Places to visit near Vadodara

Pavagadh is main place of Shakti worship around the Mahakali Temple. The Pavagadh is crowded with funfair during the Navratri festival. The Pavagadh is naturally beautiful place to visit near Vadodara. The Pavagadh is very famous for breathtaking scenery from the hill and the religious importance of the place attracts thousands of visitors daily. There is also a cable car. The cable car goes to the hill top till the main temple, thus reducing the efforts of climbing the long flight of steps. If you want to go by steps then the best time to go is in the early morning in order to avoid the heat and it takes around 4.5 hours for the round trip. There are limited facilities at the top so visitors are recommended to carry all the water you will need. The Pavagadh is truly worth visiting tourist places around Vadodara and one of the lovely hill station near Vadodara.

Champaner is located at the foot of the Pavagadh. The Champaner is famous for Hissar-e-khas, mosque Shehar, mosque Nagina, mosque Kevda and Jama Masjid, Wada Talav. There are also many tourist places near Vadodara, located on the border of Champaner village are Helical Stepwell, remains of Amir Manzil mansion, Saat Kamaan, Teliya Lake, Chassiya Lake and Dudhiya Lake, Lakulish Temple, Makai Kothar. The Champaner is one of the awesome tourist places around Vadodara.

The Jambughoda Wildlife Sanctuary is located at a distance of 70 kilometers from Vadodara. The Jambughoda Wildlife Sanctuary is home to amazing hills, awesome forest cover and valleys with small village settlements. The Jambughoda Wildlife Sanctuary is mainly has teak and bamboo trees. The Jambughoda Wildlife Sanctuary is home to leopard, Sloth bear, jackal, hyena, Blue bull, Four-horned antelope, wild boar, Barking deer and porcupine. The Jambughoda Wildlife Sanctuary is home to Reptiles which include pythons, venomous and non-venomous snakes and crocodiles. The water reservoirs at Kada and Targol are amazing place to visit near Vadodara. Both of these reservoirs have amazing forest guest houses on their banks and Kada also has a picture perfect campsite. The Jambughoda is connected to Pavagadh by ST buses. The Hired vehicles are available and best option for exploring the forest and observing the animals from safe distance. The Jambughoda is one of the best tourist places near Vadodara.

The Dabhoi is a boundary fortress built in the 13th century during the Solanki period. The Dabhoi fortress was captured successively by the Muslims, Marathas and British. The Dabhoi fortress has four large gates, carved with fascinating religious iconography, are called Vadodara Gate, Hira Gate, Mahudi Gate and Nadodi Gate. The Hira Gate is relatively well preserved with careful fine carvings. The gate is related with the legend of Hiradhar Shilpi, who was the architect of Dabhoi Fort, who was in love with a beautiful woman named Ten. While building the Dabhoi fort, Hiradhar Shilpi secretly built Ten Talav for his lover. Accused of embezzlement, he was condemned to death and buried alive under the arch decorated with a carved elephant. Also famous is the rare image of Hayagriva, a horse-headed form of Lord Vishnu, on the Nanderi and Vadodara gates. The gates are all under reconstruction. The Dabhoi also houses largest narrow-gauge railway station in Asia. Although it is now being discontinued, but two trains still travel daily from Pratapnagar Station in Vadodara. The Dabhoi is connected to Vadodara by ST busses. The Dabhoi is truly fascinating place to visit near Vadodara.

The Chhota Udepur is a small but main town in the tribal heartland and known for its ancient heritage and culture. The Chhota Udepur is surrounded by forests and mountains which makes it a perfect place for holiday. The Chhota Udepur is located on a lakeside and has many structures from the 1920s that give it a unique look. The Jain Temple is a perfect example of Victorian influenced plaster art. The eye-catching Kusum Vilas Palace and Prem Bhavan shares a 7 hectare campus. The Chhota Udepur is also interesting tourist place near Vadodara.

