STATUE OF UNITY - WHAT TO SEE AND HOW TO PLAN YOUR TRIP?

(Special thanks to Aditi Raval whose videos helped me plan my trip to SOU in a brilliant manner.)

Kevadia Colony has always been a monsoon visiting spot for me as it is not too far from my city Vadodara. The overflowing dam during the rainy season is a sight to behold. However after the world's tallest statue "Statue of Unity" was made, this place has become one of the best developed tourist destinations. And if you thought that the only thing to see here is the statue itself, you are mistaken. In this blog, I will give a detailed insight into all the places to visit in Kevadia Colony.

In this blog post, I will cover the following aspects:

1.    Places to visit

2.    Itineraries for a one day trip, a two day trip or a three day trip.

3.    Options for overnight stay.

4.    Eating options

5.    Shopping options

6.    Total cost of your entire trip

7.    Few special things to do/tips to make your trip more enjoyable/economical.

 

PLACES TO VISIT

Since the statue was opened for viewers, there have been constant attempts by our Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Gujarat Government to open a variety of places. As of February 2021, here is a list of the places and things to do at Kevadia:

1.    The statue itself – including the museum, the audio visual gallery and the viewing gallery at the top.

2.    The laser light and sound show in the evening

3.    Jungle Safari, i.e the zoo and the aviaries.

4.    Butterfly Garden

5.    Cactus Garden

6.    Vishwa Van

7.    Arogya Van

8.    Valley of Flowers

9.    Unity Glow Garden (at night)

10.  Ekta Nursery

Activities :

1.    Cycling

2.    Boating (Nauka Vihar)

3.    Ekta Cruise

4.    River rafting

 

HOW TO PLAN YOUR TRIP – 1 DAY, 2 DAYS OR 3 DAYS?

Personally, there is so much to see that you won't be able to give justice to all places if you plan a day trip from morning to evening.

My advice is to plan a night stay – either a two days one night trip or a three days two nights trip, depending on your budget and available time.

DAY ITINERARY

In case you are short on time and wish to plan a day tour, here is the recommended itinerary:

·  Make sure to reach as early as possible, preferably by 10 am. That means if you are coming from Vadodara, you should leave by 8 am. If you are coming from Ahmedabad, make sure to leave pretty early.

 

·  10 am to 11 am – Butterfly garden and Cactus garden

·  11 am to 1 pm – Jungle Safari

·  1 pm to 2 pm – Lunch

·  2 pm to 3.30 pm –Valley of Flowers

·  4 pm to 6 pm – Statue of Unity

·  7 pm to 7.30 pm – Laser projection show

·  8 pm – Unity Glow Garden

·  Depart after dinner

In a day trip, you will not be able to cover all the places, especially the different gardens and the nursery.

 

2 days 1 night tour itinerary

Day 1

·  10 am to 11.30 am – Cactus garden and butterfly garden

·  11.30 am to 12.30 pm – Vishwa Van

·  12.30 pm – Check in to your place of stay – hotel/tent.

·  Lunch at hotel/tent.

·  2 pm to 3.30 pm – Valley of flowers

·  4 pm to 6 pm – Statue of Unity

·  7 pm to 7.30 pm – Laser projection show

·  8 pm – Unity Glow Garden

·  Return to your hotel/tent.

Day 2

·  Breakfast at your hotel/tent

·  8 am to 10 am – Khalwani Cycling – Manual/Couple cycling or electric cycling

·  10 am – Check out of your hotel/tent.

·  11 am to 1 pm – Jungle Safari

·  1 pm to 2 pm – Lunch

·  2 pm to 3 pm – Arogya Van

·  3 pm to 4 pm – Ekta Nursery

·  4 pm to 5 pm – shopping at Ekta Mall and leave for your city after that.

3 days 2 nights itinerary

Day 1

·  11 am to 1 pm – Cactus garden and butterfly garden

·  Check in to your hotel/tent.

·  1 pm to 2 pm – Lunch

·  4 pm to 6 pm – Statue of Unity

·  7 pm to 7.30 pm – Laser projection show

·  8 pm – Unity Glow Garden

·  Return to your hotel/tent.

Day 2

·  8 am to 10 am – Khalwani cycling

·  Breakfast after returning from cycling

·  11 am to 1 pm – Jungle Safari

·  2 pm to 4 pm – Ekta Nursery

·  4 pm to 5.30 pm – Arogya Van

·  5.30 pm to 7 pm – Vishwa Van

·  Return to hotel/tent

Day 3

·  Early breakfast and checkout.

·  8 am to 12 noon – Ekta Cruise/Nauka Vihar boating/River rafting

·  Lunch and shopping at Ekta Mall

·  Leave for your city.

DESCRIPTION OF INDIVIDUAL PLACES

BUTTERFLY GARDEN & CACTUS GARDEN

·  I would advise to cover these places  in the early morning, as you would then be able to see few butterflies.

·  Also, these 2 places are slightly far from the Statue itself. So I would advise you to start your trip with these 2 places.

