Overland to Varanasi

Travel time - Agra to Orchha via Jansi: approx 2.5 hours by train and 30 minutes by car to Orchha.

On day one of your Varanasi tour package, we'll arrange for your transfer to Agra Central Station, and your train leaves at about 8am on its way to Jhansi. After about 2½ hours (give or take a little in India), you’ll arrive in Jhansi. You’ll be collected at the station by a your driver, who will take you to Orchha (about 16 km away). Orchha is a charming small town of only 9000 residents and it is one of the few places in India that you can easily wander about without being approached by beggars or touts. The town is renowned for its breathtaking Ram Raja Temple, Chaturbhuj Temple and Lakshmi Narayan Temple. In the afternoon, you’ll have free time to explore the town at your own pace. At the end of the day, you’ll tumble into bed in your hotel and drift off to sleep, tired but contented.

Travel time - Orchha to Khajuraho: approx 4 hours
 
Next on your Varanasi tour package continues to the tranquil town of Khajuraho. In the afternoon, you’ll visit the western temples of Khajuraho, principally known for their erotic images from the Kama Sutra. The temples are about 1000 years old and they are still in incredibly good condition, even though there are only 22 of the original 85 temples still left. The many intricate carvings that cover the temples depict all kinds of scenes from daily life and your guide will explain the history that surrounds them. You’ll stay in a very comfortable hotel, set in four acres of quiet grounds.

Travel time - Khajuraho via Satna to Varanasi: 3 hours drive and approx 8 hours by train

On day three of your Varanasi tour package, you’ll be taken to the little town of Satna to catch the train to the city of Varanasi on the River Ganges. The train leaves about 8.00am, so it’s a pretty early start (about 5am), but you’ll arrive in Varanasi a little after 4pm. The train takes about 8 hours. When you arrive in Varanasi, you’ll be greeted and transferred to a charming and quirky heritage hotel that lies right on the banks of the river. The Ganges is flanked by a series of ‘ghats’ – broad stone staircases leading down to the water – that stretch into the horizon. Each ghat has its own significance. The hotel stands close to the Assi Ghat, towards the south of the town, which is used by pilgrims during a special pilgrimage route called 'Panchatirthi Yatra'. You'll have plenty of time during your Varanasi tour package to explore the ghats at your own pace.

 

This morning, you’ll make a very early start to take a boat trip on the Ganges at dawn, a real highlight of your Varanasi tour package. You’ll drift past pilgrims of all ages and classes as they perform their ritual bathing just before sunrise. After the boat trip, there's a guided walk through the old centre of Varanasi. Watch out for the holy cows in the narrow alleyways.

In the afternoon you’ll head for the small town of Sarnath, which is not far from Varanasi. Sarnath is another place of pilgrimage, this time for the Buddhists. It was here that Buddha gave his first lecture. After this, the religious ruler Ashoka built an enormous stupa (temple) and several Buddhist monasteries to commemorate the teaching. After you’ve spent a while exploring Sarnath, you’ll be taken back to Varanasi, where you’ll have the rest of the evening to wander through the city.

You’ll spend another night in the hotel overlooking the Ganges.

Travel time - Varanasi to Delhi - approx 12 hours by train

Day five of your Varanasi tour package is free for you to explore on your own. Life and death rubs shoulders here like nowhere else on earth, and the experience is very inspiring. Seeing a cremation take place on the ‘burning ghats’ is something that you will remember forever. Next to the cremation ghat, you’ll find kids playing cricket, cows nosing through rubbish, and women beating laundry on rocks. Then, in the evening, you'll head for the train station for your overnight journey to Delhi.

After a unique, if bumpy, night on the train, you’ll arrive in Delhi early in the morning at the end of your Varanasi tour package. You can use today to see the many sights of Delhi- the crowded, narrow alleyways of Old Delhi spice market, the stately Humayan’s Tomb, the greenery of Lodi Gardens, the informative Gandhi Museum and the modern bars of Connaught Place.