We take the entire range of Volkswagen’s India 2.0 cars to the Rann of Kutch and set a national record with the Virtus GT in the process. We’ve been to the Rann of Kutch more times than I can remember, but I had never seen it like this. Strong winds had whipped up a dust storm, making it impossible to leave the safe confines of the car. We tried to get out — pushed the doors open only to be welcomed by a gale that was tearing at our clothes, blowing hats into the wind and wreaking havoc on our gear by getting that fine dust everywhere. Visibility was close to zero.

We take the Kia Seltos on a roadtrip to the Rann of Kutch for India’s only live wildlife photography contest A cloud of dust. Spinning the car around in circles, I had lost track of which direction I was pointing in. A moment later pieces of dry, uprooted earth had settled on the windshield. I drove the car a little further to escape the cloud and in the process cleared the windshield of the debris.

We took the mighty G on an epic road trip from our base in Pune to the Rann of Kutch. Your mind plays tricks on you. Out here, on the seemingly infinite flats of the Rann of Kutch, there is no telling how imposing the G-Class really is. The Rann dwarfs it, but then again, the 5000 square km of nothingness that makes up the Little Rann could make an Antonov look like a Cessna.

We take the capable Toyota Fortuner to explore the little Rann of Kutch like we’ve never done before, courtesy some friendly Gujarati villagers, of course. When you desire to break free from your humdrum routine, deserts don’t generally make it to your ‘places to visit this summer’ bucketlist. The Rann of Kutch however, is a completely different story. It’s a salt marsh of the Thar Desert in the Kutch district of Gujarat which is made of a very peculiar surface.

There is the first Ferrari 488 Pista in India, and we decided the Rann of Kutch would make for a great backdrop to drive it in. It was deathly silent all around us, except for the wind whipping at our t-shirts and hats. We were waiting in anticipation. The Ferrari 488 Pista, resplendent in Rosso Corsa with a black and yellow racing stripe down the centre is just sitting there, the morning sunlight glinting off its smooth surfaces.

The view through the windshield of the Land Rover Discovery Sport I’m in, is staggering. I have never seen anything like it before. It stretches on beyond the limits of vision and it is flat.

14 years after discovering the Rann, editor Sirish Chandran returns in an SUV that put him on the map - the Tata Safari Storme. There used to be a time when I had a lot of time. Not that I’m complaining, but sometimes I look back at those days wistfully, when the entire office – and I mean every single person apart from the two editors – went off on a week long travel story with not a worry in the world. After all, back when I started writing about cars and bikes, there really weren’t that many cars and bikes to test and write about.

The little Rann of Kutch is not so little. To the untrained eye and to someone standing somewhere in the middle of its 5000 square kilometres of vastness, it appears as flat as a witch’s tit. But, if you know the Rann like Uzair Kasbati does, you’ll know that there are 74 elevated plateaus on the Rann. If you know the Rann like he does, you’ll know that it is these grassy plateaus that serve as home for hundreds of the Rann’s inhabitants and no, they are not human. The numerous species and one in particular is what we are here for today.

There is a room called anechoic chamber at Orfield laboratories in South Minneapolis that holds the Guinness record for being the quietest place on earth. It is 99.9 per cent sound absorbing and the longest anyone has ever lasted in there with their sanity intact is 45 minutes. Abstract isn’t it? The thought of silence being maddening. I thought so too; thought being the operative word. Find yourself in the desert in the dead of the night and things change.

Four Taiguns, the western land border, and an epic record-setting drive that straddles the past and the present. We’re starting in the middle of nowhere. Or so I thought. The Tanot Mata temple is deep inside Rajasthan, a mere 20km from the Indo-Pak border. I expected it to be desolate. After all, the closest large-ish town was Jaisalmer some 150km away and we were here before dawn broke.

The Volkswagen Taigun set a new national record for the longest drive along India’s border roads. At sundown on August 22, 2022, the Volkswagen Taigun set a new national record for the longest drive along the western border. The four Volkswagen Taigun SUVs which attempted the record run covered a distance of 579km driving along India’s western border, with this record run being the first of its kind, testing the ruggedness and the suitability of the SUV in India’s harshest conditions.

We needed a very capable support vehicle while we shot the Ferrari 488 Pista in the Rann, and the Mercedes-Benz V-Class was the perfect error. Snoring. That’s all I could hear from the backseat of the Mercedes-Benz V-Class. We were probably 50km in to our 800km journey to the Rann of Kutch and Rohit was out cold. I don’t blame him, though. He had kicked his legs up onto the seats facing him, reclined his captain seat a fair way behind and was probably hitting it off with Radhika Apte somewhere in the depths of his unconscious slumber.

