Update:
Rann Utsav 2023-24 Dates: 1st Nov 2023 to 25th Feb 2024
Let me begin by saying, “Kutch Nahi Dekha to Kuch Nahi Dekha.”
Rann Utsav is a carnival of music, dance, and the breathtaking scenery of White Rann.
Here in Rann Utsav, you may enjoy luxurious tent living in addition to other things.
The Gujarat Tourism Department annually puts on this cultural and artistic festival.
During the celebrations, people from all over the nation come together to honour the beautiful “White Desert” and the spirit and friendliness of the Kutchi people while staying in tents.
During this 3–4 month event, the city is set up in “Dhordo Village.” Every year, the festival dates are released in advance, often from November to February.
From the Wish List
Since I first saw the magnificent Rann in “Taarak Mehta ka Ooltah Chashmah,” this location has been on my “to-visit” list for about four years. But for one reason or another, the vacation kept getting pushed back.
But by the beginning of 2022, we had made up our minds that we would actually make it happen this year.
We kept an eye out in June for the 2022 festival dates, which were revealed to be 26th October – 22nd Feb. As a result of this, and taking into account our leave options, we decided to carry out this trip in December 2022.
How to Plan for Rann Utsav
The Rann Utsav offers a number of packages (1-Night, 2-Night, and 3-Night). Each of these packages includes free shared bus transportation from Bhuj to Dhordo Tent City (to and fro). There is no specific private vehicle on hand.
The tour booklet lists a variety of free activities and trips, depending on how long you want to stay.
Plan Your Dates and Stay at Rann Utsav
Browse the available packages and select the one that best meets your needs and budget. Three different styles of tent stays are available. Once more, pick one based on your budget.
The 2N package is the finest, in my opinion, since it allows you plenty of time to explore and enjoy. Additionally, a stay in the AC Deluxe Swiss Tent ought to be pleasant.
CAUTION: Keep in mind that White Runn Resort and other surrounding resorts are among those offering the same stay, in addition to others in the area. Some of them have made calls to “Bhunga,” a typical local lodging in Gujrati.
Tent City Dhordo nonetheless offers the most genuine accommodation. You should choose this option if you’re a first-time visitor and only want to go once.
I stumbled across these alternatives while conducting a search on the internet and quickly became perplexed about where to stay.
Therefore, I wanted to make this point clear immediately to reduce uncertainty while you do your search.
Make the Travel Arrangements
The itinerary for Rann Utsav begins in Bhuj. You must therefore plan your trip from your city to Bhuj. It is conveniently connected by rail and air via Mumbai. To guarantee seats, you must make your reservations for rail travel at least four months in advance.
We purchased train tickets on the Kutch Express from Bandra (Mumbai) to Bhuj in September 2022 (for travel in December).
From Bhuj Airport and Bhuj Railway Station, a complimentary but set-time pickup is included in the Rann Utsav tour package. Therefore, be sure to arrive in Bhuj (at the airport or railway station) by the pickup time.
If you arrive after the final pickup time, you will either need to make your own way to Tent City or spend the day in Bhuj. Therefore, choose your moment carefully.
Pickup timing from Railway Station: 8.15 AM, 10.00 AM, 1:30 PM
Pickup timing from Airport: 8.15 AM, 10.00 AM, 12:30 PM, 3:30 PM
Choose Your Tour Operators for Rann Utsav Trip
Rann Utsav trip needs to be well planned, and only Gujrat Tourism-authorized agents can make the reservations. Utilizing the Gujrat tourism websites also allows for self-reservation.
Simply ask a few and see who can provide a discount. Some businesses or websites offer a 10–15 percent discount, and some even go as high as 20% for early booking. Just review the reservation terms, including the cancellation policies, before making a decision.
The operators and websites I used, as well as the one I selected, are listed below:
Aasaan Holidays: [booking@aasaanholidays.com / 079–48984398] – I booked my travel through them and Mr. Pankaj Soni (+91–7567227226) and Mr. Tejas Patel (+91-8469227226) offered great services.
Booking Plan for Rann Utsav
Book the train or the flight once your plan is complete. Only then should you proceed with booking your package.
Apply the leaves appropriately in advance to avoid last-minute hiccups. Since I frequently follow this procedure when travelling, I thought I’d share.
You will receive a confirmation voucher following the completion of your reservation and payment. Please keep this close by if you need to carry it on your trip.
Please be aware that you won’t receive any more follow-up or confirmation calls for your trip. Not to worry. You will receive a call from the Ran Utsav staff the evening before check-in to confirm your arrival, location, and anticipated time of arrival.
Upon Your Arrival in The Tent City
After arriving in Bhuj, either at the airport or the train station, you will see a welcome lounge. Simply stroll over to the welcome lounge.
The appropriate person will check your voucher there; if you choose to be environmentally friendly and don’t want to carry a hard copy, an electronic version will also work.
You will be given a bus number, and your luggage will be marked in accordance with your arrival time and the pickup window.
