Sixty kilometres off the busy city of Jamnagar, you’ll discover a marine sanctuary in the virtually untouched beaches of the Gulf of Kutch. Jamnagar hotelier and eco warrior Mustak Mepani and his friends are passionate about preserving this area. “There are 42 islands off this coast. Just a few are inhabited by local farmers, and fisherfolk,” explains Mustak, “Most of these islands are fringed with coral reefs which show above water during the ebb tide. You won’t need to dive to observe marine life and corals here because you would be wading in just a couple of feet of water when the tides are low.”
Since this is a marine sanctuary and national park, you would need permission from the Forest Department to get here. But it is a miraculous underwater world that you get to explore with sea turtles, octopus, many varieties of seaweed, colourful fish and if you are truly fortunate, marine mammals dolphins and dugong.
In winter, the coast, mangrove forests and creeks around Jamnagar are taken over by thousands of migratory birds, making it a birdwatcher’s dream as well. Khijadia Bird Sanctuary here is a wetland where one may see flocks of flamingos, cranes and pelicans arrive for winter.
Jamnagar’s islands are not the easiest of destinations and you have to carry everything with you including drinking water. Since it is a fragile ecosystem, you should strictly follow the trekkers adage: “Take only memories and leave only footprints.” For more information go to the website jamnagar.org maintained by Mustak.
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