Private Varanasi Spiritual Tour Including Sunrise and Sunset Boat Rides
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Private Varanasi Spiritual Tour Including Sunrise and Sunset Boat Rides
Free cancellation
Up to 24 hours in advance. Learn more
Safety measures
12 to 14 hours (approx.)
Pickup offered
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English
Overview
Explore Varanasi on a private full-day tour that includes a sunrise and sunset boat ride on the Ganges River. Visit landmarks in and around Varanasi including Banaras Hindu University (BHU)'s Bharat Kala Bhavan museum, and Dhamekh Stupa in Sarnath — an important Buddhist site. Finally, watch the evening aarti ceremony from the sunset boat cruise.
- Private 14-hour tour of Varanasi with Ganges River cruise
- Take two cruises on the Ganges River, one at sunrise and one at sunset that includes the Ganga Aarti ceremony
- Visit two Hindu temples, and a musuem on the Banaras Hindu University campus
- See Dhamekh Stupa, an important Buddhist site in Sarnath
- Includes private guide and vehicle, Ganges cruises, and hotel pickup and drop-off
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After early morning pickup at 5:30am from your hotel, take a sunrise boat ride on the sacred Ganges River.
Witness morning rituals performed at the riverside. Afterward, follow your guide on a short walking tour of the old city's alleyways and catch sight of the Kashi Vishwanath, one of the holiest Hindu temples.
Stop for breakfast (own expense), then head to Banaras Hindu University at 10am. Established in 1916, BHU is the largest university campus in Asia. Tour the campus and see the Bharat Kala Bhavan museum and the new Vishwanath Temple (Birla Temple), which is an exact replica of the original Vishwanath Temple. Continue to Mother India Temple, built in 1918 and housing an unusual marble relief map of the Indian subcontinent.
At 12:30pm, learn about the silk weaving traditions of Varanasi, then take a break for lunch (own expense). Afterward, drive about eight miles (13 km) to Sarnath to take in Dhamekh Stupa, known as the place where the Buddha gave his first sermon. You'll also visit the Archaeological Museum, which features treasures that date to the 3rd-century BC (closed Fridays).
At 5pm, take another boat ride on the Ganges to view the cremation grounds, then return to Dashashwamedh Ghat to watch the evening Ganga Aarti ceremony. Your tour ends with return to your hotel around 8pm.
Witness morning rituals performed at the riverside. Afterward, follow your guide on a short walking tour of the old city's alleyways and catch sight of the Kashi Vishwanath, one of the holiest Hindu temples.
Stop for breakfast (own expense), then head to Banaras Hindu University at 10am. Established in 1916, BHU is the largest university campus in Asia. Tour the campus and see the Bharat Kala Bhavan museum and the new Vishwanath Temple (Birla Temple), which is an exact replica of the original Vishwanath Temple. Continue to Mother India Temple, built in 1918 and housing an unusual marble relief map of the Indian subcontinent.
At 12:30pm, learn about the silk weaving traditions of Varanasi, then take a break for lunch (own expense). Afterward, drive about eight miles (13 km) to Sarnath to take in Dhamekh Stupa, known as the place where the Buddha gave his first sermon. You'll also visit the Archaeological Museum, which features treasures that date to the 3rd-century BC (closed Fridays).
At 5pm, take another boat ride on the Ganges to view the cremation grounds, then return to Dashashwamedh Ghat to watch the evening Ganga Aarti ceremony. Your tour ends with return to your hotel around 8pm.
Itinerary
After early morning pickup at 5:30 am from your hotel or other desired location in Varanasi leave for a boat ride (Hand Rowed Boat) on the Ganges to see the bathing Ghats (river bank) & cremation site. Sunrise on the riverfront, as seen from a boat, can be a spiritually uplifting sight. The life on the Ghats bound in an endless string of rituals, ever-changing aspects of the river & the wide landscape across have fascinated visitors from all over the world.
Duration: 1 hour
Admission Ticket Free
One of the holiest Hindu temples dedicated to Vishveswara – Shiva as lord of the universe is the presiding deity of the city. The temple stands on the western bank of the holy river Ganga and is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas, the holiest of Shiva temples.
Later drive back to your hotel for breakfast.
Duration: 1 hour
Admission Ticket Free
Post breakfast visit Banaras Hindu University. Established in 1916, BHU is the largest university campus in Asia. Tour the campus and see the Bharat Kala Bhavan museum and the new Vishwanath Temple (Birla Temple), which is an exact replica of the original Vishwanath Temple.
Duration: 1 hour
Admission Ticket Free
Dedicated to the goddess who represents all the goddesses in the India culture. In other words, it can said that Bharat Mata personifies India as a mother goddess. Instead of traditional statues of gods and goddesses, this temple has a huge map of undivided India carved in marble.
Later learn about the silk weaving traditions of Varanasi, then take a break for lunch (own expense).
Duration: 30 minutes
Admission Ticket Free
One of the most revered Buddhist pilgrimage centers. After attaining the Enlightenment at Bodh Gaya, it was here that Lord Buddha preached his first sermon, sanctified as Maha Dharm Chakra Pravartan. The great Dhamekh Stupa and several other structures stand testimony to the importance the place enjoyed at that time. You'll also visit the Archaeological Museum, which features treasures that date to the 3rd-century BC (closed Fridays).
Duration: 1 hour
Admission Ticket Not Included
Evening take another boat ride (Hand Rowed Boat) on the Ganges to view the cremation grounds, You can witness cremations as your boat floats gently past, revealing a ritual that is memorable in its rawness, simplicity, and completeness. Then return to Dashashwamedh Ghat to watch the evening Ganga Aarti ceremony. The Aarti Ceremony is a devotional Hindu ritual performed at dusk on the banks of the Ganges, using fire as an offering to, the affectionately referenced, Maa Ganga, goddess of the holiest river in India. Perhaps nowhere in India, or the world, is it possible to witness so clearly, colourfully, and intensely many thousands of years of unbroken dedication to spiritual exploration.
Your tour ends with a return to your hotel or other desired location in Varanasi.
Duration: 2 hours
Admission Ticket Free
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Private Varanasi Spiritual Tour Including Sunrise and Sunset Boat Rides
12 to 14 hours
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$64.00
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