The Chanod is a pilgrimage site famous for its ghats along the Narmada River. The Chanod is a place for post-death rituals and houses many temples and ashrams including the famous Ma Anandmayi, Jeevan Sadhana and Gangeshvar Mahadev ashrams. The historic Shesh Narayana Temple houses paintings which are believed to be 1,500 years old that portray scenes from Lord Krishna's life on its ceiling. The Aarti is performed in the temples in the evening. The boats can be taken on rent for a trip to Triveni Sangam, the meeting of the Narmada, Orsand and Gupta Sarasvati rivers, where asthi visarjan (immersion of ashes) and ceremony are carried out. The only accommodation options here are the ashrams. Various shared jeeps and ST buses run between Chandod and Dabhoi. The Chanod is among the must visit tourist places around Vadodara.

The Kayavarohan locally known as Karvan, is the ancient town associated with the Lord Shiva. The Kayavarohan is said to be the origin of the Pashupati sect, which worship Shiva as the God of animals. There are many temples including one devoted to Lakulish, one of the forms of Shiva who is said to be the first guru of the Pashupati sect and the creator of yoga. You can also visit the Gayatri Shaktipeeth and lovely archeological museum. The Kayavarohan is located on the way to Por Village and ST buses stop here. The Kayavarohan is lovely tourist place near Vadodara.

Sankheda is popular for its lacquer-painted woodwork called Sankheda ware and is worth walking through Sutharwaga in Kharadi Faliya just to see the artisans at work. Around 150 families practice this 400 year old trade. Among the Indian craft traditions, the Sankheda artwork has survived and flourishing due to market demand. The products include chairs, swings, photo frames and various household products. The local traders also provide shipping services. The ST buses to Chhota Udepur and Bodeli stop here.

The Vadhvana Wetland is popular for bird watching. The Vadhvana Wetland attracts more than 110 species and about 50,000 birds during its peak season that is from November to March. The birds Species include tern, stork, ibis and spoonbill. Spread over 600 hectare, the Vadhvana Wetland was built in the early 20th century as an irrigation reservoir. The Vadhvana Wetland provides water to 25 surroundings villages. The tourist huts, a watchtower and peripheral roads are being built near Vadhvana Wetland. There is no bus service to reach the location, but if you want to visit this lovely tourist place than you can rent a vehicle from Dabhoi and take the Hira Bhagol Road. The Vadhvana Wetland is also worth visiting tourist place to visit near Vadodara.

The Kadval is a small village surrounded by farmland and was once a princely state. The descendant of the former king still reside in this magnificent Darbargadh Kadval by the same name and have converted part of Darbargadh Kadval into a heritage hotel with modern services and facilities. The Darbargadh Kadval is located near the forest and its natural beauty and night campfires make this heritage hotel a perfect stay. You can also visit to nearby tourist places like Hathini Falls and Sukhi Dam. This heritage hotel provides Facilities like veg and non-veg meals on request, horse riding, wildlife safari, pottery, tribal art, mountain biking.

The Gujarat Nature Conservation Society has grown a small artificial forest in the gorge of the Mahi River which is located near the Sindhrot. The Gujarat Nature Conservation Society is home to rare species of animals and birds, herbs and plants. The Gujarat Nature Conservation Park is a perfect trip for nature lovers. The Gujarat Nature Conservation Park also offers planetarium shows, sky observation, bird watching and explanations of plant and animals and also night walks. The Gujarat Nature Conservation Park is interesting tourist place near Vadodara. This tourist place is one of the best Tourist Attractions in Gujarat.

This Gangeshvar Mahadev Temple is located beside a tranquil bank of the Narmada, which is about 3 kilometers from Chanod. This Gangeshvar Mahadev Temple is said to be over a century old and notable because Sri Aurobindo, who later established the world famous Aurobindo Ashram in Pondicherry where you can meditate. The peaceful environment and the river are the main attractions.