Private journeys in seven lands · a planner replies within one working day
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Five slow nights for meditation and reflection: three in Bodh Gaya with guided sessions by the Bodhi tree at dawn and after dark, and two in Rajgir for sunrise on Vulture Peak, the peace stupa and the ruins of Nalanda. A teacher and a guide accompany you, with long quiet hours in between.
This journey is for travellers who want to stay still rather than see everything. In Bodh Gaya you return to the Mahabodhi Temple at the calmest hours, sit with a meditation teacher near the Bodhi tree, and spend the middle of the day resting, reading or walking in the fields across the river.
Rajgir and Nalanda continue the thread: the path the Buddha's followers climbed to Vulture Peak, the bamboo grove where his monks stayed, and the university where his teachings were studied for seven centuries. Hotels are comfortable rather than luxurious, and quiet. Meditation sessions suit beginners and experienced practitioners alike.
Highlights
Day by day
Your driver meets you at Gaya airport and takes you to Marasa Sarovar Premiere, a short drive from the Mahabodhi Temple. Rest after the journey. In the evening, your guide walks you to the temple for a first visit as lamps are lit and monks chant around the Bodhi tree. Phones stay at the hotel. Dinner and an early night.
Enter the temple complex as it opens at about 5 am. Your meditation teacher leads a session of about 45 minutes in a quiet corner near the Bodhi tree as the sky lightens. After breakfast, rest. In the afternoon, a gentle talk with your teacher on the practice of the day, followed by a walk around the temple's outer paths and the lotus pond. Evening at leisure.
A slow morning, then visits to two or three of Bodh Gaya's monasteries, such as the Thai temple and the Royal Bhutan Monastery, where you may join prayers. In the late afternoon, cross the Niranjana river to Bakraur and the stupa of Sujata, who offered the Buddha food before his enlightenment, and walk back through fields at sunset. After dark, a second guided meditation at the temple, with a butter lamp offering.
A last dawn sit beneath the Bodhi tree, then breakfast and the drive to Rajgir through rural Bihar. Check in at the Indo Hokke Hotel. In the afternoon, walk in Venuvana, the bamboo grove King Bimbisara gave to the Buddha and his monks, and sit quietly by its pond. Evening free.
Walk up the old stone path to Vulture Peak in the dark, about 20 to 30 minutes, and sit on the terrace where the Buddha taught as the sun rises over the hills. Continue to the white Vishwa Shanti Stupa and its Japanese temple drumming. After breakfast, drive to Nalanda for a slow walk among the monasteries and temples of the ancient university. The museum is closed on Fridays.
After breakfast, drive to Patna airport for your onward flight. If time allows, stop at Pawapuri, where a white marble Jain temple stands in a lotus pond on the place of Mahavira's cremation. Guests with more time can add a night in Patna for the Bihar Museum.
Included
Not included
Where you sleep
A modern, comfortable hotel a short drive from the Mahabodhi Temple, with spacious rooms, a pool and reliable service. It is our usual base in Bodh …
A quiet, Japanese-influenced hotel in Rajgir, built with Buddhist pilgrims in mind, with simple, well-kept rooms and calm grounds. It is the most comfortable base for …
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Questions travellers ask
No. Your teacher adapts each session to your experience, starting with posture and breathing for beginners. Experienced meditators can sit in silence or follow a specific practice. Sessions last about 45 minutes, with chairs available if sitting on the floor is difficult.
We work with teachers from different traditions in Bodh Gaya, including Theravada and Tibetan, and can match you with one if you have a preference. Most sessions focus on simple breath and awareness practice that suits anyone. Tell us your interests when you book.
Yes. Several centres in Bodh Gaya run courses of several days, including Vipassana and Tibetan retreats, mostly from October to March. We can help you find one and plan this journey around it. Check current status before you travel, as schedules change.
Yes. Many of our guests are not Buddhist. The meditation is taught as a practice of attention rather than a religious ritual, and the sites are open to all. Dress modestly, remove shoes in shrines and respect pilgrims at prayer.
Gaya airport, about 10 km from Bodh Gaya, has flights from Delhi and Kolkata and seasonal international routes. Gaya Junction railway station is 13 km away. Check current status before you travel, as flights change by season. This journey ends at Patna airport.
October to March. October, November and February are calm and pleasant. December and January are the peak pilgrim season, with large gatherings, full hotels and cold mornings around 6 to 8 °C. From April it is hot, especially at midday.
Yes. Many guests add Varanasi and Sarnath before Bodh Gaya, or Vaishali and Kushinagar after Rajgir, completing the Buddhist circuit. Others add more nights at Bodh Gaya for a deeper retreat. We plan the extension around your pace. Each extension adds two to four nights.
Hotels serve both vegetarian and non-vegetarian food, but we can arrange fully vegetarian meals throughout, which many guests prefer on a retreat. Monastery meals, if you join one, are simple and vegetarian. Alcohol is available at the Bodh Gaya hotel but rarely requested.
Gentle. The only climb is Vulture Peak, a 20 to 30 minute walk on a stone path with steps, which can be replaced by the ropeway to the Vishwa Shanti Stupa. Nalanda is flat with some steps. Long periods of sitting can be eased with chairs.
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