Varanasi Trip Overview
Varanasi, one of the oldest inhabited cities of the world prides itself with a recorded history of over 5000 years. Your excursion includes a walk through this city sacred to Hindus, who believe that dying in Varanasi brings them closer to salvation. The images of pilgrims set against the backdrop of the River Ganges and the centuries old temples are a unique experience.Your excursion will also visit the renowned pilgrimage site of Sarnath. Revered as the site where Lord Buddha had delivered his first sermon after attaining enlightenment, Sarnath is one of the four most important Buddhist pilgrimage destinations in India.
Highlights
• Aarti Ritual At the Ganges River
• Cycle Rickshaw Ride
• Boat Ride on the Ganges River at Sunrise
• Sarnath visit
Additional Info
Duration: 3 days
Starts: Varanasi, India
Trip Category: Multi-day & Extended Tours >> Multi-day Tours
Explore Varanasi Promoted Experiences
What to Expect When Visiting Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India
Varanasi, one of the oldest inhabited cities of the world prides itself with a recorded history of over 5000 years. Your excursion includes a walk through this city sacred to Hindus, who believe that dying in Varanasi brings them closer to salvation. The images of pilgrims set against the backdrop of the River Ganges and the centuries old temples are a unique experience.Your excursion will also visit the renowned pilgrimage site of Sarnath. Revered as the site where Lord Buddha had delivered his first sermon after attaining enlightenment, Sarnath is one of the four most important Buddhist pilgrimage destinations in India.
Highlights
• Aarti Ritual At the Ganges River
• Cycle Rickshaw Ride
• Boat Ride on the Ganges River at Sunrise
• Sarnath visit
Itinerary
Day 1: Varanasi
Stop At: Ganga Aarti, Dashashwamedh ghat Road, Varanasi 221001 India
You will be privately transferred from your Delhi hotel to the airport for your flight to Varansi (cost of airfare not included). Upon arrival in Varanasi, you will be met and brought to your hotel for your two night stay. Your afternoon is at leisure. In the evening, you will be picked up at your hotel in a cycle rickshaw and brought to the ghats (a ghat is a flight of steps leading down to the river). You will witness the traditional Aarti ceremony that is performed every evening at dusk. Fire is used as a link between this world and the spirit world. As the Aarti comes to an end, the priests offer flowers, milk, and floating lamps to the Ganges. Pilgrims follow and soon the whole of the river is filled with lit lamps and aromatic flowers. The experience wonderfully highlights local culture and religion in an effort by the participants to find peace. At the end of the ceremony, your guide will take you back to your hotel in Varanasi.
Kindly Note : Hotel check in time 1400 Hours
Duration: 1 hour
No meals included on this day.
Accommodation included: Overnight stay.
Day 2: Varanasi Morning Boat Ride, City Tour & Sarnath Excursion.
Stop At: Sarnath Via-Anlabereni, Varanasi 759026 India
In the early morning, enjoy the sunrise on the Ganges River with a boat ride followed by a walking tour of the old city. The walk takes you through the courtyards of silk weavers, who have been hand-weaving the beautiful and intricately designed Silk saris for generations in their homes. Your guide will accompany you through alleys and local markets. You may have a chance to talk to locals, listen to their stories, and take pictures with them in their daily life in Varanasi. You may even visit a palmist or astrologer and find out what your own future holds. In the afternoon, you will visit Sarnath, the site of Buddha’s first sermon. Visit the oldest museum of India’s Archaeological Survey, India’s government agency responsible for archaeological research. You will also see many Stupas, or shrines, and Mulagandha Kuti Vihar, a Tibetan Buddhist shrine, which contains a life-size golden image of the Buddha. Admire the colorful murals and frescoes.
Duration: 6 hours
Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: Overnight stay.
Day 3: Varanasi departure
Pass By: Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India
After breakfast, you will check out of your hotel and taken back to the airport for your return flight to Delhi (cost of airfare not included). Your tour concludes with a transfer from the Delhi airport to your Delhi hotel. (B)
Kindly Note : Hotel check out time 1200 Hours
Meals included:
• Breakfast
No accommodation included on this day.
