Planning to visit Statue of Unity, Gujarat? Here is the complete Tour Guide, Itinerary, Ticket Price, Booking Information & Facts!

Summer season is peaking. Since it’s getting increasingly difficult to step outdoors at this time, one of the best things you can do right now is to plan your next travel destination for the monsoon season. 

If you’re confused and wondering where you could travel next, allow me to suggest you the very destination that I have just returned from (thanks to an invite from Gujarat Tourism, Ministry of Tourism- Government of India) and one that mesmerized me not just for its monumental wonder and architectural grandeur but so much more for the historical, national, spiritual magnanimity it depicts in the most captivating way:

At 182 metres, Statue of Unity is the tallest statue in the world.

I’m talking about the pride of our country, “Gujarat’s Tribute to the Nation” Statue of Unity in the Kevadia District of Gujarat which has gained worldwide popularity in no time ever since its inception.

World’s Tallest Statue, Statue of Unity: An introduction -->

Futuristic, sparkling new, multi-cultural, and doing something innovative, is Gujarat, and the latest addition to its tourism kitty is the Statue of Unity – an iconic statue that sprouts out of the isle of Sadhu Bet in River Narmada, Ekta Nagar, Kevadia.

Dedicated to the ‘Iron Man of India’, ‘Unifier of India’, The Statue of Unity is India’s ode to a prominent leader of the Indian freedom struggle and independent India’s first Home Minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.

Do you know how we travel freely today from Kanyakumari to Himalayas as an 'Indian'?

It’s because of this man!

Over 3,000 workers, including 300 engineers from Larsen & Toubro (L&T), built the statue within three-and-a-half years.

Post Independence, India was free yet divided on many grounds – both territorial and emotional - but it was Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel who rose to the immense task and successfully united 562 princely states into one single nation.

A dream project of our honourable prime minister, Narendra Modiji built the memorial as the ‘World’s Tallest Statue” to pay rich gratitude to the gigantic vision, grit, courage, tact and pragmatic political stature of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in creating “EK Bharat”.

The statue was inaugurated on October 31, 2018 – Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s 143rd birth anniversary – five years after the work began.

Why Visit the Statue of Unity (SOU)?

To Admire the World’s Tallest Statue: One of its Kind Architectural Marvel of the World.

Towering tall at 182-metre (which is also the total number of democratic seats in Gujarat Legislative Assembly), twice the size of the Statue of Liberty in New York, SOU prides at being the world’s tallest statue racing past many a famous, tall statues in Japan, China, Russia, Brazil and USA. 

This is precisely the reason why millions of tourists every year (including me!), from all over the world pin Kevadia district on their Google map – to see the world’s tallest statue in person!

Did you know the statue is one of the few man-made structures that can be seen from the space?

No wonder that it took 250 engineers, 3,400 laborers, 70,000 tonnes of cement, 18,500 tonnes of reinforcement steel bars, 6,000 tonnes of structural steel, and 1,700 metric tonnes of bronze—to build this phenomenal statue.

And mark my words when I say this, what you see in the media can never ever replicate the real wonder of seeing the marvel in person – the experience of seeing this spectacle with your own eyes is truly surreal and is bound to leave you wanting for more!

To Fill Your Heart With Pride and Honor.

The magnitude of the statue is undoubtedly one of the major attractions here but there is so much more to it!

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel - the man behind the political integration
of over 500 princely states into the independent Indian Union.

Once I looked beyond the size and scale of the statue, the intensity is what struck me next! Intensity of the man himself, his character – his will power, his brilliance, his sacrifices, and all his challenges in uniting a country as huge as India. The statue almost comes to life during the laser show at night when it doubles up as a projection screen mapping a million lights dancing, and replaying the entire life journey of the man – oh the awe it inspires and the respect it generates!

To Be A Part of Ek Bharat, Shrestha Bharat.

If Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel envisioned ‘Ek Bharat’, SOU takes it a step further by adding ‘Shreshta Bharat’ to it.

A program which promotes interaction & mutual understanding between people of different states

I felt that Unity in diversity is a recurrent theme that holds the entire town of Ekta Nagar in Kevadia together – the most significant one being that of habitat and nature with the advancement of technology.

So what I saw were attractions like Valley of Flowers, Vishwa Van, Jungle safari, Aarogya Van, etc. alongside the sky piercing monument complimented by the Satpura, Vindhyachal mountain ranges while the highly revered Mother river Narmada flowed across gently holding them all together. 

Enveloped in nature

To see everything connected in the spirit of nature in such an interesting manner is something that needs to be appreciated, treasured and definitely something that needs to be experienced for yourself.

