Rituals and occasions
Temple, ritual & pujaOccasions, dining & giftsPhotography & filmsSpecialist servicesThis circuit follows the Buddha from the deer park at Sarnath to the Bodhi Tree at Bodh Gaya and on to Rajgir, the old capital of Magadha, where he taught on Vulture Peak. A short drive from Rajgir, the red-brick ruins of Nalanda recall a monastic university that drew scholars from across Asia for centuries. Three nights at Bodh Gaya give a full day at the temple and a day out to Rajgir and Nalanda, and the journey ends where it began, with an evening on the Ganga and Kashi Vishwanath in Varanasi.
Buddhist pilgrims and travellers drawn to early Indian history who want the awakening, the first teaching and the great monastic university in one unhurried circuit.
Sarnath is visited on the day you arrive, so an arrival by early afternoon works best; a later arrival moves Sarnath to Day 6. The Sarnath Museum is closed on Fridays. Winter fog can delay flights and trains in December and January.
A proposed programme with its travel and rest built in. We adjust the order to your arrival, the season and your pace.
Your driver meets you, with an arrival host in Premium and Luxury, for the drive to your hotel. The airport is about 25 km from the city.
About 10 km north-east of central Varanasi, usually 30 to 45 minutes.
The deer park where the Buddha gave his first teaching: the Chaukhandi Stupa, the Dhamek Stupa, the excavated monasteries, the Mulagandhakuti Vihara and the Lion Capital of Ashoka in the Sarnath Museum, which is closed on Fridays.
Back to the hotel. Your coordinator confirms tomorrow's start for the road to Bodh Gaya.
Overnight · Varanasi
About 250 km on the Grand Trunk Road into Bihar, generally six to seven hours with a lunch stop and short breaks.
Time to recover from the road.
Your first visit, for the evening chanting, when lamps are lit around the temple. Phones stay at the deposit counter near the entrance.
Overnight · Bodh Gaya
The temple opens at 5 am, with a short chanting and meditation session at 5.30. Sit near the Vajrasana and the Bodhi Tree, and walk past the shrines that mark the weeks after the awakening.
The middle of the day is kept free.
National monasteries built by Buddhist communities from Thailand, Bhutan, Japan and elsewhere, each in its own style, and the 80-foot Great Buddha Statue.
A quiet hour of meditation in the temple garden, or at a monastery that welcomes visitors, before the evening chanting.
Overnight · Bodh Gaya
About 75 km, generally two to two and a half hours by car, leaving early to reach the hill before the heat.
The ropeway up Ratnagiri hill to the white Vishwa Shanti Stupa, and the stepped path to Gridhakuta, Vulture Peak, where the Buddha is said to have given many teachings. The ropeway can close for maintenance or weather.
About 12 to 15 km, under half an hour, with lunch on the way.
The excavated monasteries and temples of Nalanda Mahavihara, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, where the Chinese pilgrim Xuanzang studied in the seventh century. The site museum is usually closed on Fridays.
About 85 to 90 km, generally two and a half hours, back by early evening.
Overnight · Bodh Gaya
Optional, or the Sujata Stupa across the Niranjana river at Bakraur.
About 250 km back along the Grand Trunk Road, generally six to seven hours with a lunch stop.
An evening boat along the ghats as the lamps are lit: shared in Standard and private in Premium, and in Luxury a private boat that stays out for the aarti at Dashashwamedh Ghat. Boats run only when river levels and local administration allow.
Overnight · Varanasi
A planned visit through the temple corridor, early, before the crowds build. Phones and bags are deposited before security, and the crowd decides the wait. It is a Hindu temple, visited as a guest, and can be left out.
Back to the hotel.
Lanes, Markets and Makers: a guided walk through the trading lanes of the old city, from brass and puja stalls to silk and craft workshops.
Nothing is planned for the last evening.
Overnight · Varanasi
To Varanasi airport, about 25 km from the city and often an hour or more in traffic, or to the railway station.
