Stepwell & Sun Temple
Join us on a journey back in time to the world of medieval stepwells at Rani ki Vav world heritage site and the majestic Sun temple of Modhera.
Private Dwarka Somnath Tour from Rajkot: 4 Days
Dwarka Somnath Tour From Rajkot
Five days through the land that gave India its most beloved god, its father of a nation and one of its twelve eternal flames. For those who grew up hearing these names, finally standing in these places changes something permanently.
Rs 49400/person onwards
4.9 Rating
#121 Reviews
Outlook Responsible Tourism Award
Dept of Tourism Approved
There is a particular kind of travel that only some people understand. It is the experience of standing in a place your parents described, your grandparents prayed toward and your childhood stories were set in, and feeling the gap between the imagined and the real close completely. Dwarka is one of those places. Somnath is one of those places. Porbandar, where a young boy named Mohandas was born in a house that still stands exactly as it was, is one of those places. This journey through Gujarat's sacred coast is designed for the person who has waited long enough to finally see them.
4 Days Through Gujarat's Sacred Coast
The Saurashtra peninsula stretching into the Arabian Sea contains one of the twelve Jyotirlingas, the most ancient Vishnu temple in India, the birthplace of Mahatma Gandhi, a coastal highway of extraordinary beauty and a living culture of music, craft and hospitality that has remained remarkably intact. Your five days here move through all of it in a single arc, from the sacred to the historical to the profoundly human, with a private 5 Senses guide who understands both the religious significance and the deeper civilisational story behind every stop.
The City Krishna Built
Day 1 and Day 2 — Dwarka
Dwarka is one of the seven sacred cities of Hinduism and one of the four dhams of the Char Dham pilgrimage. According to the Mahabharata, Krishna established his kingdom here after leaving Mathura, building a golden city on the shores of the Arabian Sea. The original city is believed to have submerged beneath the ocean and archaeologists have found ancient structures on the seabed off the Dwarka coast that have never been fully explained. The Dwarkadhish Temple that stands today was built in the 16th century on what is believed to be the site of Krishna’s original palace. Its five-storey shikhara rising above the Gomti River and the sea is one of the most dramatically situated temples in India.
Your first evening in Dwarka ends at the aarti, when the lamps are lit at the Dwarkadhish Temple as the sun goes down over the Arabian Sea. This moment needs no explanation for those who already carry it in their memory. For those encountering it for the first time it requires only presence.
Day 2 begins with a morning boat ride across to Bet Dwarka, the island where Krishna is said to have lived while his city was built on the mainland. The Nageshwar Jyotirlinga, one of the twelve eternal Shiva shrines that mark the sacred geography of India, is nearby and carries a significance that extends far beyond Gujarat. The afternoon brings the quieter Dwarka: the Rukmini Devi Temple on the outskirts of town, built to mark the spot where Rukmini’s chariot stopped on her way to her wedding with Krishna, and Gomti Ghat where the sacred river meets the sea.
The Road Along the Sea
Day 3 — Dwarka to Somnath via Porbandar
The drive from Dwarka to Somnath along NH-51 is one of the great coastal journeys of western India. The Arabian Sea is visible for long stretches of the route, occasionally close enough to hear the waves, and the road passes through fishing villages, salt flats and scrubland that feels entirely different from any other part of India. Your guide uses the drive time to connect the landscape to the history, explaining the extraordinary civilisational density of this small peninsula and the political history of the princely states of Kathiawar that shaped modern Gujarat.
The midpoint stop is Porbandar. Kirti Mandir, the house where Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born on October 2nd 1869, still stands in the old city exactly as it was. The room where he was born, the family courtyard, the wooden staircase his mother climbed, all of it is preserved and open. Standing in that room is an experience of a completely different order than visiting a museum. It is standing at the origin point of a story that changed the world.
The Sudama Temple nearby tells a different story, the story of Krishna’s friendship with his childhood companion Sudama, a poor Brahmin whose loyalty was rewarded with unimaginable abundance. It is one of the oldest temples in Porbandar and one of the most beloved in Gujarat.
You arrive in Somnath in the evening for the Light and Sound Show at the Shree Somnath Temple, where the history of one of India’s most fought-over and most resilient sacred sites is told against the backdrop of the temple itself and the Arabian Sea beyond.
The Eternal Flame
Day 4 Morning — Somnath
Somnath has been destroyed and rebuilt seventeen times. No other sacred site in India carries that particular weight of history. Mahmud of Ghazni attacked it in 1025 CE and carried away its treasures. Aurangzeb destroyed its structure in 1706. The British photographed its ruins in the 19th century. And on December 1st 1947, just months after independence, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel stood at the ruined site and announced that it would be rebuilt. The current temple, consecrated in 1951, is not a reconstruction of what was lost. It is a statement about what survived.
Your morning begins with the darshan at Shree Somnath Temple, the first of the twelve Jyotirlingas, as the sun rises over the Arabian Sea. The temple faces the ocean with no land between Somnath and Antarctica in a straight line south. A Sanskrit inscription on the temple’s Arrow Pillar records this geographical fact. It has stood in some form for over a thousand years.
