Little Rann of Kutch

Gujarat

Overview - Little Rann of Kutch

A vast expanse of around 5000 sq km of arid and muddy salt-flats, inland from the Gulf of Kutch lies the Little Rann of Kutch – part of a geographical landscape which over 66 million years ago was a part of the Arabian Sea.

It gets its name as it is a southern extension of the larger salt marsh which is the Greater Rann of Kutch, however the protected areas of the Little Rann of Kutch are ecological hotspots and extremely fuitful for bird watching in India.

The Little Rann of Kutch until many centuries ago had large tracts of estuarine saline water, however over time through excessive silting by its seasonal rivers caused as a result of tectonic movements, it now lies as a semi-barren and unique ecological landscape which floods briefly during the monsoons and transforms itself into a marshland in which the resident and migratory bird species revel.

There are around 300 bird species recorded here, 42 species of mammals including the endemic Indian Wild Ass (Equus hemionus khur)which can be found in the area of Dasada.

Best Time to Visit Little Rann of Kutch

The months of November-February is ideal, when there is water collected on the mud-flats and the carpet of green present there provide food sources themselves and in the form of insects, molluscs, zooplankton and fish for the birds which in effect attracts the raptors to the area.
It is also the breeding season of the Indian Wild ass from October- December and one can see them in groups and contrasting with the backdrop of water in this vastly exposed land, makes for a great photographic tour.
Little Rann of Kutch is the largest breeding ground of the Lesser Flamingo in India and one can see tens of thousands of them flocked together with a sea of pink amongst the lakes that form here, providing beautiful spectacles of their courtship behaviour during the monsoon. Although the park is closed during the monsoon from June to August.
The summers are quite extreme with temperatures reaching 50 °C making it quite difficult to step out.

Highlight Species - Little Rann of Kutch

Types of Safaris - Little Rann of Kutch

Jeep Safaris : The safaris are in a Jeep, from dawn to dusk.

How to reach Little Rann of Kutch

By Air : Approximately a 03 hour drive from airports at Ahmedabad & Rajkot, well connected by flight from metropolitan cities such as New Delhi & Mumbai.