Ayodhya: City of Rama
A day in Rama’s birthplace: Ram Mandir, Hanuman Garhi and the Sarayu aarti.
Ramayana Trail
Follow in the foot steps of Lord Ram from Ayodhya to Rameswaram in this 14 Day Tour
Rs160000/person onwards
Guided
14D 13N
⭐ 5 on Tripadvisor
Approved by Tourism Ministry
Outlook Responsible Tourism Award
The Epic, Lived
This is the Ramayana, walked in the order it was told. From the city where Rama was born, into the forests of his exile, along the river where Sita was taken, across the kingdom of Hanuman, and down to the shore where an army of the faithful built a bridge across the sea.
What Is The Ramayana Tour?
Ramayana tour of India is a 14 day journey by 5 Senses Tours through the places Hindu tradition links to the epic, visited in the order of the story: Ayodhya, Shringverpur and Prayagraj, Chitrakoot, Panchavati in Nashik, Lepakshi, Kishkindha near Hampi, and Rameswaram with Dhanushkodi, with expert guides throughout.
Key Facts: Ramayana Tour of India
| Duration | 13 nights, 14 days |
|---|---|
| Start and end | Arrive Ayodhya; depart Madurai |
| Places | Ayodhya, Nandigram, Shringverpur, Prayagraj, Chitrakoot, Nashik, Lepakshi, Nimmalakunta, Hampi, Rameswaram, Dhanushkodi |
| Travel | Air conditioned car with driver, plus three domestic flights |
| Group size | Maximum 8 guests |
| Optional add on | Sita's Mithila, 2 nights from Darbhanga |
| Fitness level | Moderate. Some temple steps; the Anjanadri climb is optional |
You may know the Ramayana from your grandmother’s bedtime stories, from a television series that brought India to a standstill, or from the film that filled cinemas around the world this Diwali. But a story told on a screen is a story at a distance.
In India, the Ramayana is not only told. It is lived. Lamps are still floated on the Sarayu where Rama was born. Pilgrims still walk barefoot around the hill at Chitrakoot where he spent his exile. Puppeteers still cut Hanuman from painted leather by lamplight, and the sea at Dhanushkodi still breaks where tradition says the bridge to Lanka began. This Ramayana tour takes you into that living story, one chapter at a time.
A Ramayana Tour That Follows the Epic in Order
The Ramayana, composed by the sage Valmiki and retold in every Indian language, from Tulsidas’s Ramcharitmanas in Awadhi to Kamban’s Ramavataram in Tamil, is a journey as much as a story. Its hero travels the length of India: from Ayodhya in the north, across the Ganga, through the forests of central India, to the Godavari, the Deccan and the southern sea.
The Ramayana Trail follows that journey in order. Each place you visit is linked by centuries of tradition to a chapter of the epic, and each is still a place of living devotion, art and story. India’s Ministry of Tourism recognises many of them as part of its Ramayana Circuit.
Along the way you meet the people who keep the story alive: priests at the evening aarti, boatmen on the Sangam, the leather puppeteers of Nimmalakunta, and the guides who read the Ramayana carved into the walls of Hampi.
Your Ramayana Tour, Day by Day
Day 1: Arrive in Ayodhya, the City of Rama
Arrive at Ayodhya airport, where your driver meets you. After time to rest, walk down to Ram ki Paidi as dusk falls. Lamps are lit, bells ring, and leaf boats carrying flames drift down the Sarayu, the river on whose banks Rama was born. It is the gentlest of beginnings.
Overnight: Ayodhya.
Day 2: Ayodhya, Birthplace of a King
A full day in the city where the story begins:
- Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir, the newly built temple at the place revered as Rama’s birthplace, carved in pink sandstone
- Hanuman Garhi, the hilltop shrine of Hanuman, guardian of the city
- Kanak Bhawan, the golden palace said to be Kaikeyi’s gift to Sita
- Tulsi Smarak Bhawan, honouring Tulsidas, whose Ramcharitmanas carried the epic into every home of north India
As you walk, your guide tells of the chapter that sets the whole journey in motion: Queen Kaikeyi’s two boons, and Rama’s quiet acceptance of fourteen years in the forest.
Day 3: Nandigram, Shringverpur and the Sangam
Leave Ayodhya as Rama did. At Nandigram, Bharata is said to have ruled for fourteen years with Rama’s sandals on the throne, living as a hermit until his brother came home. At Shringverpur on the Ganga, the boatman king Nishadraj Guha ferried Rama, Sita and Lakshmana across the great river. Arrive in Prayagraj in time for a boat ride at dusk on the Sangam, where the Ganga meets the Yamuna.
Overnight: Prayagraj.
