Discover the Places lived by the Buddha

Footsteps of Buddha Spiritual and Unforgettable Tour

Day - 1 New Delhi

Welcome to Safe Voyages Tours Your tour begins in New Delhi, the capital and main gateway to our country. You are welcomed at the international airport by one of our team members and then transferred to your hotel in the city center. Delhi was chosen as the country's capital at the time of independence in 1947. New Delhi is today a lively metropolis where modernity and ancestral culture coexist.

Night at a hotel in New Delhi.

Day – 2 Delhi - Agra – Delhi

After your breakfast, you will take the train towards Agra, to discover one of the most beautiful wonders of India: the Taj Mahal. If the palace itself is captivating, the history that accompanies it is just as magical. It tells of the love of Emperor Shah Jehan for his favorite Mumtaz Mahhalfit... To perpetuate her memory, he had this building built, which is now unique, perhaps the most beautiful and accomplished in art. Indo-Persian. The emperor and his Mumtaz now rest together for eternity. You then go to visit the Red Fort, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is here that the history of the Mughal empire was played out. This impressive fort contains several palaces with careful decorations but also other buildings which make it a city within a city.
Please note, that the (Taj Mahal is closed on Fridays.)

Night at a hotel in New Delhi. Breakfast included and dinner.

Day - 3 Delhi – Lucknow

You are transferred to the station this morning to take your train to Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh. It took off when it was under the supervision of Muslim lords in the 18th century, the Nawabs of Avadh. It is thanks to them that the cultural reputation of the city still extends to this day since they were great patrons in the fields of art and music. When you arrive, you don't have a minute to waste to explore the city. So, start with the tombs of the nawabs: Bara Imambara, Hussain Bad Imambara, etc. Then continue towards the Residency. Initially built for British residents, this building became infamous during the Sepoy Revolt in 1857. Of the 3,000 people who took refuge there, only 980 survived after a 140-day siege.

Night at a hotel in Lucknow. Breakfast included and dinner.

Day - 4 Lucknow - Sravasti

You are leaving Lucknow today to reach Sravasti. On your arrival, you go to visit the city, known for having hosted Buddha during half of his monastic life. It was in particular in the Jetavana monastery that he spent the majority of his time, and where he performed multiple miracles. You will also visit the temples of Saheth and Maheth.

Night at the hotel in Sravasti. Breakfast included and dinner.

Day - 5 Svarasti - Lumbini

Today will be a day of transition for you. After a tasty breakfast, you take the road to Lumbini, the birthplace of Buddha. En route, enjoy the landscape of a remote, little-touristed Indian countryside.

Night at the hotel in Lumbini. Breakfast included and dinner.

Day - 6 Lumbini

Lumbini is a village located in Nepal. It is considered the traditional birthplace of Siddhartha Gautama, who later became the Buddha. Your fifth day will therefore be devoted to visiting one of the most important Buddhist pilgrimage centers. You can go and see Ashoka's column. Built-in 249 BC, it bears inscriptions confirming that Buddha was born in this place around 560 BC. You can also visit the temple of Mayadevi, (the mother of the Buddha), who is said to have been born on her right side. The visit to the pilgrimage center made up of 38 Mahayanist monasteries in the east and 13 Hinayana monasteries in the west must also be on the program for this day.

Night at the hotel in Lumbini. Breakfast included and dinner.

Day - 7 Lumbini - Kushinagar

A long drive to Kushinagar for this day of travel. It is in this place, near the Hirayama River, that Buddha was cremated after his death, he had reached nirvana there. Excavations have revealed numerous stupas and other buildings dating back to the period between the 3rd century and the 5th century BC. JC. Then go visit Rama Bhar. It is said to be erected at the exact spot of Buddha's cremation.

Night at a hotel in Kushinagar. Breakfast included and dinner.

Day - 8 Kushinagar - Vaishali - Patna

It is towards Patna that you are heading on this eighth day of your tour in the footsteps of Buddha. On the way, stop to visit Vaishali. Indeed, The Buddha went there three years after his awakening. It is also the place where he preached his last sermon.

Night at a hotel in Patna. Breakfast included and dinner.

Day - 9 Patna - Nalanda - Rajgir - Bodh Gaya

You are leaving today for Bodhgaya. En route stop to visit the sites of Nalanda and Rajgir. Nalanda is the former seat of a major Buddhist academic center, with up to 10,000 monks at its peak. Then, take the road towards Rajgir. Rajgir is an important Buddhist city, where the Buddha is said to have lived for nearly 12 years and to have preached important sermons. Rajgir is also associated with the first Buddhist council held in the Saptaparni caves just after Buddha achieved Maha Parinirvana. You will then arrive in Bodhgaya. Bodhgaya is the place where Siddhartha Gautama attained enlightenment and thereby the state of Buddha.

Night at a hotel in Bodhgaya. Breakfast included and dinner.

Day - 10 Bodh Gaya - Varanasi

After a tasty breakfast, you will continue your tour to Varanasi. This holy city has been bathed for more than 2000 years by the waters of the Ganges where pilgrims come to wash away their sins. The city is home to numerous ashrams where Hindus come at the end of their lives because if you die in Varanasi, the cycle of reincarnations is interrupted and you go directly to paradise. Formerly called Benares, it took back its old name which means "the city between two rivers", the Varuna and the Assi.

Night at a hotel in Varanasi. Breakfast included and dinner.

Day - 11 Varanasi - Sarnath - Varanasi

Distance travelled: 12 km – 20 minutes journey

Leave for an excursion to Sarnath today. The Buddha came there to preach “the Middle Way” after having achieved enlightenment in Bodhgaya, making it a very high place in Buddhism. This holy place reached its peak in the 7th century when it had 1500 priests, a 100-meter-high stupa, the famous Ashoka Column, and other remarkable buildings. Of the main sanctuary, where Emperor Ashoka is said to have meditated, all that remains are the foundations, dominated by Ashoka's column, the capital of which is in the Sarnath Archaeological Museum. It represents the royal symbol of four lions back-to-back, the emblem of modern India.
At the end of this day, you will be able to attend the Aarti ceremony on the Ghats.

Night at a hotel in Varanasi. Breakfast included and dinner.

Day - 12 Varanasi - Delhi

You get up early this morning to watch the sunrise over the sacred river Ganges. The trip will take place on a boat. Then explore the streets of Varanasi on foot. Many temples are hidden in the winding streets of the old city but are closed to non-Hindus. Without going inside, you can still have fun discovering them. At the end of the day, you are transferred to the airport to reach New Delhi.

Night at a hotel in New Delhi. Breakfast included and dinner.

Day - 13 Delhi

A tour of India that opens and closes with a visit to New Delhi, what more could you ask for? You can start your day with the Chandni Chowk market, typical of oriental markets with its many colourful stalls and merchants stopping the crowds in search of buyers. You then continue with the discovery of the Jama Masjid, also built by Shah Jahan from 1644 to 1658 which constitutes the largest mosque on the Indian subcontinent. Its two 40-meter-high minarets are decorated with vertical bands of red sandstone alternating with white marble. Its courtyard can accommodate up to 25,000 worshipers. You will then see a modest black marble plaque, which has become the place of commemoration of Mahatma Gandhi, assassinated in 1948. Finally, you will take the Royal Rajpath, a wide avenue flanked by decorative ponds and the work of the architect Lutyens, then end your visit with the Qutub Minar, 72 meters high and dating from the 12th century.

You are then taken to the international airport for your return flight. Safe Voyages Tours are waiting for you for your next trip to India!