10 Hours Morning Ganges Tour including Sarnath and Ganga Arti

Highlights

Inclusions

Itinerary

1. The tour starts at 5am with a boat ride from Assi Ghat to Daswamedha Ghat. Catch the glimpse of the gigantic Ghats of Varanasi and proceed to visit Kashi Vishwanath and Sankat Mochan Temples. Learn about Hindu mythology from an expert local guide. You will be picked up from your centrally located hotel and proceed on a boat ride on the Ganges. Starting at Assi Ghat, the city's most prominent bathing Ghat, the boat ride takes you through the 5000-year old history of Varanasi, also believed to be one of the world's oldest living cities. Away from the hustle and bustle of the city, enjoy a surreal sunrise, floating on the sacred river. The boat ride ends at Manikarnika, the cremation Ghat of Varanasi, marking the journey of a person from birth to death and ultimately attaining salvation. You will learn from your guide the legends and stories that bind the city together from time immemorial.

   2 hAdmission included

2. Get picked up from your centrally located hotel in Varanasi at 10am. Meet your local guide and proceed on an extraordinary expedition around the city. Drive to Sarnath where Buddha delivered his first sermon after attaining enlightenment. It is believed that Buddha traveled to Sarnath to meet his five companions - Koudanna, Vappa, Bhaddiya, Mahanama and Asvajiya and with whom he shared his new found knowledge. Proceed to visit the significant ruins of Dharmarajika Stupa, the exact spot that contained the bones of Buddha before it was destroyed by Jagat Singh in 1794. Catch a glimpse of the great Ashoka pillar and explore Buddhism in a unique archeological museum built to commemorate the culture and religion. Listen as your guide narrates the legends and stories about Buddhism and proceed to Mulagandhakuti Vihara Temple. This exquisite temple was built by the Sri Lankan Mahabodhi Society and is one of the most famous Buddhist temples in the city.

   4 hAdmission included

3. As the evening arrives, the city will begin its preparations for the Ganga Aarti ceremony, a highly choreographed ritual performed on the Daswamedha Ghat, celebrating the existence of River Ganges. Burning lamps, flowers and scented sticks fill the ambiance with peace. Experience this age-old tradition as your local guide tells you all about Hindu mythology. As the ceremony ends, you will be dropped back to your hotel.

   4 hAdmission included

Cancellation

Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the experience starts, for a full refund.

Reviews

Ratings come from 26 reviews collected by our booking partner. They are travellers' own words, in the order they were written — never reordered to flatter the experience.

Know before you go

How it compares in Varanasi

• Its from-price is 24% below the median of the 494 experiences we list in Varanasi.
• It is longer than most of them.
• By number of reviews it ranks 58 of 494.
• The operator lists free cancellation on it.

About Varanasi

Varanasi, on the Ganges in Uttar Pradesh, is one of the oldest living cities in the world, a sacred place of river steps, temples and silk looms.

Varanasi, also called Benares or Kashi, has been a place of pilgrimage for thousands of years, and Hindus come to bathe in the Ganges, to pray, and to die. Along the west bank, about eighty ghats, broad stone stairways, descend to the water, among them Dashashwamedh Ghat, where lamps and chanting mark the evening aarti ceremony. The Kashi Vishwanath Temple, dedicated to Shiva, stands in the old city's maze of narrow lanes.

Top-ranked sights in Varanasi: Manikarnika Ghat, Dashashwamedh Ghat, Ganges River (Ganga).

See all 494 experiences in Varanasi