Shirdi, Ellora and Ajanta

Day 1: Shirdi

1 night · Easy · Small pilgrim town in Maharashtra built around the samadhi shrine of Sai Baba.

Day 1: Shirdi

• Join the early darshan queue at the Samadhi Mandir.
• Walk around the neem tree at Gurusthan.
• Visit Dwarkamai and the Chavadi next door.
• See the Dixit Wada Museum and rest at Lendi Baug.
• Attend the Shej Aarti at 10 PM if you hold a pass.

Getting here from Shirdi: Road to Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Aurangabad), about 3 hours. About 110 km by road.

Days 2 to 5: Ajanta and Ellora Caves

3 nights · Easy · Two UNESCO rock-cut cave groups near Aurangabad: Buddhist murals at Ajanta, Kailasa Temple at Ellora.

Day 2: Ajanta and Ellora Caves

• Leave the city by 7 am for Ajanta Caves (not on a Monday).
• Take the shuttle bus from the Fardapur parking to the caves.
• See Caves 1, 2, 16, 17 and 26 first, then the rest as time allows.
• Leave the caves by about 4 pm and drive back to the city.

Day 3: Ajanta and Ellora Caves

• Reach Ellora Caves early (not on a Tuesday) and start with the Kailasa Temple.
• Go on to the Buddhist caves, then the Jain caves by electric cart.
• Visit Grishneshwar Temple, 1 to 2 km away.
• Stop at Daulatabad Fort on the way back to the city.

Day 4: Ajanta and Ellora Caves

• Visit Bibi Ka Maqbara in the morning.
• Continue to the Aurangabad Caves for the carvings and the city view.
• Have lunch in the city and try naan qalia or biryani.
• Leave by train, bus or flight in the evening.