The coastline which is a part of Marine National Park has rich coral underwater species. The Marine National park is open for public. The coastline coral walk can also be enjoyed from Narara Park. The coastal area Jamnagar has beautiful temples and a bird sanctuary on the wetland. Besides the species of corals and sponges, one can also sight Octopus, grabs, prawns, seashells, sea cucumbers, sea horses, jellyfishes, starfishes and many more. It’s a fascinating site and will consume 4-5 hours easily.
Pirotan is an Island which is now closed for the tourists.
The Jamnagar coastline is famous for coral walk because it is one of the rare places in the world where the visitor can enjoy the corals on the sea shore. The deeper the diver goes the beautiful the ocean gets. The coastline gives the viewer the pleasure to enjoy the coral beauty near the seashore. The nature beauty on the shore can be enjoyed by just by stepping one or two feet inside it. The underwater coral beauty attracts many tourists from different parts of the world.
Marine Sanctuary and National Park
The coral coastline have attractive underwater world. There is a Marine Sanctuary and National Park that are open to public to enjoy the beauty of nature near coastline.On the Gulf of Kutch on the southern shore lies the Jamnagar District in the state of Gujarat. Marine Sanctuary stretches from Okha to Jodiya covering an area of 270 km2 as per the calculation done in 1980.
In 1982 a core area of 110 km2 was declared Marine National Park under the provisions of the Wildlife (protection) Act, 1972 of India. In India this park was the first national marine park. Jamnagar is the land of Islands. The coastline of Jamnagar has Marine National Park which has 42 islands. The islands are surrounded by reefs, sandy beaches and mangrove swamps, etc. The treasure of marine species and birds makes the place heaven for visitors. The fauna found on the island includes octopus, jelly fish, star fish, corals, exotic marine flowering plants, puffer fish, sea horse, huge green sea turtles, lobsters, dolphins, etc.
Pirotan Island
Pirotan is the most popular island on Jamnagar coastline. The islands have rich fauna which includes coral, Dugong and smaller cetaceans (Finless Porpoise, Common Dolphin, Bottlenose Dolphin, Indo-Pacific Humpback Dolphin).
The island was once had rich collection of whales. The type of whales found here were Blue Whales, Sei Whales, Humpback Whales, Sperm Whales, etc. The deeper you go in the water the closer you get to the whales and sharks. The divers can enjoy the large scale of Greater Flamingo colony which has approximately 20,000 nests along the gulf. The Park is situated on one of the 42 islands.
The island Pirotan was known as “Pir jo thaan” which meant the place of the holy Saint Khwaja Khizer Alaihisalaam).
How to reach Pirotan Island
Pirotan Island is at a distance of about 12 nautical miles from Bedi port. One can reach the island in 2 hours journey via boat from Bedi port. One will find good underwater fauna while reaching the destination. One can admire the wonderful natural beauty with beautiful birds and fishes all around.Important tips for tourists
- Take permission from the Forest Department, Gujarat, The Custom and the port department prior For access to the Marine National Park, one has to take permissions from the Forest Department, The Customs Department & the Port.
- For foreign tourists additional permission from the Police Department is needed along with other permissions.
- It is advisable to wear thick soled shoes or sandals while walking on the coral island as there are many sharp reefs. The winters are chilling so it is advisable to wear warm clothes while traveling in the open boat. Do not forget to apply cold cream as the skin gets dry easily in this area. The summer is hot and the exposure to the sun on open boat can damage one’s skin. So, it is advisable to apply sun block cream wear cap and sun glasses.
Time to visit
Prior weather information can help one plan the visit to this place. The tide low and high rise matter in the travelling decision. Pirotan Island can be reached on the boat in high tide. The timing of high tide is generally calculated in accordance with its occurrence time as it has the life cycle of 12hours. The organizer informs the best travelling time on a particular day in accordance with the weather condition.The thumb rule that can be applied is to follow the lunar or the Gujarati calendar dates that is on 5th, 6th and 7th which are the most favorable as the high tide time is at day break.
Narara Island in Jamnagar
The Island can be reached via road. The Island is a good option when the visitor misses the chance of visiting Pirotan Island. It is also a good option for doing coral walk which is about 60 KMS from Jamnagar which can be reached without sailing to the Islands. 
This is the popular option opted by most of the visitors as they miss the favorable travelling dates. The coral walk is enjoyed by many on Narara Island. The underwater beauty and the charming beauty of flying birds all around on the Island is same as one may find on the Pirotan Island.
Accommodation
Getting a budget accommodation is little difficult in Jamnagar. A decent hotel are on the higher range in the town. The other option available is lodge which are in front of the Bus stand are not very decent to stay back.Accommodation/Restaurant in Narara: Forest Department Guest house is there at park entrance which also includes a cafeteria.
How to reach Narara in Jamnagar
The place can be reached by taxi or private vehicle. The facility of public transport is not available. Narara can be reached from Vadinar which is at a distance of 7 km and is the nearest town connected with state transport bus service. The bus to reach Vadinar can be approached from Jhakar which is on Jamnagar-Dwarka highway.Jamnagar-Jhakar
Bus Fare: Jamnagar-Jhakar: 25 INRTime of Journey: 1 hour, 37 km
Bus Frequency: Frequent
Jhakar to Vadinar
Fare: 10 INRDistance: 12 km
Travel Time: 30 minutes
Travelling from Vadinar to Narara is not easy. Hiring a private Khatra is advisable with to and fro option. As there is no Khatar available near the Island while returning.
Vadinar to Narara
Fare: 100 INRTravel Time: 30 minutes
Distance: 7 km
Contact Details
Marine National ParkContact Person: Chief Conservation of Forest, Jamnagar
Phone: 0288-2679371
Visiting hours: Depends on Tidal behavior. Varies with moon
Best time to visit: Winters (November-March)
Entry points (open for tourists): Narara and Positra (near Dwarka) are the two entry points for visitors.
Fee Structure
No of Tourists: 1-6 personsIndian (Mon-Fri): 200
Foreigners (Mon-Fri): 900(US 20$)
Student (Mon-Fri): 100
Indian (Sat-Sun): 250
Foreigners (Sat-Sun): 1125
Student (Sat-Sun): 125
Camera Fee (Indian): 100
Camera Fee (Foreigner): 450
No. Of Persons: 7-15 persons
Indian (Mon-Fri): 500
Foreigner (Mon-Fri): 2250 (US 50$)
Student (Mon-Fri): 250
Indian (Sat-Sun): 625
Foreigner (Sat-Sun): 2813
Student (Sat-Sun): 313
Camera Fee (Indian): 100
Camera Fee (Foreigner): 450
No. of Persons: 16-60 persons
Indian (Mon-Fri): 1750
Foreigner (Mon-Fri): 7875(US 175$)
Student (Mon-Fri): 875
Indian (Sat-Sun): 2188
Foreigner (Sat-Sun): 9844
Student (Sat-Sun): 1094
Camera Fee (Indian): 100
Camera Fee (Foreigner): 450
