Woven Air Textile Tour Gujarat
11-29 November 2024
A Small Group Tour Led by Ali Warner
Woven Air Textile Tour Gujarat - Led by Ali Warner 11-29 November 2024
Still largely unexplored, Kutch has been isolated from the rest of India by a desert to the north west and the sea to the west. It has vast salt flats, mangroves along the Arabian coast, and has very much its own fingerprint and identity. It is an ancient land with extraordinary textiles, desert wildlife and a range of communities who bring their own traditions, culture and desert hospitality to the region.
Ali works directly with local artisans, not-for-profits, educationalists, hotels and guides who share the tenet of responsible tourism. This tour is carefully considered, slow tourism with a focus on meeting the makers and understanding what it means to hand make textiles in an industrialised, digital world. Kutch, her amazing textiles, and her people will enchant you.
The Woven Air Textile Tour focuses on the extraordinarily rich textiles of North-west India. Starting in Delhi, we find our way to Ahmedabad and the Calico Museum, and then onto the Little Rann of Kutch to spend a day in the wildlife heartland of this desert region. From here we go to Bhuj, and with the help of the artisans themselves, textile cooperatives and local educational organisations, we learn how to block print fabric and experience the indigo dye bath process. We reach into the remote villages of the Banni Grasslands, staying overnight in local homestays, and experiencing village life. The tour includes a jeep safari into the salt pans, meetings with weaving artisans of Bhujrodhi, an Ajrakh block printing workshop and the batik workshops of Mandvi. We explore the textile traditions of bhandhari tie-dye, embroidery and ajrakh on their home turf, talking to the artisans and having a go for ourselves. In Kutch we reach from the Little Rann to the Gulf of Kutch, taking eighteen days to explore the region slowly and responsibly, staying in a range of hotels and homestay and eating delicious local food.
Ali Warner
Ali has been working in, researching and photographing India for 30 years, and running special interest tours since 2017. With a PhD in environmental geography, Ali’s key focus is on responsible tourism and creating opportunities for guests to truly get under the skin of India. Passionate about how people interact with their environment, she has a deep interest in culinary traditions and textiles. Her professional photographic background also means your camera work will be supported with technical and compositional knowledge where needed. Ali’s experience and insights of the subcontinent, and her delight in the detail, brings wonderful depth to these small, bespoke tours.
“Ali’s passion for India is infectious. She is a walking encyclopedia on all things Indian.” Fiona W ., 2023
19 days
Day 1 : Arrival Delhi
After our check-in to the delightful Neem Guesthouse, we will have a late afternoon briefing followed by a light in-house supper.
Overnight at the Neem Guesthouse.
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Day 2 : Delhi
The National Handicrafts and Handlooms Museum, or the Craft Museum as it is affectionately known, is a wonderful start to the textiles tour as a place to orientate ourselves within the diversity of handloom across India and Gujurat. Beautifully curated, the museum also has a lovely café where we will have lunch. Afterwards we will pay a visit to the Government-owned Cottage Emporium on Janpath, home to handicrafts for sale from all over India.
Overnight at Neem Guesthouse.
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Day 3 : To Ahmedabad
Transfer Day: Delhi-Ahmedabad, flight.
Ahmedabad is Gujurat’s biggest city, and is known for its huge range of textiles and clothing available in the bazaars and famous Night Market. A city with a strong textiles heritage originally famous for its cottons, Ahmedabad has extraordinary old architecture in the UNESCO old city quarter, and is home to the privately-owned Calico Museum. Our boutique hotel is brilliantly located near the historic city center.
Late afternoon: Historic city guided tour through the old streets and havelis of Ahmedabad.
Overnight: House of MG, a boutique hotel that was once a family house. This hotel has lots to explore and a great restaurant.
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Day 4 : Ahmedabad
Free morning, with time to catch up on your journal or edit some photographs, and an afternoon guided tour at the Calico Museum. This is an amazing privately owned museum with extraordinary textiles for us to explore with the museum’s guide. We will see beautiful traditional handmade textiles that span religious, ritual, ceremonial and domestic use, and come to appreciate that India’s textiles exports have been historically important to the Roman Empire, SE Asia, Africa and Europe. Widely regarded as the finest museum of Indian textiles globally, the museum strictly controls access and numbers. Visiting the Calico Museum is on the bucket list of textiles lovers around the world.
Overnight: House of MG
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Day 5 : Ahmedabad
A visit to the renowned Art Book shop, an Ahmedabad institution. Followed up by the Mata ni Pachedi Art Gallery, to experience the 300 year old traditional art and handpainted textiles tradition of local artisan Sanjabhai Chitara.
Overnight: House of MG.
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Day 6 : To Little Rann of Kutch
We leave Ahmedabad by road, heading for the Little Rann of Kutch. En-route we stop at the Rani ki Vav or The Queen’s Stepwell, attributed to the 11th century Queen Udayamati. Silted over by the vagaries of the Saraswati River and rediscovered in the 1940s, this is a delight and another UNESCO World heritage Site. Often busy with domestic tourists, be prepared to have your picture taken by excited families visiting the stepwell, and enjoy the seven levels of steps with highly decorated panels stepping down to the water table.
A lunch stop and then onto the double ikat weavers of Patan. This is the last family making double ikat, an immensely complex process that involves tie-dying the thread before it is woven to create complicated patterns in the weave. Each side is perfect.
The Patan Patola Museum has a lovely demonstration of the process and this is an opportunity to see the ingenuity of handloom weavers and early trade routes connecting the royal families of Indonesia to North Gujarat.
Overnight: Rann Riders, an excellent hotel with individual cottages and an eco-friendly ethos. Lush planting around the resort, a safari-style lodge on the edge of the Little Rnan of Kuutch, we have supper in the communal dining hall and relax after our travel day.
