Chasing Horizons in Saurashtra
It was in early February of 2024 when a friend invited me to his wedding in Saurashtra. I thought this would be the perfect time to plan a ride around Saurashtra. It was beginning to get hot and it would just get worse over the next few weeks. Riding would be very difficult in the next few months as Gujarat gets extremely hot. So I planned a road trip to Dwarka riding through the southern coastline of Gujarat.
This is a rough outline of the route I took.
Vadodara - Bhavnagar - Diu - Dwarka - Ankolvadi - Sasan Gir - Amreli - Vadodara
Day 1. Vadodara to Diu - 1st March 2024
I started at 7 AM and took the highway via Bhavnagar. The roads were in great condition for the most part. There were a few rough patches where construction was in progress. I was hoping for more of a rural country road vibe with this trip but this route was not it. Although I got what I wanted in the latter half of the trip. I took a few small breaks to stretch a little. As I was closing in on Diu via Una, some kids leaving school got all excited and started waving as they saw me go by - this is always fun. I reached Diu at around 1:30 PM.
I stayed at a place called “Dream Vision Guest House”. The property had kind of a backpacker vibe. The room was clean and decently priced. They had indoor parking which is what I always look for. I met some international travellers including a French man called Daniel who has set his home base as Diu as he travels through India. A change of clothes later, I was out on the streets of Diu looking for some food. I noticed a lot of the houses there are in a dilapidated condition and unoccupied. Almost all the shops were closed in the afternoon. It was hard for me to find some good restaurants as well. Diu seemed to be in a bad shape. I still feel the main reason Diu sees tourism is because of Alcohol. Also maybe a little because of the water sports. You can definitely find better beaches on the Gujarat coastline but they might not have as many activities as Diu.
After lunch, as I was strolling through the narrow lanes back to my hotel, I passed a few shops that were open. As I was passing by one of them, the shopkeeper called me in. I just thought it was another pesky salesman and moved on but his tone was very polite so I went back and checked out what he was selling. Turns out he was making bangles by hand in his little shop. I told him since I am travelling alone, I had no use for buying bangles. He’s said that’s cool, asked me to come in and he asked me a bit about my travels and told me a little about his background. It was a nice interaction. I bid him adieu and headed back to the hotel.
After some rest at the hotel, I got on my bike and headed towards Nagoa beach. I had looked up some spots on Google Maps so I left the beach behind and headed to some cliffs overlooking the ocean. I got off the road and headed to the edge of the cliffs. The terrain was rough but the views were amazing. The sun slowly dipped over the horizon as the waves hit against the cliffs. It was a nice secluded spot to just relax. If you decide to go there, be careful where you drive your vehicle as the terrain is really rough and hard. Here a link to this spot - 20°42’00.0”N 70°53’55.8”E. As it got dark, I went back to the hotel, changed and went out for a stroll to find some dinner. I chose to eat at a hotel overlooking the ocean but the food wasn’t up to the mark so I bought some snacks and headed back to the hotel.
Day 2. Diu to Dwarka
I started early in the morning and headed towards Dwarka. The road from Diu to Veraval is a bit rough but after that it’s smooth sailing. Starting from Veraval the roads are amazing. They remind me of coastal towns in Maharashtra or Goa - winding roads that are lined with coconut trees on both sides. From here on the roads kept getting emptier and emptier. Still surrounded by fields on both sides as far as the eyes can see, I was riding almost alone. I reached Madhavpur beach soon. The wind was blowing fiercely. The beach was clean and it was pleasant riding alongside it. As I neared Dwarka more and more wind mills started popping up. The wind kept getting fiercer. I reached Dwarka at around 4 PM, had some lunch and rested for a few minutes. At around 6 PM I headed towards Shivrajpur Beach. It’s one of the few beaches in India that’s blue flag certified. The wind there was fiercer than I had ever felt on this trip. There were a few people there but it wasn’t too crowded. Few vendors were selling snacks and few people were offering camel rides. It’s funny how we only imagine camels in the desert and here they were overlooking the Arabian Sea. Ironically, they were just an ocean away from their habitat. I watched the sunset, got some dinner and called it a night.
Day 3. Dwarka to Gir
It was a little cold in the morning when I started. I felt it more because of the winds. I took the same roads as the day before ahd headed towards my destination. As I inched closer to Gir the terrain started changing. I started crossing small hills through the forests. I even rode alongside a lake which I believe is a reservoir near Umrethi. I think this route after the monsoon would be amazing to ride on. Soon I reached my destination. Since we were in the middle of nowhere, the night sky was clear and filled with stars. It reminded me of the night I spent in Chopta, Uttarkhand a few years ago. The sunsets here were just as good. I stayed there for 2 days while I attended my friend’s wedding. These were two relaxing days with a lot of amazing local food. Now I was well rested for the next part of my journey, going back home.
Day 5. Gir to Vadodara
I started early again in an effort to avoid the afternoon heat. On my way, I came across an interesting village called Jambur. It has been home to members of the African-origin Siddi tribe for centuries now. They have an African appearance and since they’ve been here for a long time, they speak perfect Gujarati. Another thing I noted here was a recurring picture of a man drinking tea. I started noticing this particular picture a few days ago. It was everywhere. A lot of the tea shops in Saurashtra have this same picture on their sign boards. After I got back home I did some digging and found some interesting things about this picture and its origin. I’m writing a dedicated blog post about it and will link it here when done. Here’s the picture in question.
I soon reached Sasan Gir. From here I rode through the Gir National Park towards Visavadar. As it was the start of summer, things had started drying up. This entire stretch has no paved roads. It’s a rough ride but it’s rewarding. The trail is surrounded by trees and a few small lakes along the way. There’s even a train track through there and I did see a train going by. The roads from here were great as well. I saw some desert like terrain and explored it a bit before getting back on the road. This leg of the journey was more of what I was looking for in terms of country roads and small villages. I rode along more fields than I can count and soon, I was back home.
All in all, it was a great trip and I would love to do this again, hopefully sometime after the monsoon. There is much more to explore in Saurashtra!