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SUDIPTA DEV – Gandhinagar
Rann Riders is an eco resort in Dasada village, about 90 km from Ahmedabad near Little Rann of Kutch and the Wild Ass Sanctuary. Targeted at international and special interest market, among the unique initiatives started by Muzahid Malik, the owner of Rann Riders is the ‘travel with purpose’ programme. “We invite doctors who work on cataract surgery camps and distribute books to children, while travelling in the remotest part of the desert. This concept is working very well. There are at least two-three groups a year from the US and other places. It is a six day programme – one day we do safaris and excursions and the next day social work, third day again there are excursions and the following day day social work activities. This is how we plan the itinerary. We are the only ones in Gujarat doing this,” said Malik.
The resort has 30 cottages that resemble the kooba houses of local Bajania people and the bhunga houses of the Rabaris of Kutch. “We started Rann Riders ten years back. It is an eco friendly wildlife resort. We try to promote local craft, culture and sustainable tourism. Basically we are a purely organic and boutique hotel highlighting the Little Rann of Kutch, Dasada and the surrounding villages,” mentioned Malik.
The target clientele is special interest people who are interested in wildlife, photography and cultural attractions. “We work a lot with photographers. We are happy with the clientele that we get right now. We work in that segment only. It is not an issue for us to market the property,” said Malik, pointing out that there is a huge market for such a product in India.
Malik has no plans to expand in terms of accommodation (the number of cottages), his expansion plans are focused on extending the range of activities – for instance introduction of horse safaris for birding. The existing activities are jeep safaris, horse safaris, camel cart safaris, camping in the desert, interaction with the local communities, etc.