Instagrammable opportunities Galore!

Imagine a Rekha-esque moment when you sing to the tune of ‘Dekha Ek Khwab to yeh silsile hue’ while walking through a riverbed of exotic flowers?

You can capture all these memories during the visit to the Statue of Unity. And more!

Lots of photo ops to bring back home from the SOU

There is the World’s tallest masterpiece – add to that lush green gardens in the Valley of Flowers, the majestic sight of verdant mountain ranges and the Sardar Sarovar Dam from the Vantage Viewing Gallery located at a height of 153 mtrs., the splendor of the highly revered Narmada River Arti, the fairylike neon lights in the glow garden, a captivating sunset from the Ekta Boat cruise, and the exhilarating laser show at night are just some of the instances where you wouldn’t want to stop clicking.

What’s more, there are specific selfie points made at many places to frame and carry those smiles home.

How to Book Tickets for Statue of Unity / SOU?

Making up your mind to visit the Statue of Unity already? Let’s learn about the booking of tickets!

There are four types of Tickets for Statue of Unity:

1. Basic entry ticket

2. Viewing Gallery ticket

3. VIP or Express Entry Ticket

4. Tickets for Foreign nationals

Basic entry ticket

The price of a basic ticket is Rs. 150 for an adult (age > 15 years) and Rs. 90 for a child (3-15 years).

With this ticket, you get entry to - 

1. The Valley of Flower

2. SOU Memorial.

3. SOU Museum.

4. Laser Light and Sound Show.

5. Sardar Sarovar Dam Viewpoints.

6. Hop-on Hop-off fully air conditioned SOU buses to take you around.

You don't get entry to –

The Viewing Gallery at the chest of the Statue with this ticket. This takes us to our next type of ticket.

Viewing Gallery ticket.

The price of Viewing Gallery ticket is Rs 380 for an adult and Rs. 230 for a child. This ticket gives all the basic entry access and also access to the Viewing gallery at the chest of the Sadar Vallabhbhai Patel's statue.

For this, you will be going inside the statue and will zoom off via one of the two high speed elevators that will take you at a height of 153 mtrs. The viewing deck offers panoramic views of the Narmada river, surrounding hills, and Sardar Sarovar dam.

VIP or Express Entry Ticket. 

VIP or Express Entry ticket to Statue of Unity is for Rs 1,030 for all over 3 years of age. This gives the same access as Viewing Gallery ticket however, as the name suggests the ticket holders are given VIP / priority access to all the places meaning they dont need to stand in a queue thereby saving a lot of time and energy.

Tickets for Foreign nationals.

This is only for foreign nationals (from outside India). The price of this ticket is Rs. 1,530 for an adult and Rs.830 for a child. 

It gives the same benefits as the 'VIP or Express Entry Ticket'.

Things to do at the Statue of Unity? What to see and do, Complete Itinerary, Statue of Unity:

DAY 1 -->

Ekta Cruise:

One of the top things I did in this SOU trip was taking the Ekta Cruise Ferry Ride across the Narmada River during sunset at 5 PM. It’s a very unique experience to see the Statue from different angles aboard the 35 minutes long ferry with the sun in the backdrop, even though it was a little hazy the day I went.

View of Statue of Unity from the Ekta cruise - evening slot 

Tip: Carry your Statue of Unity entry tickets with you on the cruise, get down at the SOU jetty and explore the SOU site – museum, viewing gallery of the Statue of Unity.

Entry Ticket Price: Rs. 200 (for both Adult and Child).

SOU Complex (Statue, Museum, Observation Deck)

One of the top attractions of Ekta Nagar Kevadiya, an icon that reaches to the sky, is obviously the Statue of Unity, the tallest statue in the world (as of 2022) which can be seen up right by walking up to the foot at the SOU complex site.

View from the Memorial where you can walk right upto the foot of the statue

With the Viewing Gallery Ticket, you can go to the viewing deck on the 142nd floor in a high speed elevator in just 30 seconds. The Museum and the gallery, both are air conditioned and the view from the chest area of the statue was out of the world to say the least.

View from the Viewing Gallery at 153 mtrs. inside the statue

Entry Ticket Price: Refer to the details on booking the ticket for SOU written above.

Laser Show:

The laser show is another ‘Must do thing in SOU’. With the help of 51 high-resolution projectors fixed at a distance of 600 m, the show uses an array of laser lights, music, and graphics and screens them all on the statue painting the trajectory of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s life and his role in the unification of post-independent India in the most spectacular way!

51 laser projectors fixed at a distance of 600 m instilling life into the statue

What is the entry ticket for Laser show? It’s Free, included with the SOU tickets!

