Picnic Spots Near Ahmedabad: 8 Lush Farm Stays and Lakeside Destinations Around the City
There are two completely different things people mean by “picnic near Ahmedabad.”
One is a day package — you drive 30 to 45 minutes to a green property outside the city, hand over roughly ₹1,200 a head, and get a pool, lawns, indoor games, and three meals from 9 am to 9 pm. Zero planning, everything included.
The other is an actual picnic — a mat, a lake, a tiffin box, and a flask of chai, for under ₹200 a head.
Both are good. They suit completely different days, groups and budgets, and almost every guide online lumps them together while quietly linking to a booking agent.
This one covers four green farm-stay clubs and four lakeside and nature spots, with the practical part nobody writes: how to read a day package before you pay for it, and what to confirm in writing.
Quick reference
| Spot | Distance | Type | Rough cost/head |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 Acres Club, Sanand | ~30 km | Farm club, day package | ₹1,000–1,800 |
| Aalloa Hills, Gandhinagar–Mahudi | ~45 km | Nature-led premium | ₹1,200–2,000 |
| Palm Greens Club | ~30 km | Family club, lotus lake | ₹1,000–1,800 |
| Bansari Greens | ~30–40 km | Sports-heavy day club | ₹1,150–1,750 |
| Gulmohar Greens | Sanand side | Golf and greens | ₹1,500+ |
| Swapna Srushti Resort | ~28 km | Quirky stays + water park | ₹900–1,500 |
| Thol Lake | ~30–40 km | DIY lakeside picnic | ~₹50 + your tiffin |
| Nalsarovar & lakeside camps | ~62–69 km | Winter lakeside | ₹200–1,500 |
Day-package rates shift by season, day and group size. Treat these as bands and confirm before you book.
Part one: the farm stays and green day clubs
1. 100 Acres Club, Sanand — the reliable all-rounder
Where: Sanand side, roughly 30 km from Iscon Cross Road Format: one-day, two-day and weekend packages; rooms available if you want to stay over
The most commonly booked day-out property in the Ahmedabad belt, and it earns that through range: indoor and outdoor activities, aqua activities, a decent restaurant, and enough space that a group of thirty doesn’t feel packed on top of a group of eight.
Who it suits: mixed groups where nobody agrees on what they want to do. Corporate teams, extended-family days, college groups.
Verdict: the safe default. Not the most beautiful property on this list, comfortably the most flexible.
2. Aalloa Hills, Gandhinagar–Mahudi Highway — the nature-led one
Where: on the Gandhinagar–Mahudi Highway, about 45 km from Ahmedabad, a figure the resort and Gujarat Tourism both give
The premium, landscape-driven option — undulating terrain and greenery rather than flat lawn, which makes it visually the most interesting property in this category.
Two practical notes worth knowing:
- Check your route before paying. At 45 km on the Mahudi corridor, it’s an easy drive from north and west Ahmedabad and a genuinely annoying one from Maninagar or the east.
- Camera rules. Picnic rules at properties like this often permit mobile photography but not DSLRs. If you were planning a proper shoot, ask first.
Who it suits: older children and teenagers, and adults who want scenery rather than a waterslide.
Verdict: the best-looking day out within 50 km. Combine it with Mahudi on the same corridor if you want the trip to have a second stop.
3. Palm Greens Club — 40 acres and a lotus lake
Where: on the city’s edge, roughly 30 km out The setting: around 40 acres of palm trees and greenery built around a lotus-covered lake, with cottages, villas and suites for anyone extending to a stay
The differentiator here is children. Palm Greens explicitly lists a kids’ pool and play equipment, which matters enormously — a toddler who can’t use a deep adult pool will ruin a six-hour day for everyone. There’s also a private movie theatre showing recent releases, plus the usual indoor and outdoor games, restaurants and cafes.
Who it suits: families with children under ten, and anyone whose main constraint is “will the four-year-old be okay.”
Verdict: the most child-proofed property on this list.
4. Bansari Greens — sports, and honest pricing
Where: the Ahmedabad outskirts Packages: the official page lists adult plans from around ₹1,150 for an evening outing up to ₹1,750 for a full 9 am–9 pm day, with reduced rates for children aged five to ten, and a 5% GST on food packages
The facilities list is deep on sport: pool, children’s play area, indoor games, tennis, volleyball, basketball, cricket and a clubhouse, in green surroundings.
The reason we rate the pricing: it’s published and specific, which is rarer than it should be in this category.
One flag: the packages page has been known to carry duplicated meal labels, so don’t infer your inclusions from the web card. Get the package name, timing, menu and final price sent to you on WhatsApp or email before paying.