Keep with you anything you want to carry on the bus personally. Allow other items of luggage to be tagged, and you can pick them up when you get to Tent City.
Here, you will be given some refreshments (tea or juice). Your name will be called out when your bus is prepared, and you simply need to proceed and take a seat in the designated bus.
That’s all, everyone. You are in good hands and need not worry for the remainder of your package’s duration. Now is the time to appreciate and have fun.
The Journey
Between Bhuj and Dhordo tent City, it takes roughly 2 hours to travel the 85 kilometres. You will be offered onboard refreshments (snack packs and water bottles) while you are travelling.
The bus stops for only 15 minutes in the village of “Bhirandiyara.” Don’t forget to purchase the “Mawa,” a well-known sweet, from this location. It tastes amazing and is similar to milk cake yet different.
Additionally, this sweet Mawa maintains its flavour for about a week without going bad. However, make sure to reheat it somewhat before tasting.
Inside the Tent City
You will be greeted with music once you enter Rann Utsav, Tent City through the main gate by some local musicians.
Approach the front desk by ascending. As your luggage will arrive at the designated tents, don’t worry about it.
Despite the extreme pressure and nearly full booking every day, I truly loved this organization of the activities.
You must present the confirmation voucher and the identity card for each traveller at the reception (Aadhaar Card, Passport, Voter Id).
After verification, they will hand you an envelope containing meal tickets for all of the group members for every day of your stay. The envelope will state your assigned tent number and cluster.
Depending on the type of tent, the tent city is organized into several clusters. They offer two dining rooms, one of which is reserved for guests staying in premium tents but is open to everyone. However, food is the same.
Additionally, golf carts and a tiny train are available for your internal area transport. For all of your campus trips, the pickup point is the “Clock Tower,” near the reception.
As the entire area may not be more than 2.5–3 kilometers, you can also choose to stroll. They do, however, have practical vehicle arrangements; you only need to wait 5–10 minutes at the appointed locations before the vehicle arrives to pick you up.
They have many areas, including an activity zone (some activities are paid), a small market where locals sell traditional Gujarati goods like jewellery, clothing, etc. in front of the reception, and a cultural area (free cultural entertainment show every night).
The cultural area is also referred to as “Rann Ke Rang”. Here, you have some paid activities like Cricket with balling machine, ATV/Segway Ride, and Hot Air Balloon. They also have Star Gazing activities after the cultural show.
You will be informed of the details of your tours in accordance with your package; all you need to do is adhere to the timings and make sure you are at the designated pickup location on time. They are highly reliable with regard to timing.
Now About My Journey/Stay at Rann Utsav
I had a wonderful time while I was there. I was quite impressed by the staff’s friendliness, the setting in general, and the meal. I was taken aback when I saw the White Runn’s splendour.
I chose the 2N/3D package and the “Deluxe AC Swiss Cottages” category of accommodations.
Day 1
At approximately 8.30 in the morning, we reached Bhuj. When we arrived at the welcome room, they gave us drinks and put us on the bus.
We hurried over and snatched up our seats because the bus was scheduled to depart in 15 minutes. Then we got our refreshments and started eating.
We had to wait in line to access the tent city reception that day due to the volume of traffic. We were given tents in the “M” cluster, which was supposedly the last of the clusters.
Our tents were ready by 11:30 AM, and we checked in. Our luggage had made it safely to the designated tent as well. We took a bath, then got ready. We took the first shuttle that became available and travelled to Dining Hall 1 for lunch.
There was a separate area for Jain food, and all the food was vegetarian. They collaborate with Sayaji Hotels, so the entire food quality and flavour were fantastic.
Give the staff your meal tickets, then enjoy the treats and take what you like. Additionally, it offered traditional Kathiawadi alternatives. When I think back on the burnt garlic soup, it still tastes fantastic.
We started walking around the campus after a delectable lunch and did some mandatory shopping (the stalls do attract you, especially the ladies).
We proceeded to the dining room for high tea at 4:00 PM. The wide range of options, which included pani poori among other snacks with milk, coffee, and tea, took me by surprise.
At 5 p.m., we had a complimentary tour of the White Runn during the sunset. At 4.45 PM sharp, we arrived at the clock tower, and the buses had already begun to line up.
First come, first served for pickup, so we got on the bus. You don’t have to board the same bus twice to complete this sunset trip; you can take any bus.
We arrived at the Runn entrance; the remaining 200 or so meters require a camel ride. Although it would take longer, you could also travel on foot.
When you get here, the Rann’s splendour just captivates you. The sunset was spectacular. You can work with a photographer and have reels made as well.
Although the camel ride attendant will request payment as a tip, you are not required to do so.
Use the camel ride once again after dusk to return to the bus boarding area. Take any bus to return to the city. One can also enjoy the paramotoring here.
After returning, we proceeded to our tents to freshen ourselves and spend the evening as a family, taking the obligatory selfies along the way.