Day 4: Into the Forest of Chitrakoot
In the morning, visit the ashram associated with Sage Bharadwaj, who guided the exiles south. Then drive about 3 hours to Chitrakoot, where tradition holds that Rama, Sita and Lakshmana spent many years of their exile. As evening falls, sit on the steps of Ramghat on the Mandakini river and watch the aarti begin.
Overnight: Chitrakoot.
Day 5: Chitrakoot, the Hill of Wishes
A day among the forest shrines: Kamadgiri, the sacred hill pilgrims circle barefoot, believed to grant wishes; Bharat Milap, where Bharata is said to have pleaded with Rama to return; the Sati Anusuya Ashram, where the sage’s wife blessed Sita; Sphatik Shila, the rock beside the river where Rama and Sita are said to have rested; and Gupt Godavari, caves where water flows from the rock.
Day 6: South to the Godavari
Drive to Prayagraj Airport and fly to Mumbai, then continue by road to Nashik. A long travel day that carries you, as the story does, from the northern plains to the banks of the Godavari.
Day 7: Panchavati, Where Sita Was Taken
On the Godavari, Panchavati is where tradition places the exiles’ forest home, named for its five banyan trees. Here the story turns. Lakshmana cut off Shurpanakha’s nose, and the city’s name is said to come from nasika, the Sanskrit word for nose. Here the golden deer drew Rama away, and Ravana carried Sita into the sky.
Visit Sita Gufa, the narrow cave where Sita is said to have sheltered; the Kalaram Temple, with its image of Rama in black stone; Tapovan, the grove of Lakshmana and Shurpanakha; and Ramkund, for the evening aarti on the Godavari.
Overnight: Nashik.
Day 8: Lepakshi, Where Jatayu Fell
Fly from Nashik to Bengaluru. Bengaluru’s airport lies on the road north, so you drive straight on to Lepakshi, about 1.5 hours away.
The Ramayana tells how the great vulture Jatayu fought Ravana in the sky to save Sita, and fell with his wings cut. Local tradition says Rama found him here and called “Le, pakshi”, “Rise, O bird”, giving the village its name. See the Jatayu sculpture on the rock, then the 16th century Veerabhadra Temple, built under the Vijayanagara kings, with its painted ceilings, its famous hanging pillar and the great monolithic Nandi. Continue to Puttaparthi for the night.
Overnight: Puttaparthi.
Day 9: The Shadow Puppeteers, then Hampi
In the village of Nimmalakunta, a few dozen families keep alive Tholu Bommalata, the leather shadow puppetry of Andhra Pradesh, recognised with a GI tag. In a darkened room, a lamp flickers behind a screen and the Ramayana comes alive in colour: Rama, Ravana and Hanuman cut from translucent painted leather, voiced in song. Meet the artists and see how each puppet is cut and painted by hand; your fee goes directly to the family.
Drive on to Hampi (about 4 hours), arriving in time to watch the sun set over a landscape of giant boulders.
Overnight: Hampi.
Day 10: Kishkindha, Kingdom of Hanuman
Across the Tungabhadra river lies Anegundi, widely accepted as the Kishkindha of the Ramayana, kingdom of the monkey king Sugriva and the place where Rama first met Hanuman.
- Pampa Sarovar, the lotus lake associated with Shabari, who waited a lifetime to welcome Rama
- Rishyamukha, the hill where Sugriva hid from his brother Vali
- Anegundi village, among the oldest inhabited places in the region
- Anjanadri Hill at sunset, believed in Karnataka to be Hanuman’s birthplace: 570 steps to the temple and a view over the whole of Kishkindha, for those who wish to climb
Overnight: Hampi.
Day 11: Hampi, the Ramayana in Stone
The kings of Vijayanagara worshipped Rama, and their capital, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, still tells his story. At the Hazara Rama Temple, the royal chapel, panel after panel of carved friezes run around the walls; your guide reads them with you like the pages of a book. Continue to the Virupaksha Temple, still alive with worship, and the Vittala Temple with its stone chariot.
Overnight: Hampi.
Day 12: To the Southern Sea
Drive to the airport (Vijayanagar or Hubballi, depending on flights) and fly to Madurai via Bengaluru.
Overnight: Madurai
Day 13: Rameswaram and Dhanushkodi, the Bridge to Lanka
3 hours drive from Madurai to Rameshwaram.
The final chapter. At the Ramanathaswamy Temple, Rama is said to have worshipped Shiva after the war with Ravana. Walk in the world’s longest temple corridor, and see pilgrims bathe at its sacred wells. Visit the Kothandaramaswamy Temple, where Ravana’s brother Vibhishana is said to have surrendered to Rama, and the Panchamukhi Hanuman Temple with its floating stones.
In the late afternoon, drive to Dhanushkodi, the town swept away by the cyclone of 1964, at the tip of India. Here, tradition says, Rama’s army began the bridge to Lanka. Watch the sun go down where two seas meet: the end of the trail.
Overnight: Rameswaram.
