 Dhammayatra : Buddhist Circuit Excursions
“Ananda,There are four places the sight of which will arouse strong emotion in those with faith- which four places? "Here the Tathagata was born" this is the first. "Here the Tathagata attained enlightenment" - this is the second. "Here Tathagata set in motion the wheel of the Dhamma"-this is the third. "Here the Tathagata attained final Nirvana without remainder"-this is the fourth. And the monk, the nun, the layman or laywoman who has faith should visit these places.’’ - Shakyamuni Buddha
Are you considering visiting the Buddhist holy sites in India? Maybe you are thinking about going on a pilgrimage to deepen your spiritual practice. We would like to help you on your journey.
As a Buddhists, we can understand your interest in coming to undertake this journey to the holy sites. For several years, we have also been enraptured and inspired by these sites, and we would like to share this experience with you too.
Currently, we offer two main types of tours: fixed-date tours and tailor-made tours. On the fixed-date tours, you will be taken to the sites by members of the Dhammayatra team (with collection from connecting transport, e.g. airports, train stations, if required). The tailor-made tours can be either guided or non-guided. For more information on what we mean by guided and non-guided, please click here. The number of people on each trip tends to be limited to 6 people. However, if there is demand for more spaces, it may be possible for us to take two vehicles, so please do contact us if any of the trips appear to be full.
We also aim to make these tours affordable to you, as we realise it can be a big investment to travel all the way to India, before even considering the cost of a tour. Understanding this, our tour prices also vary to accommodate different budgets and needs. We offer a budget version of the tours (for those of you with limited funds and a sense of adventure!) as well as a luxury version, for those of you who would prefer a bit more comfort (it’s India - we totally understand!).
- Fixed-Date Excursions (Guided)
- My Pilgrimage My Way (Guided)
- My Pilgrimage My Way (Non-guided)
Fixed date Excursions
These tours are scheduled on fixed dates in the year. Dates and details of this and next years’ fixed-date tours can be seen in the table at the bottom of this page. For a detailed itinery of each pilgrimage trip, please click on the trip date. Generally, these tours are scheduled during the Indian winter months (October-March) as
traveling outside these times can be difficult due to heat or rain from April-September. If you would like to discuss
traveling outside the winter months, this can also be arranged through our tailor-made tours service, although we do advise
traveling between October-March if at all possible.
These trips are all guided, so you will have constant access to an expert guide and trip leader, as well as a driver, 24 hours a day. The guide may be Manidhamma or another experienced trip leader (you will be informed prior to booking). They will stay with you at the same
accommodation, so you will be well looked after. You’ll also have access to the internet throughout the trip, depending on mobile phone signals, and international calling facilities. These are provided for a small fee, as required.
Fixed-date tours are a mixture of budget and luxury trips. (For more information on these, please view our pages on budget and luxury trip details.) They also vary in duration. If these dates do not match your requirements, then please explore our
tailor-made tours service.
Fixed-date Pilgrimage Tours 2010-2011
| Date |
Sites
visited |
Budget/Luxury |
Cost* |
Availability** |
| December |
Sarnath,
Sravasti, Lumbini, Kushinagar,
Vaishali, Nalanda,
Rajgir, Bodh Gaya |
Luxury |
-- |
Spaces
available |
February
|
Sarnath,
Sravasti,
Lumbini, Kushinagar,
Vaishali, Nalanda,
Rajgir, Bodh Gaya |
Budget |
--
|
Spaces
available |
| March |
Bodh
Gaya, Sarnath,
Kushinagar, Lumbini |
Budget |
-- |
Spaces
available |
| March |
Sarnath,
Sravasti,
Lumbini, Kushinagar,
Vaishali, Nalanda,
Rajgir, Bodh Gaya |
Luxury |
-- |
Spaces
available |
* Cost includes all accommodation; transport, including transfers; food, incl. tips; use of
bedding, mosquito nets, meditation cushions and blankets; entry fees to holy sites;
boat trip on River Ganges at Varanasi with Indian musicians; and service fees (for
guides and driver). Does not include VISA fees to India or Nepal, flights to/from India,
internal Indian transport before you arrive/after your pilgrimage (to book this separately
through us, please click here for more information), internet use and international calls,
your travel insurance, your spending money, mosquito repellent etc. For details about
how you can pay, please click here.
