Day trip to Statue of Unity from Ahmedabad: Ultimate guide to SoU

With my extended family visiting us and most of us having been to all tourist places in Gujarat, we decided to explore something which had excited the entire world. We planned a day trip to Statue of Unity from Ahmedabad just before the national lockdown in India. We booked a private minibus for 11 travellers, got our tickets online and started our journey towards the Statue of Unity – the tallest statue in the world. 

Statue of Unity has been in news ever since it was announced to be constructed. Negative news such as Statue of Unity’s materials coming from China to being recently put on sale during the pandemic have kept circulating. But no matter what the news, tourists were excited to be able to visit this monument which stirred the entire world!

Before we delve into my experience of a day trip to the Statue of Unity from Ahmedabad, let’s look at some quick facts.

Statue of Unity Facts

Statue of Unity vs Statue of Liberty

Statue of Unity height is 597 feet, which is twice the height of the Statue of Liberty and easily surpasses the 420-foot Spring Temple Buddha, previously the world’s tallest, in Henan, China.

Who designed the Statue of Unity?

The Statue of Unity has been designed by sculptor Ram Vanji Sutar.

Who made the Statue of Unity?

Larsen and Toubro constructed the statue.

Statue of Unity location

Statue of Unity in the state of Gujarat in India. The Statue stands on a remote river island bank named Sadhu Bet, 3.2 km away from and facing the Narmada Dam downstream of the Narmada River.

Statue of Unity making cost

India spent Rs 2,989 crore ($430 million) (state funds and centre funds combined) to build the Statue.

Time taken to construct Statue of Unity 

33 months (a record).

Why Sardar Patel statue?

Shri Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel held two important positions in India’s first government – deputy prime minister and minister of home affairs. His contribution to Indian independence from Britain as an activist is commendable. 

What is the statue made of?

Structural steel, reinforced steel, bronze, and concrete.

My experience of visiting the Statue of Unity from Ahmedabad

On a pleasant March morning, just before the pandemic struck, we left for Statue of Unity from Ahmedabad early morning. Our online slot was from 12 noon to 1 pm to reach the viewing gallery. After a quick breakfast stop near Vadodara, we turned towards Kevadia colony. The statue could be seen from many kilometres away playing hide and seek with the Vindhychal and Satpura mountain range. I could only imagine its grandness from this far.

We reached the main gate of the Statue at 11:00 am. It took us 4 hours to reach Statue of Unity from Ahmedabad. I personally loved the cleanliness around the area and that wheelchairs were available from this gate for the differently-abled and elderly folks. 

We walked past perfectly manicured gardens on the sides and well-shaded area to reach the ticket checking point. Just before this point, there is a huge sitting area where one can marvel at the statue overlooking the Sardar Sarovar Dam and the Narmada river.

Our QR coded tickets were scanned and we were given entry. There are enough entry points so this area is not crowded (we went on a Sunday). Small bags and purses are allowed to be taken inside but backpacks and snacks are not. I was asked to keep my backpack in a cloak-room. 

We entered the main area and walked towards the statue. It was a sight to behold the huge statue, no wonder it is the tallest statue in the world. As we reached the pedestal on which the statue is standing, we could see four viewing levels:

• Ground level: Has the elevators which take 200 visitors to the viewing point at 500 feet. This level also has a memorial and gallery dedicated to Shri Sardar Patel.
• First floor: This is the terrace of the gallery and does not have anything in particular but is a good viewing point.
• Second floor: This takes you to the feet of Sardar Patel and lets you wonder in surprise looking at the modern architectural marvel.
• Viewing gallery: For a 360-degree view of the statue’s surroundings from a height of 500 feet.

Since our time slot for viewing gallery was near we first went into the height speed elevators to reach the top. Personnel from L&T (the construction company) enlightened us with a lot of information about the statue.

Height of Statue of Unity

Height of Statue of Unity is 182 meters but the reason behind it is – 182 represents 182 constituencies in the Gujarat Legislative Assembly.

He informed us that the statue was engineered with a triple-layered structure capable of withstanding a severe wind velocity of up to 180 km per hour and resisting earthquakes measuring up to 6.5 Richter scales. The Statue of Unity stands on a star-shaped base that covers a hill.

Statue of Unity Museum & Gallery

After spending about 15 minutes in the ‘airy’ viewing gallery, we took the elevator down and spent the next one-hour browsing through the museum of pictures and short documentaries Sardar Patel’s contribution as a freedom fighter. We left the area at 1 pm as we were super hungry.

Restaurants near Statue of Unity

There are a few restaurants near Statue of Unity which is on the main road. However, we did not how they would turn out to be so we went into the inhouse cafeteria instead. The cafeteria has many options and you can buy coupon and order food. There is a huge sitting area.  

After lunch, we left for other attractions near Statue of Unity. From the exit gate (gate 4) we went to gate 2 where there are hop on hop off buses for these attractions. You can take your own vehicle but not all areas have car parking so it is better to use the bus. 

