Here is what you get on all-inclusive Garvi Gujarat tourist train

The Indian Railways has announced an addition to its special Bharat Gaurav tourist train packages. The all-inclusive Garvi Gujarat tour will give you a glimpse of some of the most prominent pilgrimage and heritage sites of the western Indian state.

The eight-day tour, designed under the Centre’s Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat scheme, will leave from Delhi’s Safdarjung Station on February 28. You can board and deboard at Gurugram, Rewari, Ringas, Phullera, and Ajmer stations along the roughly 3500km journey.

Indian Railways to introduce a special tour 'Garvi Gujarat' to showcase cultural & the spiritual heritage of Gujarat by running its Bharat Gaurav Deluxe AC Tourist Train under ‘Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat’ Scheme.@RailMinIndia pic.twitter.com/eicNhgzPtq

— Prasar Bharati News Services & Digital Platform (@PBNS_India) February 5, 2023

What you will visit

The first stop will be at Kevadiya for a visit to the Statue of Unity, the world’s tallest statue.

Among the heritage sites you can visit on the tour are Champaner Archaeological Park, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Adhlej stepwell, Akshardham Temple in Ahmedabad, Sabarmati Ashram, Modhera Sun Temple, and the Rani ki Vao, another UNESCO site in Patan.

Also read: PM Modi flags off Vande Bharat Express between Secunderabad-Vizag

The religious sites covered in those eight days would include Somnath Jyotirlinga, Nageshwar Jyotirlinga, Dwarkadheesh Temple, and Beyt Dwarka.

In those eight days, there will be two night stays in hotels, one in Kevadiya and the other in Ahmedabad. Somnath and Dwarka will be covered in day halts. The rest of the stays will be in the deluxe train itself, which has AC first-class and AC two-tier coaches.

Facilities on board

The state-of-the-art Bharat Gaurav Deluxe AC Tourist Train consists of four AC first-class coaches, and two AC two-tier coaches, a pantry car, a modern kitchen, and two fine-dining restaurants. There are shower cubicles in every coach, sensor-based washroom functions, infotainment systems, and even foot massagers.

For passenger safety, CCTV cameras are installed at strategic locations and security guards are appointed for each coach. IRCTC also promises to take all medical precautionary measures. The fully air-conditioned train can accommodate 156 tourists.

Also read: IRCTC has variety of tour packages; here’s how you pick one for holiday season

Prices begin from Rs 52,250 per head in AC two-tier. A seat in AC 1 (Cabin) comes with a pocket pinch of Rs 67,140 per head, while a booking in AC 1 (Coupe) will cost Rs 77,400 per head. The tickets cover train journey, night stay at AC hotels, all meals (only veg), all transfer and sight-seeing by buses, travel insurance, and guide.

You can also pay for the tickets in easy EMIs, for which IRCTC has tied up with payment gateways.

The Bharat Gaurav Tourist Train is part of the Centre’s Dekho Apna Desh initiative to promote domestic tourism.