January 6 to 24, 2024
Bookings for this tour are now closed, but contact me if you are interested in future tours.
The trip is planned for winter in India when the weather is cool and pleasant (from 8 to 23 degrees Celsius). Most of the places we go to are off the beaten track and away from the maddening crowds.
We will stay is a variety of accommodation including heritage hotels, luxury tents, former palaces and traditional dwellings.
There will be a maximum of 6 people on the tour travelling in our own comfortable air-conditioned vehicle, so we can stop at will to take in the sights and experience the wonder that is India at ground level. The landscapes we will pass through include villages, cities, grasslands, vast salt deserts and beaches.
The CLOTH & STONE TOUR takes us to the state of Gujarat, in the western part of India with an area of 196,204 km2, and a coastline of 1,600 km.
The state is bordered by Rajasthan to the north, Maharashtra to the south, Madhya Pradesh to the east, and the Arabian Sea and the Pakistani to the west.
This tour is designed take guests to the source of some of India’s best traditional textiles as well as a variety of architectural styles from ancient cities to more recent palaces and havelis.
Hence the name: The Cloth & Stone Tour.
Cloth and stone are two important elements that map human history.
The first use of textiles, dates back to the late Stone Age, roughly 100,000 years ago. The earliest instances of cotton, silk and linen begin to appear around 5,000 BC in India, Egypt and China. India played an important role in what is now known as The Silk Road – the trade routes between China and the west. Textile traditions have defined cultural identity throughout history, and this process is a living reality in places like Kachchh (Kutch) in Gujarat, where the distinctive styles of textile decoration tell the stories of the communities they come from.
The diversity of Indian culture is represented in its architecture. It is a blend of ancient and varied native traditions, with building types, forms and technologies from West and Central Asia, as well as Europe. On our tour, we visit (and sometimes stay in) a variety of structures including an ancient ruined city, a Parsee courtyard house, wattle and daub bhungas (conical cottages), old city neighbourhoods in a UNESCO World Heritage Listed city, walled cities with elephant-deterring gates, water harvesting architecture, Indo-European palaces, sacred buildings and havelis (mansions).
India is an artist’s paradise, and this tour presents a rare opportunity to see landscapes, animals, villages and people not often visited by tourists, so pack your sketchbooks and cameras!
There will be a wealth of inspiration for students of architecture or anyone interested in making or collecting textiles.
The ITINERARY
Click these links for the TOUR COST, DISCOUNTS and the full list of INCLUSIONS in the tour cost.
Our tour begins and ends in Ahmedabad, the largest city and former capital of the state of Gujarat and hub of India’s textile industry, and our base for several days while we have adventures in and around the city. Whilst there, we will visit the famous Calico Museum of Textiles, take a walking tour of the fascinating old city, enjoy the busy night market at Manek Chowk and dine on local street food, visit a magnificent step-well, indulge in some shopping as well as sampling some of the best Gujarati cuisine.
Transport in the city will be by taxis or auto-ricks. After leaving Ahmedabad, we will travel in a comfortable private vehicle for the remainder of the tour.
Day 1
AHMEDABAD
On arrival in Ahmedabad, you will be picked up at either the railway station or airport by our hotel, depending on how your decide to travel to Ahmedabad.
Depending on what time you arrive and how you are feeling, we may have some local experiences in the city.
Lunch and dinner will be available in the dining room for hungry travellers.
Dinner included.
Day 2
AHMEDABAD
Our Ahmedabad accommodation is a comfortable refurbished haveli (mansion), built in 1923 with modern facilities close to the fascinating beating heart of the old World Heritage listed city.
We will have a leisurely start after the travels of the last few days with breakfast in the dining room at a time that suits you.
We start our day with a visit to the world famous Calico Museum where examples of historic textiles from across India are lovingly kept and attended to by caring staff in a beautiful haveli surrounded by a walled garden.
After lunch, we will visit Sabarmati Ashram on the banks of the Sabarmati River, home to Mohandas Gandhi from 1917 until 1930 and one of the main centres of the Indian freedom struggle. We can also appreciate the architecture of The Gandhi Memorial Museum, designed by renowned Indian architect Charles Correa, a significant landmark located in the Sabarmati Ashram. Completed in 1963, the museum is dedicated to preserving and showcasing the life and legacy of Mahatma Gandhi and houses a rich collection of Gandhi’s personal items, including books, letters, and photographs, and serves as a testimony to his life and ideals.
Time permitting, we may opt to visit the fabulous Art Book Centre. Then back to the hotel for an optional rest before our Welcome Dinner of traditional Gujarati cuisine at one of Ahmedabad’s finest restaurants.
