Nearby Attractions
THE GREAT RANN OF KUTCH
WHITE RANN SALT CRYSTALS DAZZLE LIKE MILLIONS OF DAIMONDS UNDER THE SCRACHING SUN. A seasonal salt marshland situated in the heart of the Thar Desert with Gujarat on one side and Pakistan’s Sind province on the other, the district spans about 7,505.22 square kilometres (2,897.78 sq mt) and is one of the largest salt deserts in the world.
The Great Rann of Kutch, the Little Rann of Kutch and the Banni grasslands at the southern fringe, makes up for some 30,000 square kilometres of white lands, sweeping the Gulf of Kutch at one end, and the seat of the great Indus Valley Civilization on the other, falling in southern Pakistan.
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BANNI BIODIVERSITY
Banni covers an area of 3847 sq km. This area is absolutely flat; the altitude only ranges between 3 metres to 5 metres above sea level. More than two thirds of the area of Banni is high in salinity.
During the fifties, Banni was predominantly grassland, with a very low density of trees and bushes. It was considered one of the largest and finest Asian grasslands. At that time there were more than 40 species of grasses, but nowadays there are just around 15 species, due to the planting of a non indigenous thorny shrub (prosopisjuliflora) by the Forest Department in the Sixties to control the soil salinity.
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Black Hill (KaroDungar)
for the sunset, drive to the “Dattatray Temple” at the top of the karodungar, from where you will have the best top views of the Great Rann.One of the India's biggest Districts & Gujarat's cost district Kutch's capital is Bhuj. There is a village of Khavda exactly 70kms in the northern side of Bhuj, stretched in 229 Sq.meters by the group of hills. Dutt shikhar is having the height of 1460 feets from sea level.
The hills are well known in locals as Kala Dungar or Panchchhamayi. From Khavda, north side 25 km, is the 460m High point called The Black Hills (Kalo Dungar) Great Rann of Kutchh is visible from here. There is an army post, as this place is nearest from Pakistan border.
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CHHARIDHAND
The Chari-Dhand wetland conservation reserve is located on the edge of arid Banni grasslands and the marshy salt flats of the Rann of Kutch in Kutch District, Gujarat State in India. It is currently legally protected under the status as a Protected or Reserve Forest in India. Chari means salt affected and Dhand means shallow wetland, Dhand is a Sindhi word for a shallow saucer shaped depression.
This is a seasonal desert wetland and only gets swampy during a good monsoon, receiving water from the north flowing rivers as well as from the huge catchment areas of many surrounding big hills.
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