BharatSangraha

Saurashtra · Arid Northwest

How to reach

By air

  • Rajkot International Airport, Hirasar (HSR) — Opened in 2023 about 30 km outside the city, replacing the older in-town airport. The main gateway to the peninsula.
  • Jamnagar Airport (JGA) — For the Halar coast, the marine national park and Dwarka.
  • Bhavnagar Airport (BHU)
  • Porbandar Airport (PBD)
  • Keshod Airport (IXK) — The nearest airfield to Sasan Gir and Junagadh, with limited service.
  • Diu Airport (DIU)

By rail

  • Rajkot Junction (RJT) — The peninsula's main railhead.
  • Bhavnagar Terminus (BVC)
  • Jamnagar (JAM)
  • Junagadh Junction (JND) — For Girnar, and the change point for Sasan Gir and Veraval.
  • Veraval (VRL) — For Somnath, six kilometres away.
  • Okha (OKHA) — The end of the line, for Dwarka and Bet Dwarka.
  • Surendranagar Junction (SUNR) — For Jhalawad, Tarnetar and the Little Rann. Much of the peninsula's network was metre gauge into the 1990s and was converted line by line, which is why some journeys still take longer than the map suggests.

By road

NH 27 — the spine, entering from the Ahmedabad side and running through Rajkot to Jamnagar, Porbandar and OkhaNH 51 — Bhavnagar to Rajkot across GohilwadThe coastal road linking Bhavnagar, Diu, Somnath, Veraval and PorbandarRajkot–Junagadh–Sasan for the Gir approach

By water

The Ghogha–Hazira roll-on roll-off ferry across the Gulf of Khambhat, which cuts a road journey of several hundred kilometres to a crossing of a few hoursBoats from Okha to Bet Dwarka, now supplemented by the Sudarshan Setu bridge opened in 2024Fishing harbours at Veraval, Mangrol and Porbandar, and the commercial ports at Pipavav and Okha

Getting around

State transport buses reach almost every village, and shared vehicles fill the gaps. The characteristic one is the chhakdo — a three-wheeled rural carrier improvised around a diesel pump engine grafted onto a motorcycle front end, seating far more people than it was designed for. Distances are long and the peninsula is best done with a car; Rajkot to Sasan Gir is about 160 km, Rajkot to Dwarka about 230 km.

How to reach Saurashtra by air, rail, road and water, and how to get around once there. (13)