·  You will also get a front view of the statue, something which is not possible from anywhere else.

VALLEY OF FLOWERS

·  This is a free inclusion in the ticket of the statue.

·  It is located just besides the car parking lot.

·  A HUGE area with some immensely eye-pleasing collection of flowers of various colors and types, this is a treat for those who love gardening.

 

STATUE OF UNITY

·  The tickets for visiting the statue are available in two hourly slots. According to me, the best time slot for visiting the statue would be the last one, i.e 4 pm to 6 pm. The main reason is that you can stay back for the laser show which begins at around 7 pm. In case you book any other slot, you will have to return at 6.30 pm for the laser show.

·  Spend time in the museum and the audio visual gallery at the base of the statue – plenty of informative stuff related to Sardar Patel's life.

·  Once you finish the sightseeing of the entire statue, you can have something to eat in the food court situated inside the statue premises, which comprises of Starbucks, Havmor and 2-3 other restaurants.

 

LASER PROJECTION SHOW

·  This is a free inclusion in the ticket of the statue. However during online booking, you will have to make sure you select the option of the laser show.

·  There are 2 places from which you can view this show – the seating deck inside the SOU premises and the helipad ground situated slightly far away. The former one is the better option.

·  Make sure to reach in time in order to avail proper seats as they are available on a first come – first serve basis.

·  This 25 minute odd show is a beautiful one – where the projection is made on the statue itself via laser lights.

·  DO NOT MISS THIS SHOW.

 

UNITY GLOW GARDEN

·  Located just adjoining the Valley of Flowers, this garden opens from 6 pm to 10 pm.

·  With a stunning display of LED lights, this is one of the BEST places to visit.

·  Well planned, innovative use of LED lights and a number of places where you can click photos.

·  There is also a dance floor with lights which change colors when you step on them.

·  Children and adults both will have a ball here.

JUNGLE SAFARI

·  This recently opened place is one of the major attractions – probably the most visited place after the statue.

·  Spread over an area so big that there are golf cart-like battery operated cars to internally transport you from one place to another, they have an impressive collection of animals both herbivores and carnivores.

·  Another highlight of this safari is its 2 aviaries – consisting of Indian birds and Foreign birds.

·  Both the aviaries are huge enclosures in which the birds are allowed to remain uncaged and you can literally walk right next to each bird.

·  You are however not allowed to TOUCH or FEED any of the birds.

·  There is a souvenir shop near the exit.

·  There is also a food court where you get snacks, tea, coffee, etc.

·  There is a place called "Petting Zone" just opposite to the entrance of the zoo. Here you can touch the birds and animals and even click photos with them.

 

VISHWA VAN

·  Situated right next to the Statue, one may visit this place only if he/she has an interest in different types of plants.

·  This basically consists of different types of plants that grow in different continents.

·  Each continent has a separate Olympic colored ring within which plants and trees are grown.

·  There are also various types of bamboo houses as seen in Africa, Buddhist Countries, etc.

·  In case you are going for 2 nights, give this place a visit during the evening. With the lights, it looks even more beautiful.

 

AROGYA VAN

·  Again, if you aren't too much into Ayurvedic plants and all, you can give this place a skip.

·  Recently opened, this is an impressive place with a large number of medicinal herbs and plants.

·  There is also an Ayurvedic wellness centre as well as a small café where you get healthy food, including different types of juices to a full lunch thali.

·  If you like Ragi biscuits, you can buy them from their inhouse store.

 

EKTA NURSERY

·  This place contains a wide variety of plants, an entire indoor orchid cultivation, a bee harvesting area and many interesting shopping options.

·  They demonstrate as well as sell plates made from Betel nut leaves (Sopari paan). The plates start from a price of Rs 3/- and they are really worth buying.

·  There is also a huge collection of products made from clay (Mitticool), various types of soaps made by the local ladies within the nursery itself and different types of plants.

KHALWANI CYCLING

·  Handled by the Khalwani Eco-tourism site, this is a wonderful activity if you are into cycling.

·  They offer 3 different types of cycles – the regular ones, the tandem couple bicycles and the electric bicycles.

·  Available in 2 hourly slots starting from 8 am, it is advisable to go for the first slot of 8 am to 10 am as the weather will be pleasant.

·  The entire route is of around 20 kms and has a lot of uphill areas. Hence, I would personally advise to go for the electric cycles as they offer both options – you can use them as routine cycles and in case of uphill climb, you can switch over to the electric mode where you simply have to accelerate.

·  The guides are not with you the whole time but will immediately help you in case of any problems.

 

OPTIONS FOR OVERNIGHT STAY

·  BRG Budget Stay

·  The Fern

·  Ramada Encore

·  Tent City 1

·  Narmada Tent City (Tent City 2)

·  SOU Eco Camp

These are few of the options available within Kevadia. There are many other hotels slightly away from Kevadia where you can stay.

