Varanasi Private Guided Tour: One Day Exploration of Ancient Temples and Holy Ghats

Experience the ancient temples and holy ghats of Varanasi on a private guided tour. Witness morning rituals, explore winding lanes and temples, visit Sarnath, and attend the vibrant Ganga Arti ceremony.

Duration: 14 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Ganges River - Begin your day with an early morning pick-up from your hotel at 6 AM for a sunrise boat ride.
    Experience a boat ride on the Ganges River at sunrise, starting from the main Ghats, known as Dashaswamedh Ghat, to Harishchandra Ghat, and then down to Manikarnika Ghat. The boat ride begins as the sun rises over the horizon, offering a…
What's Included
  • Private air-conditioned car for full day
  • Government-approved professional tour guide
  • Private chair on rooftop balcony for Evening Aarti ceremony
  • All fees and taxes included
  • Private morning boat for sunrise ride
What's Not Included
  • Gratitudes ( tips )
  • Everything which is not mentioned in inclusions
Additional Information

Visitors with limited time who desire a comprehensive experience of Varanasi can take advantage of an encompassing one-day tour. The excursion begins with a pre-dawn 5 am pickup, leading to a visit to the primary ghat. Guests will engage in a privately conducted rowboat journey to intimately witness the morning ceremonies, witness the sunrise, and…

Location
Ganges River
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.9
(114 Ratings)
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Meander59145010167
Apr 14, 2025
And all this in Spanish, with our guide Manish Pandey, the best, very patient and willing to offer us the most complete - If you're short on time, this tour is very complete. It allows you to walk through the streets of the old city and the ghats, attend the Arti ceremony from a privileged terrace, observe the morning ceremony from the boat, and visit the crematorium and temples.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Satishbisale_r
Mar 16, 2025
Mystique of Varanasi! - We reached Varanasi one day before Holi. Our tour was booked on Holi. Holi is celebrated in Varanasi by all and people prefer not to get out on this day. We were worried. The agency through their guide Mr Shanu handled the situation well. The guide was not only knowledgeable but was soft-spoken and flexible. He took care of our safety and other requests on priority. The morning started with a modification in the itinerary due to Holi. We started with the Lord Vishwanath Temple visit. Despite the rush of devotees, the visit got over in 15 minutes with a priest accompanying us to explain the history and the rituals. Could have the darshan from a very close distance but were not allowed to touch the lingam. We were warned to be careful with payments as there is always a possibility of someone misguiding. We proceeded to Kalabhairav Temple next. It was a quick visit. After the temple visit, we were dropped off at our hotel for breakfast. Could not go to Sarnath as per the original plan. In the afternoon we were taken to a place to show us the making of Banaras Sari by the weavers who used the ancient methods of weaving. We were told that it takes about three months to complete a Sari by this traditional method! In the evening were taken to Sankat mochan Hanuman temple and then to witness Ganga Aarti. This was a magical, musical experience! We witnessed it from the terrace of another nearby temple. The view was clear. During this, managed to take a blessing from a Naga sadhu. The evening boat ride could not be done as there was a holiday due to Holi. The day ended with a visit to Durga mandir which is supposed to have a history of 20000 years! The cancelled boat ride of the previous day was compensated by the Sunrise boat ride. The boat ride ended with a visit to Manikarnika ghat. This was truly a humbling experience! Then we explored the narrow lanes of Varanasi with some shopping. To explore Varanasi one should be ready to walk long distances and navigate through the crowd. All in all, it was a great experience and worth every penny spent.
Review provided by Viator
Parisnight21
Jan 15, 2025
Outstanding service - Our guide Arvind super knowledgeable and helpful throughout 13 hours tours and he was always a step ahead for all our demands and preparation.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Pioneer53794057052
Jan 2, 2025
Recommended and in Spanish! - Tour 100% recommended and in Spanish! Thankful to Manish for his collaboration, worth the experience and Varanasi:)
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Tushari2022
Dec 25, 2024
Excellent - Our guide was Vishal Rawat. Great experience, excellent information about history and religion. Also very good food recommendations, really enjoyed
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Phoebeci7870lj
Dec 24, 2024
Very knowledgeable guide and a fantastic experience ! - I booked this tour with my boyfriend for the brief time we were in Varanasi. Firstly, they were very accommodating when we had to move our tour one day due to a hotel mess up, even though they didn’t have to. We were very grateful! Our guide was amazing and was extremely knowledgeable about the city, thoughtfully answering any questions we had, whether they be about religious practices or local customs. With Varanasi as his home town, he had fantastic local knowledge. He even added an extra stop for us at a local weaver and helped us organize our next guide for our future stay in Agra. Both my partner and I highly recommend booking this tour! Thank you!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
V4776rpalejandrom
Nov 30, 2024
Love it! - Great one day tour with Manish, who not only was a great guide, but very knowledgeable of all the Indian culture. We love Varanasi and specially the early morning action at the Ganges river.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
F2788wnandress
Nov 24, 2024
Full day in Varanasi - Thank you to our guide Arvind who took us to wonderful tour in Varanasi. We learned a lot about the places we visited, spiritual history of the holy city. We specially enjoyed the early morning boat trip on the river Ganges and evening Aarti light ceremony. Arvind was a professional and friendly guide.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Abarbosat
Nov 7, 2024
Good tour!!! - Good tour!! Aanah was quite friendly and special with us... we spent the day with him and got to know the city a lot
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Traveler08425797269
Dec 11, 2024
Varanasi family trip - We had good experience in Varanasi. I would recommend everyone to atleast once in their lifetime experience ganga arti and sunrise boatride. Our guide arvind kumar also facilitated us with local weavers tour. You can see the lovely silk fabric art done by family artists. I wish the guide had better english speaking skills as many of his sentence did not give much meaningful information about the sites we visited. Our driver yashwanth was very humble and respectful. He apologized us about thier initial hotel confusion.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
From $49
up to 6 guests
2 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).