We returned to the dining hall at 8 PM for our meal and once again enjoyed the menu. It had a variety of foods, a large selection of them, ice cream, and a live food counter.
There was a musician performing songs from the Kutch region. Overall, the ambiance was fantastic.
After eating dinner, we took a ride to the location of the cultural event. Every night between 9 and 10:30, they provide cultural entertainment. Special guests are given priority seating. We then sat down in the second row.
Even though it wasn’t particularly chilly, it was still a good idea for us to wear jackets because we were in an open location.
The event opened with a few Kutch songs before moving on to a garba performance and a few more acts. They then let you to dance and enjoy yourself on the stage. Around 11 PM, we returned to our tents, where we enjoyed a wonderful night’s sleep.
Day 2
The day begins early, and you receive tea right in your cluster. We headed towards the clock tower, where our bus was supposed to pick us up for the morning tour after we finished our tea.
The sun rises at about 6.48 AM, and this begins at 5.45 AM. Again encircled by the White Rann, we travelled to the location known as “zero point,” where we had a clear glimpse of the rising sun.
The bus returned us to the village about 8 AM. We returned to the dining area and enjoyed a lovely brunch.
Again, there are a tonne of alternatives, some of which are typical Gujrati cuisines like Thepla and Dhokla. We went to our tent and rested there after breakfast.
We arrived at the activity area after bathing and played a few games there, including carrom and table tennis (both free of charge).
We arrived at the dining hall for lunch at about noon. After lunch, we took a trip through the village and admired the design in its entirety.
Our excursion to Kala Dungar, the highest peak in Kutch, was set for 2:30 PM. At 2:15 PM, we got on the bus. On the way, we were served with some snacks and a water bottle.
Gandhi nu Gaam, a small town where locals sell traditional clothing and goods, was the first stop for the bus.
We then arrived at the Kala Dungar location. To get to the top point from here, you must take a local vehicle (50 rs. per person to and fro).
Here, we first visited the Datta Temple, which is 400 years old and has a rich history. Before visiting this location, you can read this on Google. It is usually advisable to research a place before visiting it.
From this location, we took a short stroll toward a steep climb through a small market to reach the sunset location.
You can also observe three important sites from here: the final border crossing of the Indo-Pak Border, etc. To see this, you must rent a pair of binoculars, which is worthwhile.
We used the same vehicle to get to the bus boarding location after dusk. Take the same bus that you used to get there. The one-way trip takes roughly 1.15–1.30 hours. We arrived back in the village at about 8.30 PM.
After a tiresome day, we were quite hungry, so we walked right into the dining room without stopping.
Once more, you can watch the cultural presentation after supper, but we opted not to and instead walked to our tents, where we slept peacefully.
Day 3
Our check-out day was today. We ate breakfast in the dining room at 8 AM before setting off to our next destination. Since our return train from Bhuj was scheduled to depart at 10.40 PM, we decided against doing the free drop tour and instead chose to self-drop.
Around 2:00–2:30 PM, the complimentary drop-off transports you to some of Bhuj’s tourist attractions before dropping you off at the airport or train station. Depending on when you plan to arrive, you can then wait in the waiting area.
For local Bhuj sightseeing and transportation to the train station, we reserved a private cab directly through the Tent City reception.
Please connect with: Rajarshi Travels (+91 7874821212/ 7874521212). They have desks in the reception Lounge.
We started off by going to “Mata nu Madh,” or the Mata Ashapura Temple. It is around 120 kilometers away from Tent City, and the trip there takes 2.30 hours. Keep in mind that the temple is closed from 1 to 4 p.m.
We had a break at the Rogan arts-renowned Nirona village during this time. We came to the only family practicing this technique in India, Gafur bhai and family, here.
Following the darshan, we began our return trip to Bhuj. We stopped for a fantastic lunch en route at the “Pangat” restaurant in Nakhatrana, which is located on the highway. It offers genuine vegetarian and Kathiawadi cuisine.
Once in Bhuj, you can visit the Shri Swaminarayan Temple, Kutch Museum, Pragmahal, and Aaina Mahal, among other historic sites. You can also visit the Smritivan Earthquake Memorial Museum if you have time.
Try the genuine Kachchi Dabeli at “Mohan Dabeli”, located on Hospital Road in Vijay Nagar Bhuj. Although it is a tiny street vendor by the road, the numerous Dabeli variations it offers taste fantastic.
We returned to the Welcome Rann Lounge at about 8 PM following this outing. We ate the dabeli that had been packaged for us as we awaited our return train. We retraced our steps back to the train station at 10 p.m. and boarded the train (Sayajinagri Express).
It’s done, my friends. I’m hoping you’ll like my rudimentary try at a blog. It was difficult for me to acquire information about this place, so I wanted to share it rather than just write about it.
But trust me when I say that this should be on your list of “must-visit” locations. While composing this piece of work, I experienced every second of my vacation.
Disclaimer: Everybody has a different level of experience and taste, so I’ll let you decide if you’d like it the same way I did.
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