The Little Rann of Kutch (LRoK)
The ‘Little’ Rann of Kutch is a 4950 sq. km. saline desert in the Kutch Peninsula of western India that is dominated by vast salt pans, shrubby islands, seasonal nullahs, marshes and rocky hillocks or Dungars of volcanic origin. This unique landscape was originally part of the Arabian Sea. As the land separated from the sea by geological forces, it became a vast, featureless plain encrusted with salt and inundated with water during the monsoon rains.
Walking Safaris
One of the most immersive ways to understand a landscape is to walk. The forested grounds of Rann Riders, with its species of native trees, the wetlands within, the fields around the property, irrigation canals and the lakes dotting the meadows, make for a great walking country. These walks are curated to highlight the smaller bird life, the agricultural practices of the local community, the simple living styles of the farmers and, of course, looking at the smaller lifeforms like butterflies and dragonflies, who in their way, contribute to this ecosystem. Walking the ‘’Rann ki Kaanti’’ or the edge of the Rann on one of the scrub islands is also a possibility that can be organised by our team.
Night walks within the property are also organised for those keen on walking under the stars in search of owls, civets, bats, porcupines and small carnivores like foxes and jungle cats.
Village Safaris
Village safaris by Rann Riders are designed to give you an opportunity to engage with the communities, observe their unique weaving practices and explore the handicrafts of the region. One of the highlights of our village visits is listening to the stories of Sarfaraz Malik in his house at Dasada. A member of the old jagirdars of Dasada, he is a fascinating repository of knowledge about every aspect of the Rann – from history to natural history with a particular interest in the raptors of the region, having himself been an expert falconer.
Wandering on foot and by vehicle, we explore the traditional arts and crafts of the local communities. The weaves of the Kharapat Rabari women using herringbone stitches interspersed with small mirrors & occasional chain stitches for peacocks and other motifs. At their houses, you can see delicate embroidery on dowry sacks, a set of eight wall decorations including toran, chakla & pardo, horn coverings for their cattle and covers for their bullocks, chaniya-choli-odhni A set of skirt-blouse-and-veil) & heirloom pieces. The Mirs of Dasada works with beads to create braids, tassels, and necklaces. Mir women have begun to make beaded bangles commercially, too, that they sell in their houses and at the lodge.
A unique weave of this region is the Tangalio. Weavers are adept at adding extra knots on the weft, which create motifs & figures in a dotted pattern on the woven fabric. Using this technique, artisans weave shawls, stoles & garments.
Taking in the ‘Little’ Rann
The Rann is a place that needs time, patience and keen observation to reveal itself fully. A walk through the shrub islands, a slow purposeful drive across the flats, climbing up one of the dungars or a conversation over chai with the herders and salt workers, can all be fruitful exercises in piecing together the puzzle that is the Little Rann of Kutch.
Dining Experiences
At Rann Riders, we do not restrict our experiences to safaris. When booked in advance, our guests have the option of dining in the great outdoors. Breakfast and dinners can be organised among pristine riverside embankments and the flats of Rann. A simple yet beautiful setup is created temporarily for guests to take in the beauty of this landscape over a well-thought-out meal. Dinners under the stars or in moonlight or breakfasts basking in the morning sun at the edge of the Rann can genuinely transform the meaning of outdoor dining. These experiences are always coupled with a guided walk, safari, or a night safari to create the complete wilderness experience.
Customised Tours
Horse and Cycling Safaris
Rann Riders has several indigenous breeds of horses, including prize-winning Kathiawadi and Marwari mares. The main attraction of our non-motor safaris is the joy of riding excellent and well-trained horses or cycling through open country, rich in wildlife and cultural attractions. The riding routes can be according to your choice – quietly walking and trotting in the countryside, galloping across open desert plains, watching birds and wildlife from horseback in the Little Rann of Kutch, or visiting villages off the main road.
Non-riders and non-cyclists who are traveling with the group can travel in safari vehicles, joining the safari participants for meals or at their resting spots.
Camel Safaris
Safaris on camel carts can be organised both for village visits and among the salt flats.