Breakfast (set menu), lunch and dinner included.
Day 3
AHMEDABAD
This morning we visit the wonderful Shreyas Folk Museums where we can see collections of crafts, utensils, domestic items, costumes and ceremonial objects from different communities and tribes in Gujarat, a collection of toys, crafts and objects of performing arts from across India, a gallery of fairs and festivals and a gallery of musical instruments of India and other countries.
We lunch at a local café.
In the afternoon, we visit to one of Ahmedabad’s architectural treasures, the Dada Harir Vav (step well).
Then, for fabric lovers, a visit to Gamthiwalla in the old city – a treasure-trove of hand printed and hand woven fabrics. We dine at the fascinating Manek Chowk night market for some of Gujarat’s best street food.
Breakfast (set menu), lunch and dinner included.
Day 4
AHMEDABAD
The day begins early before the traffic gets too crazy with a guided walking tour through the old city with its wonderfully ornate houses and bird feeders, temples and mosques. Then breakfast at The Green Room – an alfresco dining hall surrounded by greenery.
After breakfast, our comfortable private minibus arrives to take us to our next destination – Sayla, where we stay in an old haveli, once a royal guesthouse, and now a heritage homestay offering the personalised hospitality of the Yuvraj (crown prince) and Yuvrani of Sayla. Much of the day will be spent travelling, with stops along the way to see some more stepwells and any other distraction that comes along.
We will arrive at our next destination, Sayla, in the afternoon, and we can opt to relax and wander about the village or allow our local guide, Motilal to show us around.
Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.
Day 5
SAYLA
Today we have the whole day with Motilal to explore the area and visit families continuing the intricate ikat and endangered tangaliya weaving traditions.
During the day, we also visit some bead weavers and metal workers in nearby villages and maybe some unforeseen adventures.
We will lunch at a dhaba along the way.
Then a restful evening and dinner at the guesthouse.
Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.
Days 6 & 7
DASADA
Today we head off into the Little Rann of Kutch, a 4950 sq. km. saline desert in the Kutch Peninsula that is dominated by vast salt pans, shrubby islands, seasonal nullahs (inlets), marshes and rocky volcanic hillocks. This unique landscape was originally part of the Arabian Sea. As the land separated from the sea by geological forces, it became a vast, featureless plain encrusted with salt and inundated with water during the monsoon rains. The ‘Little Rann’ was declared a protected area to conserve the Gudkhur or the endemic Asiatic wild ass. These beautiful chestnut brown equids roam the vast flatlands in small herds.
Our destination and home for a couple of days is Dasada, where we will stay in a luxury eco-resort whose design harks back to the kooba houses of the Bajania and the bhunga structures of the Rabari shepherds, communities of the area.
Over the two days at this beguiling place, we will be taking a jeep safari of the area to spot birds and wildlife and unwind in the serene landscape. We will also visit some villages in the area and meet the locals.
Breakfast (set menu), lunch and dinner included.
Day 8
BHUJ
Today we travel cross country to Bhuj, taking in more of the spectacular scenery and wildlife, stopping for photo ops or chai along the way.
Arriving in Bhuj, we book into our home for the next few days- a fully restored 150 year-old traditional Parsi ‘courtyard’ house where the descendants of the original owners still live.
There will be time before dinner to stretch our legs taking walks around the area to the bazaar, to a stepwell or the lake.
Our meals here will be home cooked Parsi style cuisine.
Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.
Day 9
BHUJ
After a hearty breakfast in the courtyard kitchen, we head out to visit a world class museum of crafts with a focus on the traditional embroideries of the area. We will also visit a fair trade organisation with some wonderful hand woven textiles and other crafts for sale.
In the late afternoon, we visit an Australian fashion designer who has made Bhuj her home, and uses local textiles to create her India-inspired one of a kind designs.
After a fabulous day of textiles, we head back to our guesthouse more home-cooked goodness and an early night in or a visit to a family of collectors of museum quality textiles – many of them for sale.
Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.
Day 10
BHUJ
Today we are joined by our local guide – the internationally known and award-winning Kuldip.
Under Kuldip’s guidance, we will spend the morning visiting significant sites, meet a weaving family at their home and a village of knife-makers.
Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.
Day 11
MANDVI
Today we head south to the Arabian Ocean coast with Kuldip again providing his expertise and knowledge of the area and the artisans. Our accommodation is a luxury tent on a private beach for a bit of glamping and chill-out time.
From there we have the option to visit a shipyard where wooden ships are made by hand, tour the local village and bazaar, or maybe the Vijay Vilas Palace with its interesting architecture, nestled in 450 acres of lush greenery with marble fountains and its own private sanctuary where one can see blue bulls, jackals and an occasional chinkara (Indian gazelle), peacocks and partridges.
Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.
Day 12
MANDVI & BHUJ
From our beach base, we head off to a nearby village to meet some khumbars (potters) and watch them at work. As we make our way back to Bhuj for two more nights, Kuldip will introduce us to more experiences and adventures.
Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.
Day 13
BHUJ
Today Kuldip takes us to the epicentre of block printing in Kutch where we will meet artisans using different techniques, and we will take part in a block printing workshop, at the end of which you will have a scarf that you printed to take home.
Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.
Days 14 & 15
HODKA
For the next two nights, we are based at a mud built resort in a village. This will be our base to visit more artisans including the acclaimed Kala Raksha organisation – a grassroots social enterprise, dedicated to the preservation of traditional arts and to documenting existing traditions. Our day will include a visit to their museum which houses a collection of heirloom textiles and their shop where there is much temptation to buy the beautiful work made by the local artisans.
We also visit the village of Nirona to see various artisans at work. Hopefully we can work up an appetite to savour some of the best samosas I have ever tasted
Breakfast, lunch and dinner included
Day 16
DHOLAVIRA and PATAN
Today head north to visit the ruins of Dholavira, a city of the ancient Indus Valley civilisation, a UNESCO world heritage site, dating back to 2650 BCE. On the way, we pass through the Great Rann of Kachchh – once a shallow part of the Arabian Sea, until a geological shift closed off the connection with the sea. The region became a seasonal marshy salt desert over the years. During monsoons the region fills up with water and forms a wetland. In the summer the water dries to create a bed of white salty land. Due to the heavy salt deposits it is also known as The White Desert.
After we’ve had a good look at the Dholavira ruins, we head east to Patan, the old capital of Gujarat, established in the ninth century. Time permitting, we will visit some rug weavers on the way.
Breakfast, lunch and dinner included
Day 17
PATAN
We have the whole day in Patan. First, we will visit Rani ki Vav, an intricately constructed stepwell on the banks of the Saraswathi River. The step well, built in the third millennium BC, is a subterranean water resource and storage system and was added to the list of UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites in 2014.
Then we visit the famous Patan Patola Museum where the Salvi family has continued the art of double ikat weaving since the 11th century – approximately 35 generations. We will be treated to an up-close inspection of the weaving process from beginning to fabulous end.
In the afternoon, we will view what remains of Sahasralinga Talav, a medieval artificial water tank built around 1100 AD.
Breakfast (set menu), lunch and dinner included.
Day 18
PATAN, SIDDHPUR & AHMEDABAD
From our base in Patan, we make a trip to the town of Siddhpur. Originally, a trading community flourished in Siddhpur from the 1820s to the 1930s. They built monumental mansions, made of wood, with stuccoed facades, ornate pilasters, trellised balconies and gabled roofs which have become identifying features of the architecture of this town.
After viewing the colourful streets of Siddpur, we have lunch and then head back to Ahmedabad.
Enroute, we visit the Sun Temple at Modhera set in restful gardens on the bank of the river Pushpavati. The temple was built in 1026 AD by King Bhimdev of the Solanki dynasty and was dedicated to the Hindu Sun-God, Surya.
We arrive back at our Ahmedabad hotel for our last dinner together and an early night before departures the next day.
Breakfast (set menu), lunch and dinner included.
Day 19
AHMEDABAD
End of the tour and departures. Check out time is 12:00pm
Breakfast (set menu) included.
PLEASE NOTE: THE PRICES QUOTED BELOW ARE FROM THE 2023 TOUR AND ARE INDICATIVE ONLY.
THE 2024 PRICES ARE CURRENTLY BEING REASSESSED AND THE DATE AND TOUR COSTS WILL BE ANNOUNCED BY NEWSLETTER. If you would like to be kept informed of up-coming tours and costs, please subscribe to this website.
FULL TOUR FEE: $6,900 each on a twin share basis when two people book – you share the rooms*
(or $6550 each if you qualify for all the discounts – see below)
SINGLE SUPPLEMENT: $940 on top of the base fee – you have a private room for the tour.**
DEPOSIT: $1,800 – due with this application to ensure your place on the tour
FINAL PAYMENT: $5100 – due by 31 October 2023 (less any discounts you deserve and plus the SINGLE SUPPLEMENT if it applies)
* ask me if there are other singles who would like to share a room with you to save $$$
** On rare occasions, a private room may not be available at a destination. The guest will share a room in that place and the SINGLE SUPPLEMENT will be discounted accordingly.
If this is the case, you will be notified.
All prices are in Australian dollars.