Sardar Sarovar Dam Viewpoint

A short ride later we reached the Dam where we could see the dam gates up close. It would be a breathtaking sight in monsoon when the flood gates are opened and I told myself to come back during monsoon to see it in its full glory. 

Valley of Flowers

We were then dropped to Valley of Flowers which is a well-kept garden with indigenous flowers. Most of the garden was full of bougainvillaea and we were disappointed as it did not have the variety of the flowers we were hoping to see. A lot of the areas were closed for visiting as some work was going on.

Jungle safari

We came from the garden and crossed the road to go to Jungle Safari which was recently opened. It claimed to have many international wildlife species kept in the special environment by recreating their home country forests. The cost for the safari was extra and we did not find it worth to go. We simply looked at the zoo outside and left.

It was already 4 pm by then and since most of my family members were senior citizens, we decided to call it a day and did not stay back for the laser show which would start by 7 pm. Yes, we skipped it even though we had Statue of Unity Laser show tickets!

Ultimate Guide for the Statue of Unity

Statue of Unity Hotel/Accommodation

Resorts near Statue of Unity include the Narmada Tent city which is situated in Kevadia colony near the Statue and provides comfortable accommodations with luxury air-conditioned tents as well as delicious local cuisine. There are hotels in the nearest town of Bharuch and a 1-day trip from there is also possible. However, I can assure the stay near Statue of Unity would be one heaven of an experience.

Statue of Unity Ticket price

Statue of Unity entry fee is Rs. 120 and Rs. 60 for kids between 3-15 years. The fees include a visit to valley of flowers, memorial, museum, audiovisual gallery, the Statue of Unity (SOU) site and Sardar Sarovar Dam. An additional Rs. 350 is required for the viewing gallery. If you hate waiting in the queue for elevators ( and you will have to wait quite a lot especially on weekends) get a Statue of Unity express entry ticket which will give immediate access to each place. It costs a total of Rs. 1000 and includes laser show fees. Get Statue of Unity online tickets to reduce your time waiting in the queue.

Statue of Unity time

Statue of Unity is open from 8 am to 6 pm every Tuesday to Sunday. The monument is closed on Mondays. Statue of Unity light show/ laser show is from 7 pm to 8 pm on the same days. 

Other places of interest at Statue of Unity are

River rafting (it was inaugurated but closed when I visited) 

Souvenir shop (was empty)

Butterfly garden

Cactus garden

Safari park

Vishwa Van

Ekta nursery

Tribal corner

Tribal cafeteria

How to reach Statue of Unity

By Train: There is finally a train station at Kevadiya to reach the Statue of United. The station was recently inaugurated to join 8 cities of India – Ahmedabad, Hazrat Nizamuddin, Varanasi, Rewa, Dadar, Chennai, Pratapnagar. It is now possible to reach the Statue of Unity by train from Ahmedabad. You can book the tickets on IRCTC.

By Air: The closest airports to the statue of unity is Vadodara which is 90 km away.

By Road: There are many state-run buses from all major cities of Gujarat to reach Kevadiya colony. One can easily drive from neighbouring states to reach the Statue of Unity. Distance from 4 major cities of Gujarat: 

Ahmedabad to Statute of Unity: 200 km

Vadodara to Statute of Unity: 90 km

Surat to Statute of Unity: 156 km

Rajkot to Statute of Unity: 376 km

Distance from other cities if you are thinking about a road trip

Indore to Statute of Unity: 339 km

Mumbai to Statute of Unity: 420 km

Pune to Statute of Unity: 554 km

Delhi to Statute of Unity: 1090 km

Bangalore to Statute of Unity: 1383 km

Sustainability at Statue of Unity

Statue of Unity has utilized a lot of recycled materials and hence is a sustainable structure. The Gujarat Government started the Loha campaign which appealed to the farmers of India to donate their used farm tools. The campaign received an overwhelming response as over lakh iron tools were collected. These tools were melted and used in the formation of the statue. Many NGOs and other social activists came forward to run this campaign which made it even more successful.

Overall thoughts about a day trip to Statue of Unity from Ahmedabad

• We were slightly disappointed with the management of other places of interest near the Statue of Unity. The main complex had no flaws at all. 
• Wheelchairs were not available to any of the other places other than Statue of Unity complex.
• If you are planning a day trip to Statue of Unity from Ahmedabad and want to see the laser show, leave Ahmedabad around 10 am so that you can comfortably cover everything. But be warned you will reach back around midnight.
• A day trip could be a bit hectic as there are a lot of places to see. 
• The cafeteria has good food options but gets extremely stuffy and noisy which leads to less sitting space and a lot of chaos.
• There are ample free water filling stations across the complex. So carry your own bottles and fill it up there. Even if you forget the bottle, you can buy a souvenir bottle and fill it.
• The main complex is extremely clean and very well kept with good security.

Have you been on a road trip to the Statue of Unity from Ahmedabad or from anywhere else? What were your thoughts? Did you have fun? Tell me in the comments below.

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