Timings: 7.00 – 7.30 PM.

Tip: Reach the deck a bit early to get a good seat for yourself to enjoy the laser show.

Narmada Maha Aarti and Shoolpaneshwar Temple:

Arti of Holy River Narmada, one of the seven sacred rivers.

This is the best way we could have ended our day with, after the laser show. The Narmada Maha Arti has striking resemblance to the Varanasi Arti with huge brass lamps moving in perfect sync by 7 priests standing at the platform. The lilting music of the water, the melodious chants, the bright gold of the lamp – gave me goosebumps!

Timings: 8.00 PM onwards.

DAY 2 -->

Valley of Flowers:

Valley of Flowers - Home to 600 species of flowers

Valley of flowers is home to an array of exotic flowers arranged in a fascinating landscape. The best part of visiting this garden was to see the Statue of Unity in the far distance through the colorful foliage.

Tip: Valley of Flowers is included in all the three tickets for SOU and you can reach there by their service buses.

Entry Ticket Price: Included in the SOU Tickets described above.

Jungle Safari:

Rhino - one among the many exotic animals in the jungle safari

The jungle safari took me straight back to my childhood – it’s a cool thing to do if you are in the SOU. There’s an ecart to take you to the major points plus there’s some walking involved in the safari where you can see various animals like white lion, tigers, cheetah, giraffe, rhino, Indian wild bullock, deers, llamas, etc in their natural habitat. There’s a bird aviary (Indian and foreign) housing rare exotic species like Red Jungle Fowl, Patridge, Pelicans, Swans and may other in the largest geodesic dome in the world.

I was thrilled to see the white peacock dance in the aviary.

Entry Ticket: Rs. 200 (Adult) / 125 (Child)

Pet Zone:

Pet zone is an extension to the idea of Jungle Safari – here, you can actually go close to animals like ponies, sheep, and rabbits, pet and feed them and also click pictures with them.

Petting the rabbits in the Pet Zone

Entry Ticket Price: Rs. 50 (Adult) / Rs. 25 (Child)

Vishwa Van:

In this forested garden, native herbs, bushes, and trees are arranged in typical topography so that they make up all the seven continents of the earth. The design is spectacular and is inspired by the Olympic rings representing each continent. What was amazing to see was that how, through such a meticulous and carefully laid out flora, the theme of unity in diversity goes global to cover the entire world.

Baobab tree and other specimens from the African continent

Entry Ticket Price: Rs. 30 (Adult) / Rs. 20 (Child)

Unity Glow Garden:

Stepping in the Unity Glow Garden was like stepping into a fairyland! With all the glowing animals, LED glowers, trees, animated fountain, interactive lighting, selfie points, etc. I felt like that little girl from Narnia who had just been transported to a magical, mystical world.

Unique theme park in SOUthat is all aglow in the night

The best time to visit this unique theme park is night when everything is just all so lit!

Entry Ticket Price: Rs. 100 (Adult)/ Rs. 50 (Child)

Dam Lighting Show:

Another must-see night attraction in Ekta Nagar at night is the Sardar Sarovar Dam which comes into life of its own! The top-line glimmers with dancing light patterns sending colorful rhythmic light beam streaks in the dark canvas of the sky. The entire sight is a visual delight for sure!

Entry Ticket Price: Free

Other Attractions in the SOU:

There are separate tickets for other attractions like Ekta Nursery, Cactus and Butterfly Garden, Children Nutrition Park, Aarogya Van within the SOU campus.

Getting around SOU: Can you take your own cars within SOU?

As SOU is India’s first e-vehicle only pollution free zone, personal vehicles are not allowed no matter which ticket you buy and one has to either hop in their shuttle buses or hire an e rickshaw to roam around.

If you love to walk, and if you’re ready for some mild exercise (SOU is spread in 18 kms) you cover many places within SOU with the help of their bus and rickshaw service easily.

Where can you park your vehicles and what are the parking charges?

All your cars and vehicles have to be parked in Parking 1 / Narmada Tent City in case you’re staying there. Frequent buses ply from the parking 1 area in a time span of 5-15 minutes. You can hop on and hop off at any of the attraction points.  E-rickshaws are also a very convenient option to get around plus it also supports women employment.

Parking Charges – Rs. 50 / car

Would love to see self rented e-bikes and e-scooties in the near future.

How to book tickets for Statue of Unity?

You can book your tickets online for the Statue of Unity and all the other attractions as well.

Accommodation: Where to Stay at the Statue of Unity?

