Visiting the Indo-Pak Border Zero Line at Nadabet in Gujarat

I had always been fascinated about Border areas; the lives of our soldiers and army men though I had never interacted with them in person but thankfully I got a chance to visit the Zero Line, India Pakistan border at Nadabet in Gujarat in February 2021.

The emotion of seeing our security forces guarding us was so overwhelming. We were so taken away by the place, the charm it exuded, the air, the things around us, was just exhilarating.

The border roads with their typical single lanes and side lanes opening every km on either side for vehicles to pass which means if a vehicle is coming from the opposite side, you had to wait in the side lane or else you run risk of taking the car off the road, we did not take the risk since we were driving a Hyundai i20.

However, we came across a diversion and we got to test the off road ability of our i20 😀 

One of the side views!

About the Place! 

India Pakistan border stretches from Gujarat towards Rajasthan and J&K. The total length of the border in Gujarat is around 508 kms out of which 340 kms are feasible for construction of fencing. 

One such fenced Border Outpost (BOP as BSF calls it) is Nadabet which has been developed as a tourist spot with assistance from Govt of Gujarat.

The attractions involve retreat ceremony by BSF, camel show, fusion band performance, bird watching, photo gallery and a film on BSF. However, the retreat ceremony and camel show have not yet commenced after COVID. They will start the same once the pandemic ends.
Another reason for me to visit this place again :)

However, besides the border, there is a Nadeshwari Mata temple with a lot of clean open spaces and a perfect place to rest before going to the Zero Line. We had our home-made lunch at the temple premises itself. There is a guest house too.

How to reach?

It is close to 257 kms from Ahmedabad (small variation of 10-20 kms based on the place you live in Ahmedabad).
We left in the morning at 7 am and covered the distance without hiccups. Highway is reasonably good however we expected better roads.

The last town/village is Suigam. Suigam-Nadabet Zero line is 45 kms.

The Place - Zero Line

We had to avail the permit and got ourselves one with ID Proof and after complying with the registration/checking formalities at BOP Nadabet, we proceeded towards the Zero Line. The last few kms were surreal, it really made us rethink about our privileged life.

The way to the Zero Line is the best part of the journey. There is a vast rann on both the sides, you can see the white surface and history(not confirmed though) has it there was a river few decades back.
 

We did spot a few birds but there were rare anyways, here is a panoramic view of the scenic desert.

The view from the viewing deck! They have constructed these wonderful viewing decks for tourists to view the vast expanse of the desert.

With this, we reached the Zero Line with BSF Jawans welcoming tourists with smile (who knows what all hardships that smile is hiding), there is another viewing deck at the Zero Line. I wondered how difficult it must be for BSF to work tirelessly in extreme heat, wind and unfavourable weather. Respect!

The most iconic image of the journey.

It was just a one day trip and we came back the same day but this was on my bucket list for a long time. I really feel this was my best trip post the pandemic driven 2020. The picturesque environs, the conversations with BSF Jawans, the drive really made it memorable! This is an underrated place!

(P S - Most of the credits for the pictures goes to my brother Parag and also for agreeing immediately for this trip without any second thoughts, he drove while I was watching the desert all over from every side)