Uttar Pradesh Tour Package 8 Nights 9 Days

The Drive: East about 135 km, three hours.

Hanuman Garhi: Up seventy-odd steps, and by custom visited before the main temple.

Kanak Bhawan: With its silver-worked shrine, gifted by tradition from Kaikeyi to Sita.

Evening: Saryu Aarti at Ram Ki Paidi.

• Top Places to Cover: Hanuman Garhi, Kanak Bhawan, Ram Ki Paidi, Saryu Aarti.
• Importance of Each Place: Ram Ki Paidi was redeveloped for the Deepotsav, when hundreds of thousands of lamps are lit on the ghats on Diwali eve.
• Things to Know: Ayodhya is very crowded at weekends and on festival days. Shoes off well before temple entrances.

Meals: Breakfast | Overnight: Ayodhya

Early Darshan: At the Ram Janmabhoomi complex. Go early; the security line is slow.

Afternoon: Nageshwarnath temple, said to have been established by Kush, and the older ghats along the Saryu.

• Top Places to Cover: Ram Janmabhoomi complex, Nageshwarnath temple, Saryu ghats, Treta ke Thakur.
• Importance of Each Place: Ayodhya has been substantially rebuilt since 2020 and the approach roads and ghats are all recent construction.
• Things to Know: Phones, bags and leather are not permitted inside the main complex; cloakrooms are available. We cannot promise darshan timings - the trust controls them.

Meals: Breakfast | Overnight: Ayodhya

The Drive: South-west roughly 165 km, four hours.

Triveni Sangam: A boat out to where the Ganga and Yamuna meet - the colour difference is clearly visible - with the Saraswati held to join unseen.

• Top Places to Cover: Triveni Sangam, the boat point, Allahabad Fort exterior.
• Importance of Each Place: The Sangam hosts the largest Kumbh Mela, among the largest human gatherings on earth.
• Things to Know: Boatmen quote per boat and negotiate hard. Agree the price and duration before boarding.

Meals: Breakfast | Overnight: Prayagraj

Allahabad Fort: Akshayavat, the immortal banyan, and the Patalpuri temple beneath it - access depends on army permission.

Anand Bhawan: The Nehru family home, kept as a museum of the freedom movement with rooms largely as they were.

Khusro Bagh: Mughal tombs in a walled garden, including that of Prince Khusro, Jahangir eldest son.

• Top Places to Cover: Allahabad Fort, Akshayavat, Anand Bhawan, Khusro Bagh, Alfred Park.
• Importance of Each Place: Anand Bhawan was donated to the nation by Indira Gandhi and is one of the most important sites of the independence movement.
• Things to Know: Anand Bhawan is closed on Mondays. Fort access is restricted and often refused.

Meals: Breakfast | Overnight: Prayagraj

The Drive: South about 130 km, three hours.

Chitrakoot: Straddling the Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh border, and where Rama, Sita and Lakshmana are said to have spent eleven of their fourteen exile years.

Evening: Aarti at Ramghat on the Mandakini.

• Top Places to Cover: Ramghat, the Mandakini river, Janaki Kund, Sati Anusuya temple.
• Importance of Each Place: Chitrakoot is far less visited than the other sites on this route despite its place in the Ramayana, which is exactly what makes it worth including.
• Things to Know: Boats on the Mandakini are hired per boat. Facilities here are more basic than elsewhere on the route.

Meals: Breakfast | Overnight: Chitrakoot

Kamadgiri: The forested hill circumambulated on a 5 km parikrama, barefoot by tradition.

Gupt Godavari: Twin caves with a stream running through the second, where the water reaches knee height.

To Varanasi: Then the long leg east, roughly 230 km and five to six hours.

• Top Places to Cover: Kamadgiri, the parikrama path, Gupt Godavari, Hanuman Dhara.
• Importance of Each Place: Kamadgiri is considered the original Chitrakoot and the parikrama around it is the central ritual of the site.
• Things to Know: The parikrama is done barefoot and takes around two hours. Carry socks if that is difficult.

Meals: Breakfast | Overnight: Varanasi

Before Sunrise: A boat on the Ganga, rowing past the bathing ghats as the city wakes, and past Manikarnika where cremations run continuously.

Kashi Vishwanath: One of the twelve Jyotirlingas, through the corridor that opened in 2021.

Sarnath: Ten kilometres out, where the Buddha gave his first sermon. The Dhamek Stupa stands, and the museum holds the Ashokan lion capital.

Evening: Ganga Aarti at Dashashwamedh Ghat.

• Top Places to Cover: Sunrise boat ride, Manikarnika Ghat, Kashi Vishwanath, Dhamek Stupa, Sarnath Museum, Ganga Aarti.
• Importance of Each Place: The lion capital in the Sarnath museum is the original of the national emblem and the single most reproduced object in India.
• Things to Know: Security at Kashi Vishwanath is airport-level. Sarnath museum closed Fridays. Arrive at Dashashwamedh by 5 pm for aarti seating.

Meals: Breakfast | Overnight: Varanasi

Last Morning: Breakfast, then transfer to Lal Bahadur Shastri Airport or Varanasi Cantt.

If Time Allows: The Banaras Hindu University campus and its Bharat Kala Bhavan museum, or the silk weaving workshops in Sarai Mohana.

• Top Places to Cover: BHU campus, Bharat Kala Bhavan, Sarai Mohana silk workshops, Varanasi airport.
• Things to Know: Banarasi silk is widely imitated. Buy from a registered weaver co-operative rather than a shop tout.

Meals: Breakfast | Overnight: Journey ends