"The Uncivilized 9," a group of college friends now older and riding bigger "toys," reunited for an ambitious motorcycle loop from Pune through Gujarat.
Over eight days, we battled grueling highway stretches, regrouping challenges due to mixed riding skills and varied bike capacities, and a last-minute major detour when a key ferry was cancelled.
Highlights included navigating the spectacular "Road to Heaven" into Dholavira at sunset, spotting Asiatic Lions in Gir, and enjoying a cool respite in the hill station of Saputara. Despite the traffic battles around Pune on the return leg, the group returned home a day early, having successfully tested their endurance and rediscovered the joy of riding together.
Part 1 of 3
The Long Slog to the Salt (Days 1–3)
We used to share hostels, but now we share roads. We are "The Uncivilized 9," college friends reuniting on motorcycles that are much better than the ones we rode back in the day. We kicked the trip off from Pune with a very early start, aiming for Baroda. This first leg immediately exposed our weaknesses: we hadn't ridden together in a group for a long time, and with bikes ranging from KTM 390s to massive GS 850s, keeping a unified pace was near impossible. We spent 12 exhausting hours in the saddle, taking way too many stops to regroup and refuel, eventually limping into our Baroda hotel via some "interesting" Google Maps shortcuts.
Waking up for the second day, our aching bodies protested, but we had a timeline. The long, flat highways of Gujarat stretched before us, an endless parade of new sights and changing smells every few miles. As we pushed past the 1,000km total marker on day two, highway exhaustion threatened. However, as soon as the road signs started mentioning Dholavira, a collective surge of energy hit us. We reached our resort that evening weary, but the excitement was finally bubbling over.
We had planned Day 3 as a rest day, but it became a pick-your-own-adventure morning. Some of us truly rested at the resort, while the more adventurous ones went searching for an off-road trail. After regrouping for lunch, we all saddled up for the main event: the Fossil Park and the famous "Road to Heaven." We aimed for sunset, and the timing was perfect. Seeing that stretch of road cut through the white Rann landscape in that light made every painful highway kilometer worth it.
Part 2 of 3
Lions and Lessons (Days 4–5)
Leaving Dholavira, we started our journey south towards Gir. The ride was uninspiring—just endless stretches of long highway stretches with nothing worthwhile in between to break the monotony. Our communication broke down again, and as we approached Gir, we got split into multiple groups, reaching the resort in parts. Good thing we had phones and maps. It was another clear sign that we seriously need to work on our group ride skills.
Day 5 was about the safari. We were out on a morning safari, bumping through the sanctuary hoping to spot Asiatic Lions. We spotted many animals, but for nearly two hours, the main attraction eluded us. Just at the very end of our tour, we lucked out. A pride of lions with cubs was spotted nearby. They were napping, but at least we spotted them. After a celebratory lunch, we split up for the afternoon: some of us finally attended to necessary bike maintenance, while some decided to ride to a nearby temple to pray for our continued safety.
Part 3 of 3
The Detour and the Dash for Home (Days 6–8)
The original plan for this day was to go towards Bhavnagar to catch the Ro-Ro ferry. But we woke up to a mess of emails and SMS messages that the ferry was cancelled due to the low tide water level. We had to change our plans on the fly. We instead rode down to Baroda for a night halt and then proceed to Saputara as earlier planned. It was a long, boring day of riding, but perhaps the only good outcome was that, after days of riding together, the group was able to finally keep pace with each other for the entire leg.
From Baroda, we pointed the bikes toward the Saputara hill station. It was like a different world. Beautiful roads welcomed us to Saputara, and the weather for once turned from hot to Cloudy with a chance of showers. We loved it. We smoothed our way into Saputara by later afternoon and explored the famous spots in the evening.
By the end of the evening in Saputara, everyone was happy, and we decided to cut our trip short by one day and return to Pune the following day itself. The return leg was fine from Saputara till Nashik. But then we hit the under construction highways, and the diversions and famous Chakan block caused us heartache. But the vision of a home welcoming us got us through it. We made it back a day early, happy to be done, but having survived the ride as friends.