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Day 7 : Little Rann of Kutch
An early start wrapped up against the chill of the desert, we have a jeep safari taking us into the salt pans of Kutch to see its amazing bird life and the last habitat of the indigenous Asiatic Wild Asses. We may see flamingos, and we will stop with the salt makers on the edge of the pans where salt has long been made and traded. With us in the jeeps will be our guides from Rann Riders, who have an intimate knowledge of the natural landscape and communities they will share with us. Bring binoculars!
Late afternoon we will have a guided village tour around a local village, taken there by our excellent guides from Rann Riders.
Overnight: Rann Riders
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Day 8 : To Bhuj
Transfer by road to Bhuj. On the way we plan to stop and spend some time with Tausif Khatri, who is part of the Ajrakh block printing community in Dhamadka and who works with natural dyes including indigo. This will be our first experience with the artisan communities in Kutch who have a deep commitment to their textiles traditions, and who so willingly share it with those of us willing to make the journey.
Overnight: Bhuj House. An award-winning heritage homestay with gorgeous planting, restored heirloom furniture and local Kutchi fabrics.
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Day 9 : Bhuj
Today is a studio visit day, where we will visit the town of Bhujodi and meet local artisans in the creative community here. The exact itinerary is run by the collective who share the logistical arrangements for guided tourism, making sure everyone has the opportunity to showcase.
Overnight Bhuj House
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Day 10 : Bhuj
Workshop day. After breakfast we will drive to Ajrakphur, and spend the day making resist-dye block printed fabric in the Ajrakh tradition under the careful supervision of local artisan experts.
Overnight Bhuj House
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Day 11 : To Banni Grasslands Reserve
Transfer Day: Drive up to the Banni Grasslands area with our local guide who is connected to these communities and a great supporter of responsible tourism. The communities have their own textile traditions and decorative skills that extends to their housing and their everyday ways of life.
Overnight: Banni Grasslands Homestays.
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Day 12 : Banni Grasslands Reserve
Banni Grasslands area. Our guide will take us into traditional homes and we will meet the communities in these remote villages close to the border of India. Be prepared for simple arrangements and star-filled skies.
Overnight: Homestay in local, traditional village homes
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Day 13 : To Kutch
One of the movers and shakers in supporting the artisans of Kutch is Somaiya Kala Vidya, an institution set up to train and develop artisans to work in the global marketplace. We will have the rare opportunity to visit the SKV campus in Adipur, meet some of their current students, and enjoy the architecture of this wonderfully creative hub.
Overnight: Kutch Safaris, which has sweet traditional cottages, great food, a wonderful host and sunrise views over the shores of the reservoir it sits beside.
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Day 14 : To Mandvi
Drive down to the coast to Mandvi. Batik resist printing is only carried out in a handful of towns in the region, and this trip down to the Gulf of Kutch will give us the opportunity to have a workshop with practitioners of this textile skill that uses wax as the main resist. And dip our toes in the sea!
Overnight: Hotel Vijay Vilas in Mandvi, on the shores of the Arabian Gulf.
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Day 15 : Mandvi
Today is our workshop day with for the batik process, guided by our wonderful local guide, and in the hands of skilled batik artisans.
Overnight: Hotel Vijay Vilas, Mandvi
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Day 16 : To Bhuj
We drive back to Bhuj after our little R&R by the sea, to complete our visit to Bhuj with some local Bhuji sightseeing and shopping.
Transfer day by road back to Bhuj.
Overnight at Kutch Safaris
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Day 17 : Bhuj
Day in Bhuj. A calm day for those who want, or the opportunity to go into town and see the wonderful quirky museum, and a guided walk through the bazaar of our guide’s home town. We will have supper at our hotel and enjoy our last night in Kutch.
Overnight Kutch Safaris
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Day 18 : To Delhi
Transfer to Delhi by flight, after breakfast. An opportunity later in the afternoon to visit Khan Market for gifts, including treasures such as hand printed pyjamas from Anokhi, or Ayurvedic cosmetics. For those who would like to come to see the workings of a traditional goldsmith in the old part of Delhi in Chandi Chowk, this can be arranged. Try Delhi’s most delicious vegetarian samosas in the old town, hugely atmospheric and very busy with cycle rickshaws and commuters stopping for a quick snack. A great way to end our amazing tour.
Overnight in Delhi at the Neem Homestay.
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Day 19 : Departure Delhi
Goodbyes and onward travel.
Itinerary map
Prices
| Price per person
(Double/Twin share) |
Single room supplement |
|---|---|
| £4,900.00 | £480.00 |
- Accommodation as mentioned in the itinerary.
- Meals: Rann Riders, Kutch Safaris and Banni Grasslands on fullboard. Breakfast only at all other places.
- All transfers and sightseeing arrangements by a private vehicle.
- Entry fee for monuments and places of interest.
- Services of a local English speaking guide.
- Services of Ali Warner as Trip Leader.
- International flights to and from Delhi.
- Domestic flights within India.
- Visa fee for India.
- Any expenses of a personal nature.
- Tips and gratuities.
- Travel Insurance*
Sightseeing arrangements, may vary according to local circumstances at each place on a day to day basis.
*Travel Insurance
It is essential to have adequate insurance in place before your departure. This should be appropriate for your age, health and destination you are visiting.
• Make sure it includes comprehensive medical and repatriation cover.
• Make sure it provides cover for your whole trip (whether one day or over a year).
• Make sure it covers you for all activities.
• Disclose pre-existing medical conditions.
• Take your policy number and the 24-hour emergency contact numbers with you.
If you have any doubts about your cover, check with your insurer. Please note Covid-19 cover is now available.
For a competitive quotation please visit https://www.indusexperiences.co.uk/insurance/
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