Arrival, hotel check-in, and an afternoon at Sarnath - the Dhamek Stupa, the Mulagandha Kuti Vihar and the museum with the Ashokan lion capital. In the evening, the Ganga aarti at Dashashwamedh from a private boat.
First sermon to final rest, in the order it happened
This is the circuit the pilgrimage was designed as: Sarnath where the teaching started, Bodhgaya where the understanding came, Rajgir and Nalanda where it became an institution, and Kushinagar where it ended. Done in that order it reads as a life rather than a list of monuments.
It is also a driving trip - roughly 900 kilometres across Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. We break it so that no single day is more than five hours in the vehicle, and we put the two longest sites, Bodhgaya and Nalanda, at the start of a day rather than the end of one. Travellers from Thailand, Sri Lanka, Japan and Vietnam make up most of this group, and we can arrange a monk to lead the sitting at Bodhgaya.
Arrival, hotel check-in, and an afternoon at Sarnath - the Dhamek Stupa, the Mulagandha Kuti Vihar and the museum with the Ashokan lion capital. In the evening, the Ganga aarti at Dashashwamedh from a private boat.
A morning drive of about five hours to Bodhgaya. Late afternoon at the Mahabodhi Temple as the light softens and the chanting starts, with time under the Bodhi tree itself.
Dawn meditation at the Mahabodhi complex before the crowds. Then the international monasteries - Thai, Bhutanese, Japanese, Tibetan - the eighty-foot Great Buddha statue, Sujata village and the Dungeshwari caves where the Buddha nearly starved.
North to Rajgir for Griddhakuta hill, where much of the later teaching was given, and the ropeway to the Vishwa Shanti Stupa. Afternoon at Nalanda - the ruined university, its brick monasteries and the museum - then on to Patna.
Vaishali, where the Buddha gave his last sermon and announced his parinirvana, with its Ashokan pillar still standing. On to Kushinagar in the evening.
The Mahaparinirvana Temple with its six-metre reclining Buddha, the Ramabhar Stupa where the cremation took place, and then the drive back to Gorakhpur or Varanasi for your onward journey.
This is how the tour usually runs, not a contract. Every itinerary is rewritten around your dates, your pace and your group — tell us what you want to change and we will rebuild it.
Already in the quoted price
Paid separately, or on the day
An hour of guided sitting under the Bodhi tree at first light, arranged with a resident monastery.
₹2,000 per personA guide in your own language across the whole circuit, subject to availability.
From ₹3,500 per dayTwo more nights across the border for the birthplace itself, completing all eight great sites.
From ₹7,900 per personJoining the morning pindapata with the monastery, offering food as lay followers do.
Complimentary
Anything we have not covered? Message us and a planner in Varanasi will reply, usually within the hour.
Message UsAbout 900 km over four travel days, none longer than five hours. Bihar's highways are better than their reputation, but they are highways - we keep the heavy sightseeing in the mornings for a reason.
Yes. Many international pilgrims fly into Gaya directly. We simply run the loop the other way and finish at Varanasi, at the same price.
Yes, at every stop, and the monastery kitchens at Bodhgaya are very good. Tell us at booking if you need strictly Jain or vegan meals and we will confirm each hotel in advance.
November to February. Bodhgaya is at its most alive in December and January, when the Tibetan community arrives for teachings and the town fills with pilgrims from across Asia.
2N/3D Pind daan at Vishnupad and the Falgu with an experienced Gayapal priest, and the Mahabodhi Temple thirteen kilometres away.
Best Seller 2N/3D Kashi Vishwanath darshan, a sunrise boat ride, the Dashashwamedh aarti from the water and a morning at Sarnath.
New 5N/6D Kashi Vishwanath and Pashupatinath in a single journey, with Lumbini on the way and the Himalaya at the far end.
Let Kashi Experts help you plan a journey that touches your soul.
