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Varanasi Ganga Aarti Tour: Experience the Riverside Hindu Ritual and Boat Ride
4.4
50 Ratings
Varanasi
Experience the mesmerizing Varanasi Ganga Aarti Tour, a riverside Hindu ritual and boat ride. Witness the captivating Ganga Aarti ceremony and explore the sacred cremation place on an enchanting evening boat ride.
Duration:
4 hours
Cancellation:
1 day
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Highlights
- Ganges River - Ghats in Varanasi are riverfront steps leading to the banks of the River Ganges
- Dasaswamedh Ghat - Main Ghat of Varanasi
- Manikarnika Ghat - Manikarnika Ghat, the main burning ghat, is the most auspicious place for a Hindu to be cremated. Dead bodies are handled by outcasts known as doms, and are carried through the alleyways of the old town to the holy Ganges on a bamboo stretcher, swathed in cloth.
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Ganga Aarti - Aarti is a Hindu ritual, in which light is offered to one or more deities. Aarti also refer to the songs sung in praise of the deity, when offering of lamps is being offered.
Hindus in India worship the river Ganges as goddess. Every evening in Varanasi, aarti is performed at the Dashashwamedh ghat. We can watch it from the ghat or from the waterside in a boat. It is a beautiful, resonant, and majestic spectacle with a very precise choreography involving rituals performed by several priests with the sound of bells, drums, cymbals, and Sanskrit mantras. The river is also worshiped with flower petals.
What's Included
- Hotel pickup and drop-off by private AC vehicle [If needed]
- Private Boat ride
- A private chair in a private balcony with best view of aarti
- Professional English speaking Guide [For Safe & Honourable tourism we provide only incensed Guide]
- Professional guide in other language [French/ German, Spanish/ Italian] on demand and availability
What's Not Included
- Food and drinks
- Gratuities
- Tips
Additional Information
Experience the magic of Varanasi with our exclusive Evening Ganga Aarti tour. Start with an enchanting evening boat ride along the sacred Ganges River, offering a unique perspective on ancient cremation grounds and vibrant ghats. This serene journey sets the stage for the highlight of the evening: the Ganga Aarti.
Aarti is a deeply spiritual Hindu ritual where light is offered to deities, accompanied by devotional songs. In Varanasi, the Ganges is revered as a goddess, and every evening, aarti is performed at the historic Dashashwamedh Ghat. Witness this awe-inspiring ceremony from the best vantage point—either from the ghat on a private balcony or aboard our boat on the water.
The Ganga Aarti is a mesmerizing spectacle, with precise choreography and a harmonious blend of bells, drums, cymbals, and Sanskrit mantras by priests
Join us for an unforgettable evening that combines the tranquility of a boat ride with the spiritual vibrancy of the Ganga Aarti.
- A minimum of 2 people per booking is required
- A maximum of 10 people per booking
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
Location
Ganges River
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.4
(50 Ratings)
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Nicolaskentk
Jul 1, 2024
Must do this!! - We thoroughly enjoyed our evening boat ride with our tour guide, Indrajeet! His knowledge of Varanasi and the age old practices of Hinduism were such enlightening elements of the overall experience.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ankit_g
Jun 29, 2024
Excellent - Good hospitality, knowledge of guide excellent, pick up and drop facilities, proper arrangements keep it up the great job
Review provided by Viator
Journey38798233662
May 1, 2024
Very fascinating tour, we can just recommend it! - Very beautiful tour! Vinod (the guide) was very kind, informative and interesting. He didn’t just explain what we saw but also gave us fascinating glimpses into Varanasi and Hindu culture. The ceremony for the sunset was gorgeous and impressive. He even overstretched a little the timing of the tour to show us also a bit of the old city, which actually wasn’t included. Very happy, we can just recommend it! Btw the organizers are very efficient, a few minutes after I had booked the tour via Booking.com they already contacted me via Whatsapp for the last details and the guide picked us straight from the hotel.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Marta_c
Apr 26, 2024
Amazing tour - Amazing experience in Varanasi! No to be missed. The tour starts in late afternoon, with a both trip on the river, you can enjoy a beautiful view of the city. Following the suggestive Ceremony Gaanga Aarti, very special moment. Thanks a million at our guide, Mr Paramananda, for letting us live this beautiful experience, he is very polite and interesting person.
Review provided by Viator
Arnabc2003
Apr 25, 2024
Evening Ganga Aarti, Varanasi - We went for a boat ride before seeing the evening aarti. A magnificent spectacle. Our guide, Indrajeet was very polite and helpful.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Cruiser21827067863
Apr 20, 2024
A great Spritual Experience - It was an amazing spiritual experience for me and my family .our guide Inderjeet was extremely friendly and resourceful individual. The arrangement which was arranged by him was quite good. especially the sitting arrangement for the evening Ganga Arti was quite impeccable !
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Radhika
Apr 8, 2024
Amazing experience - I highly recommend Indrajeet's Varanasi boat tour. He delivered on his promise, providing a fantastic explanatory tour of the Ganges and the significance of the various ghats. The boat ride was peaceful, allowing us to enjoy the serenity of the river. Indrajeet ensured we had the best seats to view the Ganga arathi, and we thoroughly enjoyed the evening chants and rhythms. He even walked us back safely and offered to stop by the famous Kashi chat corner. Indrajeet was prompt, helpful, and made our experience unforgettable.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Departure64861274818
Mar 29, 2024
Varanasi evening Aarti - Easy to organise and Shiva our guide was informative, helpful and got us great seats to watch the evening Aarti ceremonies. Would recommend.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Michael_p
Feb 29, 2024
Spectacular and invigorating. - We cruised on the Ganges prior to the ceremony and viewed the crematorium in full operation. A real humbling experience to view this sacred site. Upon returning to the ghat we had birds eye view. Absolutely mind blowing. Where on earth do you get to view such an amazing spectacle? The energy was overwhelming. Our guide ensured we got the most from this experience. Thoroughly recommended.
Review provided by Viator
Rickyt352
Jul 19, 2024
Not worth the money at all. - We joined this tour via TripAdvisor and regret it. Converted we paid €90,- for 2 people. We were picked up at our hotel and walked on foot (700 meters) to the Ghats. Unfortunately, almost nothing was explained or told to us along the way. On the boat we received minimal information. Our questions could be answered, but since we have little experience, it is difficult to know what you can ask. If more were explained, we could go deeper into it. After the boat trip we went directly to the balcony for the Ganga Aarti ceremony (Note: This is not a private balcony as described, you just sit shoulder to shoulder with others). Here our Guide met a friend and he was away for the whole ceremony, so we had no explanation and no questions. After the ceremony it was another ‘silent trip’ back to our hotel. Definitely not worth the money. If we had known this we would have paid 200 rupees ourselves for the balcony and 500 for the boat. That would have saved us €80.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