Overnight · Departure
Sarnath and Nalanda each involve about two hours on foot on level ground. The Mahabodhi means barefoot walking and steps down into the compound. Vulture Peak is a climb on a stepped stone path after the ropeway, and the market walk in Varanasi is in narrow, busy lanes.
Optional early starts for the Mahabodhi on Day 3 and Kashi Vishwanath on Day 6. Day 4 starts early to reach Vulture Peak before the heat, and both road days begin after an early breakfast.
The evening boat in Varanasi needs a few uneven ghat steps and a step down into it. Boats run only when river levels and local administration allow. The Rajgir ropeway can close for maintenance or weather.
Two long road days, and a long day out to Rajgir and Nalanda with about five hours in the car. Vulture Peak involves steps that not everyone can manage; the rest of the day does not depend on it. We assess wheelchair access site by site rather than promise it.
October to March is the most comfortable time. December and January are busy at Bodh Gaya, with possible fog delays. April to June is very hot, and July to September brings monsoon rain.
The same journey at three levels of comfort and support. The quotation names the actual hotels, vehicle and inclusions before you pay anything.
Comfortable and well located, with the essentials arranged well.
Better stays and more help: private boats, escorted darshan, a stronger car.
The finest stays, a luxury car and every special session handled for you.
Every level: a named coordinator on phone and WhatsApp, and one complete quotation before any payment.
Arrival and departure transfers in Varanasi, airport or railway station.
Arrival welcome and assistance at the Varanasi airport exit or railway station.
Private chauffeured transport for Days 1 to 7 in the vehicle set by S03.
Air-conditioned Toyota Innova Crysta or an equivalent MPV.
Sarnath with a specialist guide, about three hours, site and museum entry included.
Private guide at Bodh Gaya: the Mahabodhi Temple at opening, the monasteries and the Great Buddha Statue.
Specialist university guide for Vulture Peak and Nalanda, with ropeway tickets booked ahead for your party.
Private traditional rowing boat, about one hour, replacing the shared ride.
Accompanied visit to Kashi Vishwanath, with your host alongside. No priority entry.
Lanes, Markets and Makers: a guided heritage market walk in the old city, about two and a half hours.
Your travel host for the sightseeing hours on Days 1, 3, 4 and 6.
Keep Premium and add any of these on their own. They are quoted with your journey.
Add them to My Journey. If something is already part of your tier it shows as included, and nothing is charged twice.
WalksA guided walk along the Varanasi riverfront, reading the ghats step by step: the palaces, temples and daily rituals that line the Ganga.
On the riverA guided sunrise boat experience
A guided sunrise boat on the Ganga, with the boat, guide, timing, capacity and boarding ghat stated in advance, as the ghats of Varanasi come to life.
An interpreter or language assistant for visits, rituals and conversations, in the language you request, confirmed with a named supplier before your journey.
Wheelchairs, walking aids and assistants requested separately, with each part of your route assessed for steps, ramps and boarding before anything is confirmed.
Help finding and booking flights and trains that fit your journey, with fares and terms shown separately and nothing treated as confirmed until tickets are issued.
It keeps you in one Bodh Gaya hotel for three nights. The day is long, with about five hours in the car in all, so it starts early to reach Vulture Peak before the heat. A night at Rajgir can be added in place of the return drive if you prefer a slower pace.
No. Kushinagar and Shravasti are part of the longer Buddhist Pilgrimage across Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, a ten-day journey from Varanasi to Lucknow.
The ropeway does most of the height, but the path to Gridhakuta is a stepped stone climb. Anyone who would rather not climb can wait at the Peace Stupa, and the rest of the day does not depend on it.
Availability and cancellation. Hotels, vehicles, boats, guides and temple arrangements are confirmed when we prepare your quotation, and they depend on dates, weather, river levels and the rules of each site. Cancellation terms follow the suppliers in your journey and are set out in the quotation. Booking terms
This is a request for a personalised quotation, not a booking. No payment is required to send your preferences.
Tell us the places on your mind, your dates and who is travelling. We reply with a written proposal shaped around you.