We stayed in Tent City Narmada (Tent City 2)  which is managed by Praveg Communications – the same company which manages the Tent city in the white Rann of Kutch.

While the tents are not that cheap, the price is worth it. They have an excellent site with well maintained tents, good facilities, clean tents and excellent food. Their catering is managed by the ITC Fortune Group.

 

EATING OPTIONS

1.    SOU food court located inside the Statue premises.

2.    Ekta Food court located near the entrance of Kevadia, besides Ekta Mall – it has a wide variety of eateries which include Honest, Dominos, Subway, and many more.

3.    Ramada Encore has Sankalp Saffron inside it.

4.    The Fern also has its own in-house restaurant.

5.    Snacks are available at few cafes namely – Inside the Jungle safari, besides the Valley of flowers, inside the Arogya Van and inside the Ekta Nursery.

SHOPPING OPTIONS

1.    EKTA MALL

· Recently opened, this is an extensive collection of handicraft items from various states of India.

· You can even purchase Statue of unity souvenirs like miniature statue models, tshirts, caps,  etc.

· Although each shop has a huge and impressive collection,there is nothing which would not be available in the cities, but the availability of all stuff at one place is an advantage,especially for NRI's.

 

2.    Souvenir shop inside Jungle safari

3.    Souvenir shops inside Ekta nursery and Arogya Van

 

COST OF VISITING THESE PLACES

	PLACE/ACTIVITY	COST PER PERSON
1.	SOU entry ticket – Includes ·  Viewing gallery ·  SOU Entry ·  Exhibition & audio visual gallery ·  Valley of flowers ·  Dam viewpoint ·  Bus service ·  Light and sound laser show	Rs 380/- ·  There is also an express ticket worth Rs 1000/- which allows you to skip the long queues inside. However not worth the extra amount.
2.	Butterfly and Cactus garden	Rs 60/-
3.	Vishwa Van	Rs 30/-
4.	Unity Glow Garden	Rs 100/-
5.	Jungle Safari	Rs 200/-
6.	Arogya Van	Rs 30/-
7.	Ekta Nursery	Rs 30/-
8.	Khalwani Electric cycling	Rs 400/- (2 hours duration)
9.	River rafting	Rs 1000/- (30 minutes)
10.	Nauka vihar boating	Rs 290/- (45 minutes)
11.	Ekta cruise	Rs 413/- (20 minutes)

OTHER MISCELLANEOUS COSTS

1.    Car parking – Rs 150 per day.

·  There are 2 parking lots – one is near the Shresht Bharat Bhavan near the entrance of Kevadia Colony opposite to the Ekta food court and Ekta mall.

·  The other one is situated right opposite to the jungle safari. You will have to park your car here in order to visit the Statue, jungle safari, valley of flowers and the glow garden. From here, air conditioned buses are available which will take you to the statue entrance which is half a kilometre away.

·  You can use the same ticket for both parking lots in a single day.

 

2.    All the costs mentioned above are for adults. The prices for kids are different. Also, the above mentioned cost allows you to click pictures with your mobile phone at all places. In case you have a digital camera or a video camera, there are extra charges to be paid almost everywhere.

 

FEW VALUABLE AND USEFUL TIPS WHICH MIGHT HELP YOU

·  Go to the Butterfly garden as early as possible.

·  Vishwa Van is a place which should be visited twice – once during the day and once during their closing time (6.45pm) as it looks really beautiful with lights. If you are staying for 2 nights, you can go there during the evening of day 2. You can again view the laser show from there from a different viewpoint.

·  Do not carry any bags during your visit to the statue. They do not allow even a small backpack, even if it has only warm clothes.

·  Get the best seats available for the laser show by reaching early.

·   Do not miss the Unity glow garden.

·  The dam viewpoint is not worth going except for monsoons. There is nothing to see there.

·  After the laser show finishes, there is a light and sound show which continues near the dam site for an hour more. It is not as great as the former but you may stop for some time and have a look at it from the parking lot.

·  Kevadia looks beautiful at night with a lot of lights everywhere. Before you return to your hotel/tent city, make sure to enjoy a long ride.

·  In case you go for cycling, go for the first slot of the morning. Also, instead of going for couple cycling which may appear fancy, go for the electric bicycles. They will be of immense help during the steep uphill climbs for those who do not cycle on a regular basis.

·  There is a place called "Petting Zone" situated exactly opposite the jungle safari main entrance. The ticket for its entry is included in the ticket of the safari itself. Here, they have a small collection of few lovely birds and animals which you can hold in your hands and have pictures clicked. A nice place especially for kids.

·  Do indulge in shopping at the Ekta nursery. There is a lovely variety of items which are made by the local women. You will be helping their livelihood by purchasing stuff from them.

·  There were few places which we did not visit, but you may visit them in case you have the time or the interest –

1.    Children's nutrition park (If you have kids along with you)

2.    Dino trail (Again if you have kids along with you)

3.    Zarwani waterfall (Not very far from Kevadia, this place has a bit of trekking needed to reach the falls.)