Golden Gujarat

DAY 1 | ARRIVE AHMEDABAD | THE HOUSE OF MG | 3 NIGHTS

Departing Sydney, we will arrive in Ahmedabad in the evening, whisked away by private transfer to The House of MG, a beautifully restored heritage haveli in the heart of the old city, for a gentle overnight stay before the journey properly begins.

Accommodation: The House of MG – 3 nights including breakfast

DAY 2 | OLD CITY & ARTISAN ENCOUNTERS

Step into Ahmedabad’s old city on a guided heritage walk through its pols, the tight-knit residential lanes where carved wooden homes lean in close over narrow streets.

We take in Jama Masjid, admired for its Indo-Islamic architecture, the historic heart of Bhadra Fort, and Sidi Sayed Mosque, famed for the intricate stone latticework of its windows. At Rani no Hajiro, a royal mausoleum, we wander a bustling market where local women trade textiles, jewellery and daily goods.

We continue to a Kalamkari workshop to watch this rare hand-painted textile art in progress, before ending our day at the lively, women-led stalls of Law Garden night market, Ahmedabad’s favourite spot for an evening browse.

DAY 3 | JAIN TEMPLE & THE KITE FESTIVAL

This morning, we begin at the intricately carved Hatheesing Jain Temple, dedicated to the 15th Tirthankar and considered one of Gujarat’s finest examples of Jain architecture, then continue to Gandhi Ashram, the peaceful riverside base from which the independence movement was led and where women played a central role in the spinning and self-sufficiency movement.

At Adalaj Stepwell we explore an ornate five-storey water source that doubled as a social gathering place for women, its cool stone corridors a welcome escape from the Gujarat sun.

Later, we join a local family to experience the joy of Uttarayan, India’s beloved kite festival, a celebration shared across generations that fills the skies above Ahmedabad with colour.

DAY 4 | AHMEDABAD – GIR | WOODS AT SASAN | 2 NIGHTS

We transfer to the airport for our flight to Diu, then continue by road to Sasan Gir, the last remaining wild habitat of the Asiatic lion. It’s a journey that marks the shift from urban Gujarat to rural landscapes shaped by agriculture, forest and village life, and the evening is ours to settle in and enjoy the surroundings.

Accommodation: Woods at Sasan– 2 nights including breakfast & dinner

DAY 5 | GIR NATIONAL PARK SAFARIS

This morning head into Gir National Park for morning and afternoon game drives across this vast dry forest, the last refuge of the Asiatic lion and the only place on earth where lions still roam wild outside Africa. Our naturalist guides us through a landscape of teak and dry deciduous forest, tracking pug marks and calls that might reveal a pride at rest.

Along the way we may also spot leopard, sambar, chital, nilgai and hyena, alongside an impressive variety of birdlife, across this 1,450 square-kilometre protected ecosystem that has brought the Asiatic lion back from the edge of extinction.

DAY 6 | GIR – GONDAL | ORCHARD PALACE | 1 NIGHT

We enjoy a final morning safari before travelling to Gondal via Junagadh, stopping to visit Uparkot Fort, one of India’s oldest surviving fortifications, the Ashokan Edicts offering insight into early Buddhist philosophy, and the ornate Mahabat Maqbara, known for its intricate Indo-Islamic design.

Arriving in Gondal, we explore Navlakha Palace, where royal life once unfolded, including the private quarters and collections that offer a glimpse into the lives of both rulers and those within the palace household, before settling in for the night at Orchard Palace.

Accommodation: Orchard Palace – 1 night including breakfast

DAY 7 | GONDAL – BHUJ | KUTCH SAFARI RESORT | 4 NIGHTS

Bhuj awaits our arrival today, the cultural gateway to the Kutch region, known for its craft traditions and desert landscapes. Along the way, we visit the royal cenotaphs honouring former rulers, Prag Mahal, reflecting a distinctly European architectural influence, and the Kutch Museum, home to textiles, artefacts and regional history, much of which reflects domestic life and craftsmanship traditionally led by women.

In the evening, we visit the Swaminarayan Temple, where intricate architecture and the rhythm of evening prayers offer a glimpse into local spiritual life, before settling into our cottages at Kutch Safari Resort for four nights.

Accommodation: Kutch Safari Resort – 4 nights including breakfast

DAY 8 | ARTISAN WORKSHOPS OF KUTCH

A day of exploration awaits in the creative heart of Kutch, and we will investigate artisan workshops, contemporary design spaces and local villages. From tie-dye and Ajrakh printing to rural settlements, it’s a day that blends craftsmanship with culture, landscape and daily life, much of it spent alongside the women preserving these techniques through the generations.