Sunrise. As that celestial burning ball of gas we call the sun, pokes its head over the horizon, it bathes the land in its warm embrace. Those first rays are always the most comforting — the ones that pierce the tendrils of darkness that spread through the night. Darkness retreats as the sun claims its rightful place in the sky. A sunrise on a good day is quite the spectacle — the golden glow on the horizon along with the smattering of a few stray clouds in the sky — it can become a heady concoction of colours that constantly shifts and adjusts itself, each frame more spectacular than the last.

The sanctuary offers in an open jeep to its visitors. The Rann Riders Resort in Dasada (Muzahid Malik at +919879786006) and the Royal Safari Camp in Bajana (+919925200657) also organizes safaris to the Sanctuary.

Rann Riders, Kutch The closest to the Little Rann of Kutch, this 25-room hotel was built to resemble the villages that surround it, with thatched bhungas — or round houses — serving as accommodation.

The new additions to its community of 100 owner-led, sustainable luxury hospitality brands include Blue Book at Gethia in Kumaon, Uttarakhand, Camp Kooncha in Sariska, Rajasthan, Cranganor History Café & ...

The new additions to the RARE community of 100 owner-led, sustainable-luxury, small and boutique hospitality brands include Blue Book at Gethia in Kumaon (Uttarakhand), Camp Kooncha in Sariska (Rajasthan), ...

This resort in the Little Rann of Kutch is set in the middle of agricultural lands and wetlands. The cottages on site are based on local designs suited to the desert climate and look pretty great too. It’s right on the edge of the Rann ...

My father runs a resort, Rann Riders. For the first two years, I used to travel to Delhi for training but now my family has built an Olympic-level shooting range at Dasada, where I train. My coach comes every month to train me,” he added.

Homegrown e-commerce marketplace Flipkart on Tuesday announced that it has forayed into the hospitality sector with the launch of a new hotel-booking feature -- Flipkart Hotels -- on its platform to bolster its offerings in the travel sector.

If you want to enjoy a horse safari and also modern stay intertwined with local culture, ambience and food, you should visit Rann Riders in Dasada which is on the edge of Little Rann of Kutch.

While we were still listening to the guides’ stories, we heard loud drumming beats and were informed that we had arrived at our pit-stop, the Rann Riders Dasada resort.

To make your experience better, Rann Riders is an eco friendly resort located in Dasada that offers accommodation, and a plethora of activities like camel and jeep safaris, horseback riding, and visits to nearby villages.

The group's hotels in the state are Balaram Palace Resorts at Palanpur, Old Bell Guest House in Rajkot, Rann Riders near Surendranagar, Royal Oasis in Bankaner, Garden Palace in Bala Sinor and Prembhai Palace at Chhotaudaipur, near Vadodara.

With growing tourist interest in the geologically interesting and wildlife-rich region of the Little Rann, there is now a good choice of accommodations at villages in the 30 km radius of the sanctuary. We booked our room at Rann Riders, which is an imaginatively designed ethnic-theme resort, made using local materials, near the village of Dasada.

Horse riding is an interesting way to explore the area. Muzahid Malik, the owner of Ran Riders, has several horses on his property, including local breeds like Marwari and Kathiawadi. These breeds are known to have great stamina to withstand the hot weather and the shortage of water in the area. While short rides and day trips can be organised, Muzahid recommends a two- or three-day trip filled with long rides through the Rann, bird watching near the lake, galloping to nearby villages and camping at night. Muzahid is open to training new riders and doing an easy route but says that visitors should ideally have a little riding experience to take full advantage of all the activities on the trip.

The plan is to drive to the Rann Riders Eco Resort in Dasada, 100km away, spend the night there and head into the Little Rann of Kutch in the morning for some spectacular photo-ops. After that, head towards Dholavira, 246km away, to the site of the ancient Harappan civilisation through the inner roads of Gujarat.

Luxurious Rann Riders, near Dasada, offers accommodation in mirror-pattern-studded bhungas (circular huts) or koobas (square huts) with rain showers and mosaic-tiled outdoor bathrooms, surrounded by lush gardens with a swimming pool. The price includes excellent 4WD and camel safaris. Horseback safaris cost ₹3500 for two hours; visits to nearby tribal villages can also be arranged.

Rann Riders Located near the village of Dasada, Rann Riders is an eco resort providing guests with charming cottages fixed with modern amenities that mirror the artistry of the Bajania community of Dasada and the Rabaris of Kutch. It offers guests an array of interesting amenities such as camel cart, jeep and horse safaris, which combine cross country riding with tracking animals and meeting locals in villages.