Traverse Through the Largest Salt Desert in the World, Kutch

“Desert” – The word conjures up an unmistakable image of an inhospitable place devoid of life, with sand dunes stretching out as far as the eyes can see. We could see that image of the “Desert” evaporate in front of our eyes when we visited The Rann of Kutch (Little & Greater) last year. It evolved into something exponentially resplendent, as we revisited the little Rann of Kutch repeatedly after that.

Explore the Grandness of Kutch

The best time to visit the Wild-ass Sanctuary is from November to February as the biodiversity is at its peak during this time, the terrain is motor-able and the heat is bearable.

We thought it would be interesting to notice the changes in density and variety of wildlife in March and to experience the desert during the summer months.

We left Ahmedabad at 4a.m. (getting up that early is the toughest part) taking the route through Sanand-Viramgam-Malvan and took a sharp right (almost U) turn from Malvan to Bajana, where we picked up our guide and got the permit to enter the Wild-ass Sanctuary.

Indian Wild Ass at Ass Sanctuary, Kutch

We felt at ease on reaching there as the horrifying traffic of the highway had vanished, giving way to trails, bushes and open desert. It was almost 6:45 a.m. when we reached there, thanks to a closed railway crossing that had to be opened after the train that was expected to cross, trickled to a halt, just a few yards from the crossing. We drove a few miles to reach an oasis that was a haven for wildlife, we spotted pelicans (not spotted but rosy pelicans), flamingos, spoonbills, grey herons, a few ducks and waders. By now the water had reduced to a fraction of its size when we visited in winter, and the density and variety of birds had decreased dramatically.

Lesser Flamingo & Ducks

The sandy bumpy trail on which we were rocking gradually turned into a firm bone rattling one. As we took a turn we realized that we were in the middle of a mine field of sand grouses that took off around us as we drove through.

Nilgai in Kutch Desert

Just off the trail we spotted a group of Nilgai being harassed by a small group of stray dogs. Judging from the health of the dogs we could conclude why their wild cousins – the foxes, wolves, hyenas and jackals call this place home, but they were nowhere to be seen as we rattled along, checking out areas of frequent sightings, at times creating a dust storm of our own behind the vehicle.

The Peregrine Falcon is another beautiful raptor that can be found here, and it made a guest appearance, flying past us just as we were talking about it. It had fattened up considerably, which reminded us to have our fill.

Beautiful Peregrine Falcon

We had our lunch at the watch-tower and drove a few miles to stumble upon a small group of blackbucks, on stopping the vehicle we realized that we had paid the price for not driving carefully, no the traffic police was not following us but one of our tyres was punctured and changing it under the desert sun was an unforgettable experience.

We headed straight for Patdi a few miles that seemed like light years in the desert terrain. We took a more civilized tar road back to Bajana, where we rested out the afternoon under a tree, in company of a few locals who chatted away endlessly, while a variety of common birds visited the ‘Parab’ (a small water tank) nearby.

Desert Fox Puppy at Little Run of Kutch

As the mercury dropped to a more tolerable level in the evening we ventured deep into the desert, hoping to get a glimpse of the extremely shy Desert fox. Trucks could be seen carrying salt from the salt mines while people worked endlessly on salt production. Watching all this we could not help but think how one greedy species could claim every bit of land on the planet as its property.

As the sun started to sink towards the horizon we came across a lonely stallion grazing, unfazed by the storm of dust that passed over it. As the dust disappeared we could see that something had appeared behind the Ghudkhar (wild ass in local language) a close look through the viewfinder revealed that it was the desert fox. Driving between the two we could get close to the fox that was quite wary. It was a breathtaking sight to witness this beautiful creature from close quarters as the last rays of sun kissed its fur giving it a surreal appearance.

Indian Crane

We returned back with unforgettable memories. A crane (not the bird) and heaps of salt reminded us once again of how we exploit nature but forget that we depend on it as well.

If we continue to inflict damage to these last pockets (not just this sanctuary) of natural splendor, the holes that we create in these pockets could unknowingly allow the little natural wealth that is left to trickle down until one day when we realize that there is none of it left for us.

Guest Bloggers: Manjeet & Yograj Jadeja....