Little Rann of Kutch

History & Overview

A vast expanse of around 5000 sq km of arid and muddy salt-flats, inland from the Gulf of Kutch lies the Little Rann of Kutch – part of a geographical landscape which over 66 million years ago was a part of the Arabian Sea. There are around 300 bird species recorded here, 42 species of mammals including the endemic Indian Wild Ass (Equus hemionus khur)which can be found in the area of Dasada.

The Little Rann of Kutch gets its name as it is a southern extension of the larger salt marsh which is the Greater Rann of Kutch, however the protected areas of the Little Rann of Kutch are ecological hotspots and extremely fruitful for bird watching in India.

The Little Rann of Kutch until many centuries ago had large tracts of estuarine saline water, however over time through excessive silting by its seasonal rivers caused as a result of tectonic movements, it now lies as a semi-barren and unique ecological landscape which floods briefly during the monsoons and transforms itself into a marshland in which the resident and migratory bird species revel.