Set in nature- Narmada Tent City 2 at SOU

SOU is a popular tourist destination and to explore the same, I would suggest you to stay in one of the two tent cities designed right on the river bank – Narmada Tent City 1 or Narmada Tent City 2. Tent City 1 is more expensive but both the tent cities come in the luxury category, fully air conditioned and equipped with all the modern facilities.

I stayed in Narmada Tent City - 2 and absolutely loved it! The tents were cozy and comfortable which was very relaxing after a tiring day outdoors. The lighting was a bit on the warmer side which amped up the coziness factor. The bathroom was clean too with distinct spaces for the bath, basin and lavatory which I highly appreciated.

Luxurious tent Narmada Tent City 2, SOU

The dining hall at the Tent City was huge and served fresh hot meals all three times of the day – breakfast, lunch and dinner. The menu was simple yet elaborate and above all, healthy and tasty! Icing on the cake were the desserts at the end which complimented the main course well!

Simple, hygienic, tasty meals at Narmada Tent City 2

What is the Best Time to Visit SOU?

Gujarat can be very hot in the summers so the ideal time to visit this marvel is in the months of October to February when the weather is more conducive for walking and exploration.

Having said that, SOU remains open 365 days a year except for Mondays.

How to Reach SOU?

The Statue of Unity is located near the small town of Kevadiya / Ekta Nagar in Gujarat which is around 3.5 km away from the statue. The nearest city is Rajpipla which is 25 kilometers away.

• Ahmedabad to Statue of unity = 200 Km
• Vadodara to Statue of unity = 100 Km
• Surat to Statue of unity = 160 Km
• Bharuch to Statue of unity = 100 Km

By Air / Train:

The nearest railway station and airport is in Vadodara.

Alternatively, you can get to the SOU from Ahmedabad as well which is further from Vadodara but has major railway station and airport. You can also avail of this special train Ahmedabad-Kevadia Jan Shatabdi Special Express which includes a superior Vistadome coach with wide window panes, rotatable 180 degree seating and glass rooftop, AC Chair Car Executive Class, AC chair car and Non-AC chair car coaches. The train runs daily and has a halt at Vadodara Junction.

By Road:

If you’re a fan of road tripping, you can hit the road through various villages and towns of Gujarat, beginning with Nadiad, Godhra, Vadodara, Dhavoi, Rajpipla, and Bharuch to reach the statue.

From Ahmedabad, you can take the national highway, which is how I reached after landing from Mumbai, a journey which takes about 4 hours.

By Bus:

The nearest bus stop to the statue is at Kevadia, from where you can hire a local auto to the statue.

What are the timings of Statue of Unity?

SOU is open on all days of the year except Mondays.

How many days are enough for Statue of Unity?

I was at SOU for 2N / 3D and found it enough to cover most of the places. However, considering the number of attractions, I think 3 nights would have been more convenient to explore the place thoroughly.

There are day trips to SOU too but I would strongly suggest you to avoid that as SOU packs way more beauty that is impossible to squeeze in a single day.

How do I plan a 2 day trip to Statue of Unity?

You can either take the help of the travel guide based on my first-hand experience given above or else just leave the planning work to me! Reach out to me on my email id: ushatravelpoint@gmail.com or contact form and I can help you with the itinerary and customizing the SOU tour for you at the best possible rates.

Are there holiday packages for Statue of Unity / SOU?

You want to go and experience all this in Statue of Unity too?

Awesome! There are various kinds of holiday packages available for Statue of Unity – group tours, family tours, individual trips. And each package can be created based on your interest, budget and preferences.

Don’t forget that if you book your packages through me, you get amazing discounts and deals (and it gives us a little extra income too)! Just reach out us on our email id: ushatravelpoint@gmail.com or DM me on Instagram or fill up my contact form – I am here to help!

Final Thoughts!

Whew! So there you have it! A complete travel trip guide to the world's tallest statue Statue of Unity in Gujarat! And would you believe that I still didn't cover everything you can do in SOU??

SOU is an excellent destination choice no matter what age you are! If you are yet to witness the stunningly enormous wonder, then it’s time to start planning about it. The Statue of Unity is a marvel in itself and not just a monument but the pride of every Indian. The emotions you experience while watching the SOU cannot be described in words. Add to this, the number of attractions are so many that there is something for everybody in SOU.

Do plan sometime, and contact us for discounted rates in flights, Narmada tent city stay or SOU tour packages – it helps us earn some extra income at no additional cost to you.

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I was honored to be a part of this Gujarat FAM trip to Statue of Unity with other bloggers organized by Gujarat Tourism, Ministry of Tourism - Government of India. If you need any assistance in planning a trip to SOU, please do not hesitate to get in touch!

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