Day 14: Depart from Madurai
Drive to Madurai for your onward flight. With time in hand, visit the Meenakshi Temple before you leave.
Ready to walk the Ramayana from Ayodhya to the sea?
Why this Ramayana Tour is Different
The story in order.
Most Ramayana tours are lists of temples. This one follows the epic chapter by chapter, so each place deepens the one before.
The living Ramayana.
Aarti on the Sarayu and the Mandakini, leather puppeteers in Nimmalakunta, Ramayana friezes in Hampi: you meet the epic as it is still sung, carved and performed.
Private and unhurried.
Your own car, your own guides and your own pace, never a coach or a crowd. Maximum 8 guests.
Comfort along the way.
Flights for long jumps, carefully chosen hotels, and a team that handles every visit detail.
A Journey That Supports the Keepers of the Story
- Puppeteers and other artists are paid directly at the visit, built into your tour cost, never left to tips
- Local guides and drivers at every destination
- Small private groups, so sacred places are respected and never crowded by us
5 Senses Tours received the Outlook Responsible Tourism Award for this approach to travel.
Your guides for the tour
At every destination, a 5 Senses guide who knows the Ramayana in its local telling travels with you: the Ramcharitmanas in Ayodhya and Chitrakoot, the Kishkindha traditions of Hampi, the temple lore of Rameswaram. They explain rituals as they unfold, guide you through temple etiquette so you always feel at ease, and tune the depth of the story to your family, from first time visitors to lifelong devotees.
What Is Included in Your Ramayana Tour
Included
✅ 13 nights in hand picked hotels with breakfast
✅ Private air conditioned car with driver throughout
✅ Expert English speaking guide at every destination
✅ Domestic flights: Prayagraj to Mumbai, Nashik to Bengaluru, Hampi side to Madurai
✅ Boat ride on the Sangam at Prayagraj
✅ Leather puppetry performance at Nimmalakunta
✅ All monument entry fees
✅ Airport transfers, tolls and parking
Pricing Chart
4+ persons
Rs160000/person
- Hotel Pick and Drop
- Private Car
- Guide
- Entrance charges
- 13 nights in Hotels with breakfast
3 persons
Rs199750/person
- Hotel Pick and Drop
- Private Car
- Guide
- Entrance charges
- 13 nights in Hotels with breakfast
2 persons
Rs207000
- Hotel Pick and Drop
- Private Car
- Guide
- Entrance charges
- 13 nights in Hotels with breakfast
Your Ramayana Tour at a Glance
| Day | Place | Chapter of the Ramayana |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ayodhya | Arrival; aarti on the Sarayu |
| 2 | Ayodhya | Rama's birthplace; the exile begins |
| 3 | Nandigram, Shringverpur, Prayagraj | Bharata's vigil; crossing the Ganga |
| 4 | Prayagraj to Chitrakoot | Sage Bharadwaj; into the forest |
| 5 | Chitrakoot | The forest years |
| 6 | Fly to Mumbai, drive to Nashik | South to the Godavari |
| 7 | Nashik Panchavati | Shurpanakha; the golden deer; Sita taken |
| 8 | Fly to Bengaluru, Lepakshi | Jatayu's fall |
| 9 | Nimmalakunta to Hampi | The epic in shadow puppets |
| 10 | Anegundi | Kishkindha; Rama meets Hanuman |
| 11 | Hampi | The Ramayana in stone |
| 12 | Fly to Madurai, drive to Rameswaram | To the southern sea |
| 13 | Rameswaram and Dhanushkodi | The bridge to Lanka |
| 14 | Madurai | Departure |
Ramayana Tour FAQs
The best known are Ayodhya, Rama’s birthplace; Chitrakoot and Panchavati in Nashik, places of the exile; Lepakshi, where Jatayu fell; Anegundi near Hampi, the Kishkindha of Hanuman; and Rameswaram with Dhanushkodi, where the bridge to Lanka began. Sitamarhi in Mithila is revered as Sita’s birthplace. Our Ramayana tour visits them in the order of the story.
Our full Ramayana tour takes 14 days, 13 nights, from Ayodhya to Rameswaram. Shorter tours of sites, such as a day in Ayodhya, Lepakshi, Kishkinda, Nasik or Rameshwaram are also available.
It starts in Ayodhya, reached by its own airport and ends in Madurai, from where you fly home or continue your journey.
Yes, travellers of every faith are welcome. Some temples ask non Hindu visitors to stay outside the innermost sanctum, but courtyards, halls and the stories are open to all, and your guide explains everything within.
Yes. It is private and paced to your family, with flights for the longest distances. There are long road days and temple steps, and the Anjanadri climb is optional. Tell us about any mobility needs and we will adapt.
Wear clothes that cover shoulders and knees, and footwear that slips off easily, since shoes are removed at every temple.
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