Who it suits: three-generation groups where some people want to play cricket and others want to eat lunch slowly and not move.
Verdict: best value in the mid-tier if you actually use the sports facilities.
5. Gulmohar Greens Golf & Country Club — the green one
Where: Sanand side, about half an hour’s drive from Nalsarovar
The most manicured property in the Ahmedabad belt, built around a golf course, and the natural pick for corporate day-outs where the impression matters as much as the day.
The clever routing: it’s roughly thirty minutes from Nalsarovar, which means a winter day of sunrise birding followed by lunch and an afternoon at the club is entirely doable and almost nobody does it.
Who it suits: corporate groups, golfers, and anyone who wants greenery without a slide in it.
Verdict: the most polished, and the easiest to justify on an expense claim.
6. Swapna Srushti Resort — the quirky one
Where: roughly 28 km from Ahmedabad, on the Gandhinagar–Mahudi side
Attached to the water park of the same name, but the resort side is its own thing — traditional mud-built rooms and a truck-themed room among the accommodation, set in a large green property.
The combination play: water park for the children in the day, greenery and open space for everyone else, and the Amarnath Dham temple right next door, which — as we’ve noted before — makes the trip much easier to sell to relatives.
Who it suits: families who want the water park anyway and would rather not drive back tired the same night.
Verdict: the best pick if a water park is already on your list. See our full waterparks guide for the park side of it.
Part two: the lakeside picnics
This is the category people forget exists, and it costs about a tenth as much.
7. Thol Lake — the DIY lakeside day
Where: Mehsana district, roughly 30–40 km from Ahmedabad Timings: approximately 6:00 am to 5:30 pm Entry:around ₹50 per person Season: November to February for birds; October to March for pleasant sitting
A freshwater lake surrounded by scrub forest and marshland spread across roughly 7 km, with sarus cranes, flamingos and pelicans in winter. Boating isn’t permitted, which is exactly why the birds stay.
There are open areas well suited to a proper outdoor picnic — but read this carefully: nothing is available inside. No food, no stall, no reliable water. Whatever you want, you carry.
Your picnic kit:
- Mat or dhurrie
- Tiffin, thepla and theplas’ natural companions — pickle, chundo, dry sabzi
- A flask of chai, and more water than you think
- Binoculars, which transform the day
- Sunscreen, caps, and a bag for your own rubbish
Nearby: Kanjari Deer Park, roughly 40 km out and close to Thol, is an easy add-on.
Verdict: the best cheap picnic within 50 km, and the one that feels most like an actual picnic rather than a resort booking.
8. Nalsarovar and the lakeside camps — the winter classic
Where: roughly 62–69 km from Ahmedabad, about 41 km from Sanand Season: November to February. Outside that window it’s a large shallow lake with little on it. Best time of day: sunrise. Not negotiable.
One of India’s largest wetland bird sanctuaries, with over 200 resident and migratory species — flamingos, pelicans, herons, storks and waders. Flat-bottomed boats are poled out through shallow channels and lotus beds while the mist is still up.
Where to base yourself: lakeside properties near the sanctuary, including camps and lake resorts in the Nalsarovar area, offer affordable day packages with meals — which solves the “there’s nowhere to eat” problem that catches most first-timers.
Practical:
- Agree the boat rate before you get in. This is the single most common complaint about Nalsarovar and it’s entirely preventable.
- Facilities are basic. Carry food, water and sun protection regardless.
Verdict: the best winter picnic near Ahmedabad, provided you accept a 5:30 am alarm.
Also worth knowing
Anand side (~70 km): Madhubhan Resort & Spa and Neonz Resort & Club, both set up for day outings and weekend stays, and an easy pairing with Amul territory.
Club O7, Belvedere Golf & Country Club, Narayani Heights, Boulevard 9, Malhaar Club & Resort, Starz Resort (Sanand), Rethal Greens — all run day packages in the same belt and are worth quoting against each other.
Shanku’s Water World Resort (~55 km) — the water park with rooms, if a pool is the whole point.
Sant Sarovar and Indroda, Gandhinagar (~25 km) — riverside greenery and a nature park, for a low-commitment half day.
Polo Forest (~150 km) — out of picnic range and into weekend territory, but unbeatable from July to November.
How to read a day package before you pay
This is the section that will save you an argument.
Start with the hardest person, not the resort. A day that thrills an energetic eight-year-old can still fail if a toddler has nowhere to nap, a grandparent has nowhere shaded to sit, or a non-swimmer is expected to spend six hours beside a deep pool. Pick for that person first, then check the property has something for everyone else.
