North & East
Following Buddha: Enlightenment, Learning & Legacy
“Bodh Gaya, Rajgir, Nalanda & Sarnath”
Trace the places where an Indian prince became the Buddha, where his teachings took root, and where the ideas that travelled across Asia were debated, preserved and carried forward. This is not a conventional pilgrimage: it is a journey through the geography of Buddha’s life, ideas and intellectual legacy in India, open to anyone regardless of religious identity. Pricing is provisional and confirmed before any deposit is taken.
Trip trajectory & transit passages
Delhi
This is not a conventional pilgrimage circuit and is deliberately paced with breathing room between sites rather than stacked sightseeing. Bodh Gaya can become intensely crowded around Buddha Purnima in May and during the Dalai Lama’s periodic winter teachings, both of which are worth checking against travel dates. Ground distances between Rajgir, Nalanda and Bodh Gaya are short; the longer transfers are into and out of the Gangetic plain towns. Pricing is provisional pending DMC confirmation.
- All ground transport between cities
- Accommodation per selected tier
- Daily breakfast
- Guided cultural and monastic-site experiences as listed in the itinerary
- Entry fees for all listed sites
- A dedicated English speaking guide
- Permits for the Nalanda excavation site
- International flights
- Travel insurance
- Alcohol
- Personal expenses and tips
- The optional Vaishali extension
Paid in the UK, in pounds
We’re a small UK-based team. When you book, you pay us directly in pounds, so there’s no overseas transfer to arrange and no separate agent to chase.
Change it, right up until you fly
This is a bespoke trip, built around you. Swap a city, shift your dates, change the service tier, for as long as you haven’t boarded your flight to India. Customisation is available throughout, not just at checkout.
A person replies, within one to two days
Every inquiry reaches a member of the team directly, with a reply on dates and pricing within one to two days, by whichever contact method you prefer.
Every inquiry becomes a dossier
We don’t just email back a price. The team turns your inquiry into a personal dossier, with a personal touch: confirmed dates, your chosen module swaps, and the exact land price, sent within one to two days.
Ready to make this yours?
Tell us when, how many of you, and any swaps you have in mind. Someone from the team replies within one to two days, and none of this is locked in early, so keep changing your mind until you fly.
Not sure this is the one?
Five questions, no typing required. We'll match you to one of the eight routes: this one, or another.
Getting there
Join, leave, and everything in between.
Join
Delhi (DEL)
Indira Gandhi International Airport
Private transfer from central Delhi, typically 45 minutes to an hour, followed by a short flight to Gaya to begin the route.
Leave
Gorakhpur (GOP)
Gorakhpur Airport
Around 56km from Kushinagar, roughly an hour’s drive: a short, practical transfer at the end of the itinerary.
Alternative gateway
Varanasi (VNS) : Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport
Varanasi is already a stop on the route before Kushinagar; using it as the exit point instead of Gorakhpur means backtracking, roughly 4.5 hours by road from Kushinagar.
Primary hub: Delhi (DEL)
Fly into Delhi to join the journey. Kushinagar has its own airport, opened in 2021, but it has had no scheduled commercial service since November 2023, so the practical return connection is a short transfer to Gorakhpur, well connected to Delhi by frequent domestic flights. Travellers who would rather exit with limited direct international options, or extend their stay in Varanasi, can use that instead, at the cost of backtracking partway along the route.
You can arrive in Delhi early or stay on in India afterwards. Rooetd does not require your international flight to match our itinerary exactly: we reconfirm the Gorakhpur/Varanasi return routing with you before booking, since Kushinagar’s own airport status could change.
4 real trips through Following Buddha: Enlightenment, Learning & Legacy, not stock footage
Not staged for us. Real people's real trips, on camera: food, heritage sites, and the everyday texture of the route.
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