Off-roading Experiences
For off-roading enthusiasts, the vastness of the Rann and the surrounding ravines and rocks make for excellent rally country. Off-roading trips can be organised from Rann Riders going well into the Rann and beyond. Setting up mobile camps to assist with the same adds to the outdoor experience and opens up new areas and other lands into the ambit of this expedition.
Curated Workshops
The space near the pool has been set aside solely for curated experiences in workshops conducted by experts. Yoga, meditation, local weaving arts and crafts led by the Mir women, pottery, culinary arts, and even workshops focussed on wellness and ayurveda are organised on a regular basis. These, and many other workshops, can be organised on request if booked in advance.
Experiences alongside local festivals
Some many festivals and fairs occur seasonally in the vicinity of Rann Riders. The best known of Gujarat’s fairs is held at the historic shrine of Tarnetar (Trineteshwar), a holy site locally believed to have been the original course of river Ganga. Ravechi Mela is one of the most important fairs for the Rabari community of Kutch. The fair occurs at the Ravechi Mata temple, where the people of Kutch can be seen at their colourful best. The 11th-century Sun Temple at Modhera is the backdrop for a classical dance festival in winter. The temple is beautifully illuminated, leading performers and troupes from different parts of India to perform. Contact us to learn more about seasonal festivals.
Day Trips to nearby sites and hotspots
Nalsarover Bird Sanctuary
Rann Riders is 44 km from Nalsarovar Bird Sanctuary. At 120 sq km, it is the largest wetland bird sanctuary in India and the only Ramsar Site in Gujarat. One can explore the wetlands by boat and also drive around to various grassland hotspots around the swamp.
Architectural sites around Dasada
Guided day trips or half-day trips to the Modera Sun temple, the historic town of Ahilwada Patan – the 8th-14th century capital of the region, Munsar tank with its intricately carved temples and the 12th-century Jain temple at Sankeshwar. Visits to other sites can also be organised on request.
Dholavira
Day trips to explore the Harrappan site at Dholavira set among the largest island in the Rann, Khadir Bet, can be coupled with a cross-country safari drive across the Rann, making the drive and the overall experience all the more exciting.
The Little Rann of Kutch (LRoK)
The ‘Little’ Rann of Kutch is a 4950 sq. km. saline desert in the Kutch Peninsula of western India that is dominated by vast salt pans, shrubby islands, seasonal nullahs, marshes and rocky hillocks or Dungars of volcanic origin. This unique landscape was originally part of the Arabian Sea. As the land separated from the sea by geological forces, it became a vast, featureless plain encrusted with salt and inundated with water during the monsoon rains.
Walking Safaris
One of the most immersive ways to understand a landscape is to walk. The forested grounds of Rann Riders, with its species of native trees, the wetlands within, the fields around the property, irrigation canals and the lakes dotting the meadows, make for a great walking country. These walks are curated to highlight the smaller bird life, the agricultural practices of the local community, the simple living styles of the farmers and, of course, looking at the smaller lifeforms like butterflies and dragonflies, who in their way, contribute to this ecosystem. Walking the ‘’Rann ki Kaanti’’ or the edge of the Rann on one of the scrub islands is also a possibility that can be organised by our team.
Night walks within the property are also organised for those keen on walking under the stars in search of owls, civets, bats, porcupines and small carnivores like foxes and jungle cats.
Village Safaris
Village safaris by Rann Riders are designed to give you an opportunity to engage with the communities, observe their unique weaving practices and explore the handicrafts of the region. One of the highlights of our village visits is listening to the stories of Sarfaraz Malik in his house at Dasada. A member of the old jagirdars of Dasada, he is a fascinating repository of knowledge about every aspect of the Rann – from history to natural history with a particular interest in the raptors of the region, having himself been an expert falconer.
Wandering on foot and by vehicle, we explore the traditional arts and crafts of the local communities. The weaves of the Kharapat Rabari women using herringbone stitches interspersed with small mirrors & occasional chain stitches for peacocks and other motifs. At their houses, you can see delicate embroidery on dowry sacks, a set of eight wall decorations including toran, chakla & pardo, horn coverings for their cattle and covers for their bullocks, chaniya-choli-odhni A set of skirt-blouse-and-veil) & heirloom pieces. The Mirs of Dasada works with beads to create braids, tassels, and necklaces. Mir women have begun to make beaded bangles commercially, too, that they sell in their houses and at the lodge.