** If full, but these dates are best for you, please contact us as we may be able to
arrange transport for extra party members (up to 5 more).
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My Pilgrimage My Way (Guided)
These pilgrimages can be undertaken on dates that you request, but preferably during the winter months (October-March) as travel between April-September can be challenging due to heat and rain (but please enquire never-the-less if you still prefer to travel April-September as this can be arranged). There is no minimum number of people we can take on tailor-made tours, but suggest that you travel with at least one other person if you’d like to share the cost of transport. You can also request that no other parties join your trip.
These tours are all guided, so you will have constant access to an expert guide and trip leader, as well as a driver, 24 hours a day. The guide may be Manidhamma or another experienced trip leader (you will be informed prior to booking). They will stay with you at the same
accommodation, so you will be well looked after. If you’d prefer to have a tailor-made tour without a guide (go it alone!), please look at our tailor-made (non-guided) service.
So, down to the details. If you have travel dates in mind that do not match our fixed-date tours, please email us your requirements and we will inform you of our availability and will provide you with a quotation for the trip. We aim to get this to you within 24 hours of your enquiry. We can also be contacted by telephone for enquiries and we will call you back as soon as possible once a quotation has been calculated, based on your exact requirements.
Tailor-made tours can be made within budget or luxury
castings. Please tell us your preference when making your booking enquiry. For more information on how you can pay, please click here.
Information we would like from you to provide a quote for a tailor-made guided tour:
- Your preferred tour dates (e.g. 12/11/2010 to 23/11/2010; any 7 days between
10/10/08 and 10/11/08)
- Whether you want luxury or budget options
- How many people will be traveling in your party
- Sites you would like to visit
- Sites you don’t want to visit (if any)
- Transport preferences (e.g. jeep or train – latter may be substantially cheaper if you have a party of 3 or less)
- Whether you require help obtaining VISAs
- Your contact details
So, please send us an email or give us a ring to discuss your options!
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My Pilgrimage My Way (Non-guided)
So, maybe you’re a bit of an adventurous type who would like to carry out a pilgrimage by yourself or with a few friends, but you don’t need to be actually taken on the trip?...
But maybe you’d like a little bit of assistance along the way? We would be very happy to help!
Our tailor-made tours (non-guided) are just that – we can help you by designing a route for you, based on your preferences. The trip can be over a week or over several months… it’s up to you! We can help by booking transport for you on each leg of your journey, as well as phone ahead and book your
accommodation. You will be provided with a detailed itinery and instructions too, so everything will be in place for you before you head off.
Or maybe you just require our list of recommended accommodation
facilities with their fees, directions and contact details? We can also provide you with the information you require for planning your own transport. Naturally, the cost for this type of service will be the lowest of all as we will simply provide the itinery, information and support, but the rest is up to you!
In any case, we’ll be on the end of a phone-line or email account should you have any queries or problems along the way. Our support will be there
throughout your trip.
These trips really are our most flexible and are cheaper as a guide and driver will not accompany you. Please contact us, either by email or telephone, with your requirements:
- Your suggested travel dates and trip duration
- Your preferred start point and end point
- Sites you would like to visit / not visit (if any)
- Preferred transport options (train or private vehicle are recommended)
- Luxury or budget accommodation
- Whether you would like us to book ahead for you or whether you are happy doing the bookings
- Whether you require help with obtaining VISAs
- Your contact details
Following your call / email, a draft (but not detailed) itinery and budget will be sent to you, along with a quotation for the service. If you are satisfied with the quotation, following payment we will create and send to you a detailed itinery and will book all accomodation and transport for you, if required. We aim to have this done for you within a week of receiving payment for the service. For details on how you can pay, please click here.
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