Bhalka Tirth, a short distance from the temple, marks the spot where Krishna is believed to have been struck by an arrow and left his mortal body. The circle that opened on Day 1 at Dwarkadhish closes here. Triveni Sangam Ghat, where three rivers meet the sea, is the final sacred stop before your afternoon drive toward Rajkot.
Through Junagadh
Day 4 Afternoon — Junagadh en route
The drive from Somnath to Rajkot passes through Junagadh, one of the most historically layered cities in Gujarat. The Uparkot Fort, which has been continuously occupied since the 3rd century BCE, the Ashoka edicts carved into a boulder at the edge of town and the extraordinary step well of Adi Kadi Vav are all worth a stop for the historically curious. Your guide adjusts the depth of the Junagadh visit based on your group’s interests and energy on the final day.
Rajkot and Departure
Day 5 — Return to Rajkot International Airport
Your final morning in Rajkot offers time to explore the city that shaped Gandhi’s early years. The Kaba Gandhi No Delo, where Gandhi lived as a young man during his father’s tenure as diwan, is open and worth a brief visit for those wishing to complete the Gandhi thread that runs through this entire journey. Transfer to Rajkot International Airport for your onward flight.
WHY THIS JOURNEY IS DIFFERENT
More Than Darshan. A Complete Understanding
The sites on this tour are among the most visited in Gujarat. What makes a 5 Senses journey different is not where you go but what you understand when you leave. Your guide is trained not only in the religious significance of each temple but in the archaeological evidence, the political history, the architectural evolution and the living traditions that surround them.
The Somnath story is not simply a story of destruction and faith. It is a story about the relationship between sacred geography and political power across a thousand years of Indian history. The Dwarka story is not simply mythology. It connects to one of the oldest maritime civilisations on earth. The Porbandar story is not simply a pilgrimage to a famous birthplace. It is a conversation about how one man’s particular upbringing in this particular place produced a particular kind of moral courage that changed the world.
A 5 Senses guide brings all of that to life in conversation, not in lecture, at the pace and depth that suits your group.
Your Guide
Every 5 Senses Dwarka Somnath tour is led by a guide who was born and raised in Gujarat, trained specifically in the complete religious, historical and cultural context of the Saurashtra peninsula and selected for the ability to make ancient stories feel urgently alive rather than distantly reverential. Your guide speaks English, Hindi and Gujarati and the conversation goes wherever your curiosity leads, whether that is the archaeology beneath the Dwarka seabed, the political legacy of Sardar Patel at Somnath or the personal story of Gandhi’s childhood in Porbandar and Rajkot.
Everything taken care of
Your journey begins with a private vehicle meeting you at Rajkot International Airport. Every transfer across the five days is in your private vehicle with your guide. Every temple entry, the boat ride to Bet Dwarka, the Light and Sound Show at Somnath and your accommodation for four nights are all included. Nothing is hidden, nothing is extra. The entire journey is designed so that your only responsibility is to be present.
Included:
- Private vehicle throughout
- Expert cultural guide fluent in English, Hindi and Gujarati
- All entry fees and boat rides
- 2nights accommodation Dwarka
- 1 night accommodation Somnath
- 1 night accommodation Rajkot
- Airport pickup and drop Rajkot
Do Dwarka & Somnath sound interesting?
Five Senses Tours - Ahmedabad
5.0 Stars - Based on 121 User Reviews
Tripadvisor Reviews
Pricing Chart
4+ persons
Rs49400/person
- Pick and drop
- Private Car
- Guide
- Entrance charges
- Indian lunch (vegetarian)
2 persons
Rs70800/person
- Pick and drop
- Private Car
- Guide
- Entrance charges
- Indian lunch (vegetarian)
1 person
Rs136000
- Pick and drop
- Private Car
- Guide
- Entrance charges
- Indian lunch (vegetarian)
Trip Itinerary
Day 1
Pickup at Rajkot Airport, Drive to Dwarka via Jamnagar, Evening aarti at Dwarkadhish Temple , Overnight in Dwarka
Day 2
Morning boat ride to Bet Dwarka,
Nageshwar Jyotirlinga,
Rukmini Devi Temple, Gomti Ghat,
Overnight in Dwarka
Day 3
Coastal drive along NH-51 for three hours, Porbandar — Kirti Mandir, the room where Gandhi was born,
Sudama Temple , Somnath temple,
Overnight in Somnath
Day 4
Morning darshan at Somnath Temple, Bhalka Tirth , Triveni Sangam Ghat, drop to Rajkot
Related Tours
Choose from our comprehensive list of guided tours that are an immersive cultural experience of Gujarat.
Gir Forest Visit
Meet the Asiatic Lion over a 3 day tour from Ahmedabad
Walking Tours
Join our immersive culture walks to discover authentic India. Led by a guide, experience culture, heritage & food across India.
Listen to a podcast
Listen to Incredible India Travel, a podcast about the best places to visit and experiences in India.
Motocycle Tours
Join our ride on Royal Enfield Motorcycles s we experience authentic India, led by an escort rider.
Comments are closed.