A unique weave of this region is the Tangalio. Weavers are adept at adding extra knots on the weft, which create motifs & figures in a dotted pattern on the woven fabric. Using this technique, artisans weave shawls, stoles & garments.
Taking in the ‘Little’ Rann
The Rann is a place that needs time, patience and keen observation to reveal itself fully. A walk through the shrub islands, a slow purposeful drive across the flats, climbing up one of the dungars or a conversation over chai with the herders and salt workers, can all be fruitful exercises in piecing together the puzzle that is the Little Rann of Kutch.
Dining Experiences
At Rann Riders, we do not restrict our experiences to safaris. When booked in advance, our guests have the option of dining in the great outdoors. Breakfast and dinners can be organised among pristine riverside embankments and the flats of Rann. A simple yet beautiful setup is created temporarily for guests to take in the beauty of this landscape over a well-thought-out meal. Dinners under the stars or in moonlight or breakfasts basking in the morning sun at the edge of the Rann can genuinely transform the meaning of outdoor dining. These experiences are always coupled with a guided walk, safari, or a night safari to create the complete wilderness experience.
Customised Tours
Horse and Cycling Safaris
Rann Riders has several indigenous breeds of horses, including prize-winning Kathiawadi and Marwari mares. The main attraction of our non-motor safaris is the joy of riding excellent and well-trained horses or cycling through open country, rich in wildlife and cultural attractions. The riding routes can be according to your choice – quietly walking and trotting in the countryside, galloping across open desert plains, watching birds and wildlife from horseback in the Little Rann of Kutch, or visiting villages off the main road.
Non-riders and non-cyclists who are traveling with the group can travel in safari vehicles, joining the safari participants for meals or at their resting spots.
Camel Safaris
Safaris on camel carts can be organised both for village visits and among the salt flats.
Off-roading Experiences
For off-roading enthusiasts, the vastness of the Rann and the surrounding ravines and rocks make for excellent rally country. Off-roading trips can be organised from Rann Riders going well into the Rann and beyond. Setting up mobile camps to assist with the same adds to the outdoor experience and opens up new areas and other lands into the ambit of this expedition.
Curated Workshops
The space near the pool has been set aside solely for curated experiences in workshops conducted by experts. Yoga, meditation, local weaving arts and crafts led by the Mir women, pottery, culinary arts, and even workshops focussed on wellness and ayurveda are organised on a regular basis. These, and many other workshops, can be organised on request if booked in advance.
Experiences alongside local festivals
Some many festivals and fairs occur seasonally in the vicinity of Rann Riders. The best known of Gujarat’s fairs is held at the historic shrine of Tarnetar (Trineteshwar), a holy site locally believed to have been the original course of river Ganga. Ravechi Mela is one of the most important fairs for the Rabari community of Kutch. The fair occurs at the Ravechi Mata temple, where the people of Kutch can be seen at their colourful best. The 11th-century Sun Temple at Modhera is the backdrop for a classical dance festival in winter. The temple is beautifully illuminated, leading performers and troupes from different parts of India to perform. Contact us to learn more about seasonal festivals.
Day Trips to nearby sites and hotspots
Rann Riders is 44 km from Nalsarovar Bird Sanctuary. At 120 sq km, it is the largest wetland bird sanctuary in India and the only Ramsar Site in Gujarat. One can explore the wetlands by boat and also drive around to various grassland hotspots around the swamp.
Guided day trips or half-day trips to the Modera Sun temple, the historic town of Ahilwada Patan – the 8th-14th century capital of the region, Munsar tank with its intricately carved temples and the 12th-century Jain temple at Sankeshwar. Visits to other sites can also be organised on request.
Day trips to explore the Harrappan site at Dholavira set among the largest island in the Rann, Khadir Bet, can be coupled with a cross-country safari drive across the Rann, making the drive and the overall experience all the more exciting.