450 km) – all by road. They flew back to Bombay from Bhuj. Stayed at Safari Resort Hotel, Somnath, Hotel Damji, Dwarka, and Hotel Ilark, Bhuj.

Bhuj is the capital of Kutchh. The Rann (which in Gujarati language means desert) starts about 50 km from Bhuj towards the Northwest extends in a semicircle to the East. Due North is the Pakistan border. You cannot go too deep in to the Rann because it is inaccessible. However, you still get a fairly good taste of it. Some places require a special permit from the local police, which is not difficult to get. A stay of at least four to five days is necessary to do justice to the area.

The Rann is a different kind of desert, because it is not sandy. The sea water seeps underground and a big part of the Rann is watery or marshy. Part of the Rann is also arid or semi-arid. The vegetation is also desert-like. The entire area is under the control of the Border Security Force (BSF). There is a smattering of small villages but few and far between. The people are Gujarat-Sindhi mixed. Many are Moslem.

It is great place for the off-beat tourist.