The TOUR FEE includes:
- arrival & departure transfers to airport and/or railway station n Ahmedabad
- all tour accommodation
- all meals on the tour as listed above
- a constant supply of bottled water
- all ground travel in our private vehicle and some taxis and/or auto-ricks
- Australian guide for the whole tour
- local guides in Sayla, Bhuj and Mandvi
- local guides at monuments
- admission to all monuments and workshops in itinerary
- police permit to enter tribal areas
- tip to our bus driver
- a downloadable booklet with information about our destinations
The TOUR FEE does not include:
- International flights
- connecting travel within India before or after the tour
- meals other than those mentioned above
- admission and guides to monuments not specified in the organised tours
- camera charge on the jeep safari – about $30
- tips to guides and other individuals,
- laundry, beverages.
This itinerary is correct at time of publishing.
Check out the GALLERY page for more pics from the tour.
If you are interested in joining this tour, please make contact soon as places are limited to six intrepid travellers.
APPLICATION FORM
- PLEASE NOTE: The accommodation indicated in the itinerary is accurate at time of publishing. On very rare occasions, our preferred accommodation may be unavailable. In this instance, similar accommodation will be booked.
DISCOUNTS
- An EARLY BIRD discount of $250 applies if you book and pay your deposit before the end of September 2023.
- For every person you introduce to Kasu Tours and bring on the tour, you will receive $100 off the price of your tour (may be used with other discounts up to a total of $350).
- If you gather a group of 6 people to come on the tour, including yourself, a discount of $350 applies to all six people (cannot be used with any other discounts).
- If you have ever purchased something at Kasu Emporium, you receive a discount of $100 (may be used with other discounts up to a total of $350)
- Ethical Travel Club Members receive a discount of $350 (cannot be used with any other discounts).
- Comparing prices with other tours? Some things to look out for to help you decide >>>>
TO SECURE YOUR PLACE ON THE TOUR
- Fill in the form on this page >>>>
- Or Contact me for an application form to be sent to you.
- Your deposit (plus Single Supplement if applicable) is due with your application to ensure a place on the tour.
- The deposit is used to secure hotel bookings, and other services.
- The deposit is non-refundable in the event of your cancellation. However, if there is a waiting list to join the tour when you cancel and your place can be filled, you may be refunded part or all of your deposit.
- There are only 6 places available on the tour and bookings will be processed in the order of receipt of deposits.
- Deposits received after the tour quota is filled will be returned and the client placed on the waiting list.
- FINAL PAYMENT is due by 31 October 2023
Failure to make the final payment by the due date may result in cancellation of your booking and loss of deposit. - PAYMENTS are accepted only by ELECTRONIC BANK TRANSFER.
The bank account details will be supplied when you make a booking.
What makes Kasu Tours different?
Our main point of difference is that we take a maximum of 6 guests.
- We find that by keeping numbers small, we bond better as a group, becoming friends very quickly;
- Low numbers allows us to stay in boutique hotels, family residences and havelis that cannot accommodate larger groups;
- Small numbers allow closer encounters with the people of India;
- Each person in a small group gets more one-on-one attention from guides and in workshops;
- We travel in our own private 12 seater bus so there is plenty of room for everyone, and their luggage. And their shopping. And boxes of food for picnics, and the cooler full of water;
- Everyone gets a window seat;
- Having our own private vehicle also means that there is no waiting around at airports, railway stations and bus terminals: more quality experiences every day;
- It also means we are more flexible if we want to make a detour or unscheduled stops.
BACK TO TOP
- *All prices are quoted in AUSTRALIAN DOLLARS
The TOUR PRICES are based on exchange rates, cost of services and applicable taxes at the time of publication. Prices may be subject to change in the event of significant currency fluctuations or the introduction of new taxes, up until final payment is received. In the event of a price increase by parties other then KASU TOURS, whether because of a currency fluctuation, increase in taxes or a correction in advertised prices, we will advise you and you have the option of accepting the amended prices, inclusions and booking conditions or withdrawing from the tour and receiving a full refund of all monies paid. Once final payment is received, all prices will be guaranteed.
- ANY QUESTIONS?
Check out the FAQ page. If you don’t find the answer there, please email me.
- Please read the TERMS & CONDITIONS page carefully.
By booking a place on THE CLOTH AND STONE TOUR , it is presumed that you have read, understood and agree to the TERMS & CONDITIONS.
As with KASU EMPORIUM, a percentage of profits at KASU TOURS is donated to selected charities we work with in India.
Welcoming smiles from some of the lovely waiters at one of our stays.
Kasu Tours 
The more I read the more interested I am! Good website info Beverly but I await the costs! Often a consideration for some of us. Win
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