The 4953-sq-km Wild Ass Sanctuary covers a large part of the barren, blindingly white land of the Little Rann, where nature at its harshest and most compelling. Little Rann is best known as the home of the last remaining population of the chestnut-coloured Indian wild ass (also called khur), as well as bluebulls, blackbuck and chinkara. There’s also a huge bird population from October to March (this is one of the few areas in India where flamingos breed in the wild). Easily accessible from Ahmedabad, it can be combined with trips to Nalsarovar Bird Sanctuary, Modhera and Patan. Guides will arrange your permits for the reserve; the cost of these is normally additional to safari prices.
About 3000 khurs live in the sanctuary, surviving off the flat, grass-covered expanses or islands, known as bets, which rise up to around 3m. These remarkable, notoriously untamable creatures are capable of running at an average speed of 50km/h for long distances.
The Little Rann is punctuated by desolate salt farms, where people eke out a living by pumping up groundwater and extracting the salt. Heat mirages disturb the vast horizon – bushes and trees seem to hover above the surface. Rain turns the desert into a sea of mud, and even during the dry season the solid-looking crust is often deceptive, so it’s essential you take a local guide when exploring the area.