DAY 9 | TEXTILE VILLAGES & THE LIVING & LEARNING DESIGN CENTRE

We explore the creative and cultural layers of the Kutch region, beginning with a traditional tie-dye workshop to understand this intricate, centuries-old technique, often practised within family homes. We continue to the Living & Learning Design Centre, a museum, research and education space set up by the Shrujan Trust to preserve and promote Kutch’s textile traditions, many of which are led by women artisans working across the region.

After an Ajrakh block-printing workshop and lunch, we travel through rural landscapes to visit the distinctive villages of Dhaneti and Bhujodi, where embroidery and weaving remain part of everyday life, offering insight into both craft and community.

DAY 10 | KALA RAKSHA & EMBROIDERY

We spend time at Kala Raksha, an organisation dedicated to preserving Kutch’s textile traditions and supporting its artisan communities, taking part in an embroidery workshop for hands-on insight into techniques traditionally practised by women, their patterns reflecting identity, heritage and personal expression. The remainder of the day is ours, at leisure.

DAY 11 | BHUJ – DASADA | RANN RIDERS RESORT | 2 NIGHTS

We journey from Bhuj to Dasada through ever-changing landscapes, from desert plains to cultivated farmland and pastoral settlements. We pass small villages, roadside markets and grazing lands where daily life unfolds, before arriving at the edge of the Little Rann of Kutch, a region whose artisans produce some of the most distinctive, unmistakably Gujarati craft in the country.

Accommodation: Rann Riders Resort – 1 night including breakfast

DAY 12 | LITTLE RANN WILDLIFE SAFARI & THE SALT PANS

Little Rann of Kutch is our destination today, for a wildlife safari in search of the endangered Indian Wild Ass, alongside nilgai, chinkara and birdlife across this vast salt marsh landscape. We visit the salt pans to meet Agariya communities and gain insight into the realities of salt production by hand, including the role women play in this daily labour.

Later we explore surrounding villages where Rabari and Bharwad communities continue pastoral traditions, with embroidery and textile work often created by women as part of daily life, before continuing to a Tangaliya weaving demonstration, where artisans create intricate raised patterns using a 700-year-old technique unique to this region.

DAY 13 | DASADA – POSHINA | DARBARGADH POSHINA | 2 NIGHTS

We travel to Poshina today, via some of Gujarat’s most remarkable heritage sites: the Sun Temple at Modhera, an 11th century architectural masterpiece aligned to the movement of the sun and set around a stepped tank; Rani ki Vav, the UNESCO-listed stepwell at Patan commissioned by Queen Udaymati and renowned for its intricate carvings and symbolic storytelling; and Siddhpur, where the extraordinary, European-influenced mansions of the Bohra merchants line the streets, blending Indian and European architectural styles like nowhere else in India. We arrive in Poshina in the late afternoon.

Accommodation: Arbargadh Poshina – 2 nights including breakfast

DAY 14 | TRIBAL VILLAGES & TERRACOTTA SHRINES

Ambaji Temple is one of Gujarat’s most important pilgrimage sites, dedicated to the goddess Amba, where devotion and ritual form an integral part of daily life. We continue through local markets where tribal women gather in vibrant dress and silver jewellery, offering a window into community life.

Later we explore nearby villages of the Rabari, Bhil and Garasia communities, where fields of terracotta horse shrines, offered to the local goddess, along with craft traditions and pastoral lifestyles, reflect a deep and continuing sense of cultural continuity.

DAY 15 | POSHINA – UDAIPUR | AMET HAVELI | 2 NIGHTS

We travel to Udaipur, one of Rajasthan’s most picturesque cities, known for its lakes, palaces and layered history. In the evening we enjoy a boat ride on Lake Pichola, passing palaces, temples and ghats, including the iconic Lake Palace seemingly afloat on the water.

Accommodation: Amet Haveli – 2 nights including breakfast

DAY 16 | CITY PALACE & FAREWELL

On our penultimate day, we explore Udaipur’s City Palace, the largest palace complex in Rajasthan, offering insight into royal life including private quarters, ceremonial spaces and collections that trace the Mewar dynasty’s long history.

We visit Jagdish Temple, dedicated to Lord Vishnu, before continuing to Saheliyon ki Bari, a garden created for the royal women, complete with fountains, lotus pools and shaded walkways designed for leisure and retreat.

The remainder of the day is at leisure, to wander the lakeside boutiques or simply enjoy Udaipur’s ambience, before we gather this evening for a farewell dinner together.

DAY 17 | DEPART UDAIPUR

After breakfast we’re transferred to the airport for our flight to Bengaluru, connecting on to Sydney, bringing our journey through Gujarat, Kutch and the Aravallis to a close.

Keen for more? This journey dovetails beautifully with Southern India – join us for the Southern India Sojourn

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