Rann of Kutch

An endless white salt desert that glows silver under the full moon — during winter's Rann Utsav a tent city rises at Dhordo with folk music, camel carts and Kutchi crafts, while flamingos wade the marshes at the edge of nowhere.

Why visit: Walk on a moonlit salt flat stretching to the horizon — surreal is an understatement.

History: Once an arm of the sea, uplifted by earthquakes into a seasonal salt marsh; the Utsav began in 2005 and turned the border village of Dhordo into a global attraction.