It's good this site was added to the UNESCO list, not only because it's a great inscription but also because it made it worth taking a tour into the area again. I added Rani-ki-vav, the sun temple and the other Harappan site to make it an easy 2 day trip. The smaller Harappan sites should be included in this inscription and I think an extension would be required so if you don't want to go all the way south for that I would understand and skipping it is totally ok. There are several of these kind of sites including over in Pakistan so it's probably not gonna be extended anytime soon.

Because I had more sites to add it was worth doing a trip from Ahmedabad which requires staying on Khadir Bet island or maybe somewhere nearby. It takes a good 7h from Ahmedabad to get here thus it's probably the best. There is also a closer airport at Bhuj which only takes 4 hours so if that is your only site to visit then I would attempt that way - there are flights from Mumbai, however it's a military airport and getting close to Pakistan already raises attention for flying to Ahmedabad. Nothing you can do and being honest about your wishes to see the area as a tourist still gets a funny look from immigration. As if I were to do anything naughty...

There are a several places to stay on the island (with roads by the way so you won't need a ferry). Originally I wanted to stay on the places just next to the site as recommended by our forum but they were a) expensive and b) only accepted cash. Bringing that much cash along would be stupid if you ask me. In the end I chose another place at 1/5 of the price and it was east on the island, also included "Bhoonga" to stay in, breakfast AND dinner! It also offered sleep for the driver and was super clean. Most of what you find on the island is new. Additionally I found that staying near the site wouldn't have given me any benefits. There are no shops or restaurants and you won't need anything. Having spent the extra rupees on just being in a "posher" place wasn't worth it.

Ok, so the site has two parts. One if the museum which you pretty much HAVE to visit to get a better understanding of the site and the history of Harappan in general, the second is the outdoor site. You can thus come and see that earlier. It's open and there isn't much to see. It took me a good hour to stomp around the area and that was slooooow. Some was even closed off but I don't understand why it was because one can just walk to the same spot from the other side. In the end most of what you see are low walls, some with a well, some are huge parts that can easily be seen as a spot that was used for storage or a warehouse.

The city developed over the years. At first one would only find the main part (3,000 BC) and the last part was 1,500 BC. In that long time period little actually developed. To think that in 1,500 years the town added new sections is crazy when new buildings are added daily here and there in the world.

You do not get to see anything special here. It's mainly walls. The path takes you from the main view, which you can enter or go around, to the higher parts. There is a map in the museum to show this all better. The far away houses aren't excavated much or there just isn't anything special to excavate thus I would suggest you skip those. The main attracting is at the top where you can even see wells and more...walls. Did I mention you mainly see walls? I feel the best thing it shows that there used to be a settlement.

There is no real explanation of why the settlement was later abandoned. Theory says several earthquakes and droughts had people move on to better places - who knows where that would be.

Your second visit, or first if you arrived later and chose to enter which I actually recommend for better understanding, is the museum. It's not huge but will take you a good 30-60 minutes to get through. I already figured there would be more scenic spots and the map shows that they are across two countries. This is the main part of the settlement and thus would be inscribed first. Anything extra would probably come on top of it. There are two large rooms and a big one in the center that explains many parts you were wondering about. From the time periods to uses, even some excavation updates. It's all written in excellent English too.

While I don't think this site is a huge place to visit it can easily be combined with Rani-ki-vav, which is a must-see, and staying on the "island" alone is nice too. It's very idyllic. I met some bikers and they were on a long trip in the area. Even though everything is flat here the distances are quite hefty. You'll love the bhoongas and was definitely nicer than staying in the cold yurts in Mongolia (plus they aren't tents here).