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The Great Rann of Kutch is a salt marsh located in the White Thar Desert of Gujarat. Inundated with water most of the year, this area becomes a dry landscape in winter. The desert consists of blinding white salt. It was one of the rare places in India where there was hardly anybody. That’s quite a feat in a country with almost one billion people!
The only other people visiting were a few Indians including a small group of school children. Their brightly-colored outfits enhanced the desolate desert landscape.
This was one of the highlights of my trip. The peacefulness of the White Thar Desert was a welcoming respite from the chaos India is known for. Its vastness reminded me of how small I was in this big world.
The only noise in the desert was when my feet crushed the salt I walked upon. The salt reminded me of crushed snow that had fallen during the many winters I spent in Canada.
The best way to get to The Great Rann of Kutch is to hire a private driver. It takes about 2 hours from the city of Bhuj located in the state of Gujarat. I don't suggest you hire a tuk-tuk. It might be cheaper but the ride be painfully slow and very uncomfortable. Remember to bring a scarf or a hat to shield you from the sun. It gets very, very hot and there's no shade anywhere.
The White Thar Desert is heavily guarded because of its proximity to Pakistan. For this reason, you need a special permit to enter this area so don't forget your passport. Your driver should know this and will stop at the small post located on the main road to obtain the permit from officials.
READ MORE ON INDIA:
- A Celebration at the Border of India and Pakistan
- On Not Falling in Love With the Taj Mahal
- The Slums of Dharavai: A Highlight of my Trip in India
- Cruising Along the Backwaters of Alleppey in Kerala
- The Holy City of Varanasi: Where Life Returns to Ashes
- Visiting Shri Karni Mata: The Rat Temple of Deshnoke
TRAVEL RESOURCES:
- Verify visa requirements for India on the official website
- Book flights to India via Skyscanner
- Compare hotel prices in India on Booking.com & Agoda
- Check hostel prices on HostelWorld
- Stay connected using an Airalo E-sim for India
- Search for tours & excursions in India
- Shop for affordable travel insurance with SafetWing
- Save on conversion fees while traveling with Wise
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I’m the founder and creator of Life Untraveled. I quit my corporate job, sold everything I owned and have been traveling full-time since 2018. I hope to inspire you to travel differently on a budget.
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29 Responses
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Megan Claire
Thanks for sharing and introducing me to this stunning destination – I had never heard of the white salt desert of the Great Rann of Kutch, but am so glad I have now! Reminds me of the salt flats of Bolivia, but much closer to me here in Aus 🙂
Swati Sammie
Looks beautiful.. I have heard and read so many things about Kutch and the Rann Utsav festival that have been trying to visit the place for so long now. But for some or the other reasons the plans keep on getting postponed. Keeping finger crossed to visit in Jan.
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Hi Stephanie! I had read about it online and immediately knew I had to go. 🙂
Eric Bravo
Never heard the the Great Rann Kutch before, but glad I came across this! Looks amazing! I kind of want to see how it looks inundated with water. Thanks for sharing!
Live Learn Venture
Wow — this really looks and sounds beautiful. It sounds like it’s not so touristy at all — which I love. I also love the photo of the camel, too cute!
Claire Summers
Love this post! Your words have really brought it to life for me. I never imagined somewhere like this existed in India. Yours it one of about 10 posts on India I have read this week…I feel like the universe is telling me I need to visit India. I’m a yogi so its somewhere I dream of going to study anyway.
TalesOfABackpacker
The other comments are right, it looks just like the salt flats in Bolivia – I suppose that’s what happens when the water dries to leave a salt desert! It sounds much hotter than Bolivia though, it was still bitterly cold there even during the day! This would be a wonderful place to visit, I had no idea it existed in India!
Laura Nalin
It’s so key to know the spots that are not very touristy, so I’m glad you included some of that information in this post. I’m loving the photos and I thought this was Bolivia at first (I always skim through photos first before reading) so I was intrigued to learn it wasn’t the salt flats!
Alyssa Ramos MyLifesAMovie.com
This is a really incredible post Lydia! I like how you mention that it’s a rare place with hardly any people – I traveled for a month in India and definitely know that that’s a rarity! I know a couple other’s have said this, but it reminds me of the salt flats in Bolivia and Death Valley, CA, which really makes you wonder what the topography of our planet used to look like! Thanks for the great post!
Kassie- The Fly Away Life
How cool! I had no idea that some place like this existed in India. It reminds me a lot of the salt flats in Bolivia but on a smaller scale. Thanks for the great tips! I would love to visit one day.
Adventuroustrails
Awesome post! I love visiting places where tourists don’t happen to go very often. Love your helpful tips about the scarf, passport and transport to get there. Love the photos too! Wouldn’t mind visiting myself one day!
Smidge
It looks so peaceful! I love the colours of india – I’m really not sure I could cope with all the people. I’m used to no one!
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Then the White Thar Desert is for you! 😉
Sasha
Oh man, why did I not visit this place?! Looks incredible! I really love the photo at the end of you walking with your posse of followers haha.
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lol…..I didn’t think of it as my posse but it does look like that!
Leah Shoup
Wow! I love hearing about times when people get to go to areas that not many tourists go. Your vibrant shots are stunning 🙂 I’m inspired to head to the desert myself.
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This was one of the places I really wanted to go to and it was worth it!
Katie @ CreativeTravelGuide
Exploring the vast and empty deserts sounds oddly peaceful. Plus you have got some great shots from your trip – adding onto the bucket list!
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It’s hard to think of anywhere in India as being peaceful but this was one of those places – it did feel quite strange!
Stacey Gilkes
Oh wow this is amazing. Your pics are so cool. I especially love the shot of the camel in the bright colors. What an epic trip
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It was! This was one of my favorite things while traveling in India especially because it was so peaceful.
Natasha Welch
I’m thinking of visiting Thar Desert in India this christmas! Though we will probably go from Jaisalmer on a camel. I love your photos here, super simple and beautiful. Gonna have a little stalk at the rest of your India posts now, getting super pumped for my trip hehe
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Hello stalker! 😉
So glad you’re bingeing on my India travels! Most people head to Jaisalmer for a camel safari but the White Thar Desert was just so different and peaceful with no one around. It’s a bit out of the way of the usual circuit though but I really wanted to go (we had almost 2 months so we could afford a few detours).