Gujarat

November to February is by far the best window, bringing cool, dry weather and coinciding with the Rann Utsav, when tented camps spring up on the white salt desert of Kutch for full-moon viewing, folk music and craft bazaars. Summers (April to June) are extremely hot across the state, and Kutch and Saurashtra in particular can be brutal, so outdoor sightseeing should be limited to early morning or evening if you travel then. The monsoon (July to September) actually floods parts of the Rann, making it inaccessible, so it's best avoided for a Kutch-focused trip even though the rest of the state turns green. If Navratri is a priority, late September or October also makes for a memorable, if crowded, visit.

A week is the sweet spot: roughly two days for Kutch (Bhuj's crafts villages and a night at a Rann Utsav camp), a day or two around Kevadia for the Statue of Unity and its surrounding gardens, a day for a Gir National Park safari in search of Asiatic lions, and two days in Ahmedabad's UNESCO-listed old city with a possible side trip to Somnath Temple. Shorter four- to five-day trips work well if you pick just two or three of these regions rather than trying to cover the whole state, since distances between Kutch, Gir and Ahmedabad are considerable. Travellers with more time often add Patan's Rani-ki-Vav stepwell or the Champaner-Pavagadh archaeological park as a heritage-focused extension.

Gujarat is best known for the surreal white salt marshes of the Rann of Kutch, Gir Forest — the only place on Earth where wild Asiatic lions still roam — and the towering Statue of Unity at Kevadia, the world's tallest statue. It's equally famous for its strongly vegetarian, trading-community cuisine (dhokla, thepla, khandvi and the balanced sweet-salty-tangy Gujarati thali), its textile and handicraft traditions like Kutch mirror-work embroidery and Patola silk weaving, and exuberant festivals such as Navratri's nine nights of Garba and Dandiya Raas and the Uttarayan kite festival. As the birthplace of Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Patel, and home to ancient Harappan sites like Lothal and Dholavira, it also carries deep historical significance.

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad (AMD) is Gujarat's main gateway, with strong domestic connectivity and a growing number of international routes. For travellers focusing on Saurashtra or Kutch, Rajkot International Airport (HSR) and Bhuj airport cut out a long road transfer and are worth using if your itinerary is regionally concentrated. Surat Airport (STV) is a useful alternative for the southern part of the state, and Vadodara also has domestic flights that can shorten transfers to Kevadia and the Statue of Unity.

Yes — Gujarat's main tourist circuit is well developed for organised group travel, with good highways, comfortable hotels in Ahmedabad, Kevadia and near Gir, and established Rann Utsav tented accommodation that caters specifically to groups. That said, the distances between regions are considerable (Kutch to Gir, for instance, is a full day's drive), so itineraries need realistic pacing rather than trying to see everything in a rush. One practical note for groups: Gujarat is a dry state where alcohol requires a permit, which is worth planning around in advance.