From Salt Farms to Lion Conservation: How a Vadodara Engineer Is Making Rural India the New Travel Destination

Forget luxury resorts and crowded tourist spots. A Gujarat entrepreneur is taking travellers into villages, introducing them to traditional occupations and even involving them in wildlife conservation. His venture now organises up to 80 trips a year.

What if a holiday meant learning how salt is made, meeting tribal communities or understanding the challenges of protecting Asiatic lions? For most tourists, these may not feature on a travel itinerary. But Vadodara-based entrepreneur Chirag Munjani is building an entirely different kind of tourism experience around them.

His venture, Rural Pleasure Journeys, takes travellers beyond popular tourist attractions and into the everyday lives of rural communities. From salt-producing areas of the Little Rann of Kutch to tribal regions of Dang and wildlife conservation activities near Gir, the initiative is giving people an opportunity to experience a lesser-known side of India.

Today, the venture operates across 16 to 17 destinations in Gujarat, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, organising around 70 to 80 trips annually.

A Corporate Career Could Not Keep Him Away From Rural India

Munjani's journey into tourism did not begin with a background in hospitality. A mechanical engineering graduate from Gujarat University, he later completed an MBA from Symbiosis Institute of Business Management, Pune, in 2004. He started his professional career with Bajaj Auto in June 2004 and subsequently worked with Bajaj Auto and Bajaj Auto Finance.

His corporate assignments frequently took him to rural markets and remote locations. During these visits, he interacted with people whose occupations, traditions and knowledge systems were rarely part of mainstream travel experiences. These encounters made him realise that rural India had enormous tourism potential, provided visitors were given a reason to connect with local communities. In 2012, he left his corporate career and founded Rural Pleasure Journeys in Vadodara. 

When a Travel Experience Begins With Understanding Salt Production

One of the venture's distinctive experiences takes visitors to the Little Rann of Kutch, where they learn about traditional salt production. Instead of simply exploring the landscape, travellers get an opportunity to understand how salt is extracted and the effort involved in producing something that is used in almost every household. The experience also brings attention to the lives of salt workers and the livelihoods that depend on this occupation. The idea is simple: turn an ordinary tourist visit into an opportunity to discover the people and work behind a destination.

Tourists Get a Glimpse of Wildlife Conservation

The venture has also introduced conservation-linked experiences around Gir National Park. Open wells in agricultural fields pose a serious threat to lions, which can accidentally fall into them while chasing prey. Visitors get to learn about protective grills designed to prevent such incidents and participate in related fabrication activities.

This approach connects tourism with wildlife protection, helping visitors understand that conservation is not limited to national parks. It also involves the people and communities living around wildlife habitats.

Why Expanding Into Dang Was Not Easy

Taking this model into Dang, among Gujarat's poorest districts, came with its own difficulties. Forest regulations restrict several commercial activities in the region. Convincing tribal communities to welcome visitors was also challenging in the initial stages. Building trust and involving local people became essential to making the experiences work.

Rather than treating villages as sightseeing locations, the venture seeks to make local communities an integral part of the tourism experience.

Three States, 17 Destinations and 80 Trips a Year

The initiative initially concentrated on destinations within Gujarat. Its geographical reach expanded to Madhya Pradesh in 2023 and Rajasthan in 2024. It now operates across 16 to 17 destinations, offering both fixed and customised itineraries. Around 70 to 80 trips are organised every year, with local communities involved at different locations.

Munjani's experiment highlights a different possibility for India's tourism sector, where villages, traditional occupations, local knowledge and conservation efforts can become meaningful travel experiences.

For travellers, it means discovering places beyond the usual tourist circuit. For rural communities, it creates an opportunity to share their heritage and livelihoods with visitors. And for Munjani, it is a way to make travel about more than just reaching a destination.