Get it in writing. Resort package cards are frequently vague, occasionally contradictory, and sometimes carry duplicated or copy-pasted meal labels. Ask them to send the package name, exact timing, full menu and final price on WhatsApp or email before you pay a deposit. Screenshot it.
Confirm these six things every time:
- Taxes. Is GST included, or is it 5% on top of the food package?
- Under-five policy. Free, half, or full? Policies vary widely.
- Child rates. Most properties price five-to-ten separately.
- Pool supervision. Is there a lifeguard on duty, and for which hours?
- Camera rules. Mobile photography is usually fine; DSLRs are often not.
- Outside food. Almost always prohibited when you’ve bought a meal package — worth confirming if anyone has dietary restrictions.
Session types: most properties sell a morning slot, an evening slot, and a full day, typically around 9 am to 9 pm. The full day is usually the better rate per hour, and the evening slot is the cheapest way in.
Groups: rates drop meaningfully at 20 and again at 50. Call rather than booking online for anything over twenty people, and ask directly what isn’t advertised.
When to go
October to February — the season. Comfortable outdoors all day, birds at the lakes, lawns actually usable.
July to September — the greenest the region ever looks, and the cheapest rates. Pools and lawns can be a lottery, and the lakeside sites are muddy. Good for the farm properties, poor for birding.
March — still workable if you start early.
April to June — pool-only. There is no shaded lawn in Gujarat that makes a 43°C afternoon pleasant. If you’re going out at all in these months, make it a water park or an evening slot.
Time of day: the lakes are a dawn activity. The resorts are an all-day activity. Don’t confuse the two and arrive at Nalsarovar at eleven.
Which one should you pick?
- Big mixed group, no consensus: 100 Acres Club
- You want it to look beautiful: Aalloa Hills
- Toddlers and small children: Palm Greens Club
- People who’ll actually play sport: Bansari Greens
- Corporate day out: Gulmohar Greens
- Water park is already the plan: Swapna Srushti
- A real picnic, under ₹200 a head: Thol Lake
- Winter, birds, and a 5:30 am alarm: Nalsarovar
- One perfect winter Sunday: Nalsarovar at dawn, lunch at Gulmohar Greens, home by evening
Frequently asked questions
What are the best picnic spots near Ahmedabad? For day-package resorts, 100 Acres Club in Sanand, Aalloa Hills on the Gandhinagar–Mahudi Highway, Palm Greens Club and Bansari Greens. For lakeside picnics, Thol Lake and Nalsarovar.
How much does a one-day picnic resort near Ahmedabad cost? Typically ₹1,000–2,000 per adult for a full-day package including meals. Bansari Greens, for example, has listed adult plans from around ₹1,150 for an evening outing to ₹1,750 for a 9 am–9 pm day, with lower rates for children aged five to ten and 5% GST on food packages.
Which picnic spot near Ahmedabad is best for kids? Palm Greens Club, which lists a dedicated kids’ pool and play equipment — important if you have children too small for an adult pool.
Is there a free or cheap picnic spot near Ahmedabad? Thol Lake, at around ₹50 entry. Carry all your own food and water, because nothing is sold inside.
How far is Aalloa Hills from Ahmedabad? About 45 km, on the Gandhinagar–Mahudi Highway.
When is the best season for picnics near Ahmedabad? October to February. Monsoon is greenest but wettest, and April to June is too hot for anything but a pool.
Can I take my own food to these resorts? Usually not, if you’ve bought a meal package. Confirm in advance if anyone in the group has dietary restrictions.
Are there lakeside resorts near Nalsarovar? Yes — several lakeside camps and resorts in the Nalsarovar area offer affordable day packages with meals, which solves the lack of food options at the sanctuary itself.
Do these resorts allow DSLR cameras? Often not. Mobile photography is generally permitted while DSLRs are restricted under picnic rules at several properties. Ask before you carry equipment.
How do I book for a large group? Call the property directly rather than booking online. Group rates typically improve at twenty and again at fifty people, and those discounts are rarely advertised.
One last thing
The farm clubs are good. They’re comfortable, they’re organised, and on a day when you have thirty people and no energy to plan, handing over ₹1,500 a head is a completely reasonable decision.
But the best picnic we’ve had near this city cost about ₹300 in total. A mat at Thol at seven in the morning in December, theplas and chundo out of a steel tiffin, a flask of chai, and a few thousand birds getting on with their day about eighty metres away.
You don’t always need a package. Sometimes you need a tiffin box and an early alarm.
Amdavad Gully covers this city and everything within a tank of fuel of it. Booked a day package recently? Send us what you actually paid — published rates and real rates are rarely the same thing.
