7 Days Gujarat Tour Itinerary: A Day-by-Day Saurashtra Plan

Your 7 Days Gujarat Tour Itinerary in Brief

Seven days is the sweet spot for Gujarat's Saurashtra circuit: enough time to cover the great temples of Dwarka and Somnath, add a Gir lion safari and still travel at a human pace. I am Harsh Rawat, born in Dwarka and guiding this route for more than 8 years and this is the itinerary I plan most often for guests on the Somnath Dwarka Tour Package. It starts and ends at Ahmedabad, the main gateway and loops through the coast and the forest.

Here is the seven-day shape at a glance, followed by the full day-by-day plan and my practical tips.

Day 1: Ahmedabad to Dwarka

Begin at Ahmedabad, the main entry point for Gujarat by air and rail and travel west to Dwarka. It is a long drive or a train journey, so most of the day is spent in transit, arriving in Dwarka by evening. If you can, reach in time for the evening aarti at the Dwarkadhish temple, one of the most moving experiences of the whole trip. Our guide on how to reach Dwarka lays out the air, rail and road options for this first leg.

Day 2: Dwarka, Nageshwar and Bet Dwarka

Give this full day to Dwarka and its surroundings. Start with morning darshan at the Dwarkadhish temple, then drive out to the Nageshwar Jyotirlinga and continue to Okha to cross by ferry or bridge to the island of Bet Dwarka, where Krishna is believed to have lived. Our complete Bet Dwarka guide covers the island, its temple and the Sudarshan Setu. Return to Dwarka by evening.

Day 3: Dwarka to Porbandar to Somnath

Travel down the coast towards Somnath, breaking the journey at Porbandar, the birthplace of Mahatma Gandhi. Visit Kirti Mandir, the memorial at his family home and stretch your legs on the coast before continuing to Somnath. Arrive by evening and settle in near the temple, ready for a full day at the Jyotirlinga tomorrow.

Day 4: Somnath

Devote the day to Somnath, the first of the twelve Jyotirlingas. Take a morning darshan, explore the temple complex on the shore and visit the nearby Triveni Sangam, the sacred confluence and the Bhalka Tirth associated with Lord Krishna. In the evening, do not miss the light and sound show at the temple, which tells the story of Somnath's destruction and rebuilding against the backdrop of the floodlit shrine.

Day 5: Somnath to Gir (Sasan)

Leave the coast and head inland to Sasan Gir, the only home of the Asiatic lion, a short couple of hours away. Check into a resort near the park gate and spend the evening at leisure, resting for an early safari. This is the shift from pilgrimage to wilderness and it is one of the things that makes this circuit so varied and memorable.

Day 6: Gir National Park Lion Safari

Rise before dawn for the main event: a morning jeep safari into Gir National Park in search of the Asiatic lion, along with deer, antelope, crocodiles and rich birdlife. Book the permit well ahead, especially in winter. Spend the rest of the day at leisure and see our guide to the places to visit in Gir National Park for what else the area offers, from the Devalia zone to the Kamleshwar Dam.

Day 7: Gir to Ahmedabad or Rajkot

On the final day, travel back towards Ahmedabad or Rajkot for your onward journey. If time allows, break the drive at Junagadh to see the Uparkot Fort or the foot of Girnar. Depending on your flight or train, this is a travel day, so plan the departure with a comfortable buffer. The circuit ends having taken you from temple towns to a Portuguese-free wild forest in a single week.

Where to Stay and When to Go

Across this route you will stay in Dwarka, Somnath and near Sasan Gir, with an optional night at Ahmedabad on either end. Our hotels overview helps you plan each base. The best time to run this itinerary is the cool season, roughly October to March, when both the temples and the Gir safari are at their most comfortable. Summer is hot and the Gir core zone closes in the monsoon, so winter is the natural window.

Is 7 Days Enough for a Gujarat Tour?

For the Saurashtra pilgrimage and wildlife circuit, yes, seven days is comfortably enough to cover the headline sights of Dwarka, Somnath and Gir without rushing. If you want to add the Statue of Unity, the white desert of Kutch or the forts of Junagadh in depth, you would need nine or ten days. But for the classic Dwarka to Somnath to Gir loop that most pilgrims come for, a week is the ideal length.

What I Tell Every Guest About the 7-Day Plan

After 8 years and more than fifty thousand travellers, my honest advice is to protect the pace of this itinerary. The temptation is always to cram in one more town, but the beauty of the seven-day circuit is that it breathes. You get a full day at Dwarka, a full day at Somnath and a proper morning safari at Gir, rather than a blur of car journeys. Resist the urge to add Kutch or the Statue of Unity into the same week unless you are willing to extend.

The two things that make or break the trip are booking the Gir safari permit early and timing the long drives sensibly, especially the Dwarka to Somnath coastal leg. Get those right, travel in winter and this becomes one of the most rewarding weeks in India: the first Jyotirlinga, the city of Krishna and the last Asiatic lions, all in seven unhurried days.

Plan Your 7-Day Gujarat Tour