Saputara, Gujarat's Own Hill Station

[Continued from My Visit to Daman] Saputara is the only hill station of Gujarat and it is still unexplored and unspoilt. Saputara is situated in the Sahyadri range and has an altitude of about 1000 m. The name 'Saputara' is derived from the Snake God worshiped by the tribal people and translates into "The Abode of the Serpants". Nature has blessed Saputara with picturesque landscapes, hills, table-tops, lakes and water falls.

Echo Point

We had planned to visit Saputara earlier so we had inquired at the bus stand the day before our journey about the bus timings. The next day we went to the bus stand of Surat. On reaching the bus stand we found out that the 8 o' clock bus had left earlier and so we have to wait for the next bus at 9 o' clock. The bus left Surat and went on its journey towards Saputara. It went over crisscrossing the river Ambika. Then it went through a road which was surrounded by dense forest. This was the Vansda National Park, one of the most unexplored, old and dense forest of India. Many types of animals are found in this forest including leopard, hyena and chital, jungle cat, Indian flying fox, wild boar and many other animals. On the way to Saputara we also saw many tribal settlements. We reached Saputara at around 2:00 pm. There we booked a room at hotel Chitrakoot and also had the lunch there. Gujarati and Jain food was served at the restaurant and the food was very delicious. In the evening we went to have a look at the local market which sold many goods from honey to camel leather shoes.

Tribal Museum

The next day we woke up early as we had earlier planned to go on a sight seeing tour that day. According to our plans a car arrived to pick us up from the hotel. First, we went to the echo point. There was a natural ampitheatre and we could hear our own voices echoing when we shouted loudly. Then the car took us to the Saputara tribal museum. There we saw wood carvings, clay objects, stuffed birds, dancing masks and musical instruments used by the adivasis of Saputara. We also saw the mini aquarium adjoining the museum. From there we went to the Nageshwar Mahadev temple. This temple is situated beside the lake. Then we went for boating in the lake. The lake is one of the main attractions of Saputara. The boating ride remains open from 08:30 am to 6:30 pm. The lake is very big and it was a pleasure boating in the lake. Our next destination was the honey bee centre. There we saw some boxes in which honey bees were kept. Honey was also sold there. Our last destination was the Rose Garden. There were a variety of roses in the garden. From there we came back to our hotel and had lunch.

Saputara Lake

We had already asked the driver of the car to pick us up from the hotel in the evening to take us to sunset point. The sunset point was situated on top of a flat-top hill. The scenic beauty from this point was magnificent and breathtaking. That evening also we spent our time shopping in the market. The next day morning we boarded a bus. But it was not going direct to Surat. So we disembarked at Bilimora. After having lunch at a restaurant in Bilimora we boarded the Saurashtra Express at around 1 o' clock and reached Surat at 2:30 pm.

Rose Garden

Continued to A Visit to Mumbai

How to Reach :

Many buses ply from Surat to Saputara. They are mostly run by Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation. One can also reach Saputara by boarding a train from Surat and disembarking at Bilimora. Direct buses ply from Bilimora to Saputara.

Nearest Airport - Surat Airport

Where to Stay :

There are few hotels in Saputara hill station of which some are mentioned below.
1. Hotel Chitrakoot
2. Shilpi Hill Resort
3. Hotel Patang
4. Hotel Purohit
5. Hotel Vaishali
6. Vaity Ropeway Resort 

Places of Interest :

Tourist Spots in Saputara include the tribal museum, lake, rose garden, Gira water falls, Nageshwar Mahadev temple, sunrise and sunset point. Other places of interest are echo point, ropeway, artist village, step garden and  honey bee centre.

For more information, please contact :

Tourism Corporation of Gujarat Limited
Udyog Bhavan, Block No. 16
4th Floor, Sector-11
Gandhinagar - 382 011
Gujarat, India