Nashik Kumbh Mela 2027 Tour: the 31 August Amrit Snan, Trimbakeshwar and Ellora (7 Days)

Arrive in Mumbai

Your driver meets you at Mumbai airport and takes you to your hotel. Rest after the flight. Late August is the monsoon, so expect warm, humid weather with heavy showers. Heavy rain can slow the traffic or flood low-lying roads for a few hours, so we keep today free of plans.

If you arrive early and feel like a short outing, drive along Marine Drive, the sweeping seafront promenade known as the Queen's Necklace for its curve of lights at night, or see the Gateway of India, the basalt arch on the harbour completed in 1924. In the monsoon the Arabian Sea is grey and rough, and waves crash against the sea wall.

For a first taste of Maharashtra, try vada pav, Mumbai's spiced potato fritter in a soft bun, or a plate of pav bhaji. Your guide will call this evening to go through the Kumbh plan with you: what to pack for bathing day, how the crowds work and where to meet. Keep your phone charged and save your guide's number.

• ArrivalMeet and greet at Mumbai airport
• EveningRest, a short drive along Marine Drive, and a Kumbh briefing call

OvernightMumbai, 1 night.

Up the Western Ghats to Nashik

Drive north-east out of Mumbai and climb the Kasara ghat into the Western Ghats, green and full of waterfalls in the monsoon. Mist often hangs over the hills near Igatpuri at the top of the climb, and the paddy fields below are bright green. Expect slow stretches: Kumbh traffic, police diversions and heavy rain can all add time, which is why we leave in the morning. Nashik, a city of temples and vineyards, sits on the banks of the Godavari, one of India's holiest rivers.

Check in and, in the evening, walk with your guide through Panchavati, the old riverside quarter where, according to the Ramayana, Rama, Sita and Lakshmana lived during their exile. See the black stone Kalaram temple, built in the 18th century, and Sita Gufa, a small cave shrine linked to the epic. The Kumbh camps and the ghats around Ramkund will be busy with preparations and pilgrims arriving from across India.

Nashik's best-known dish is misal pav, a fiery sprouted-bean curry topped with crunchy farsan and eaten with bread.

• DayDrive from Mumbai to Nashik
• EveningPanchavati and the Ramkund ghats with your guide

OvernightNashik, 3 nights, in a hotel or pre-booked tented camp chosen for access to the ghats.

Trimbakeshwar and the source of the Godavari

Drive to Trimbakeshwar, a small temple town below the Brahmagiri hills, home to one of the twelve Jyotirlinga temples of Shiva. Its black stone temple, rebuilt in the 18th century, is unusual in having a lingam with three faces representing Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. The Godavari rises on Brahmagiri above the town. In the monsoon the hills are covered in green and streaked with waterfalls.

Queues for darshan, the view of the deity, can last hours during the Kumbh. Your guide will advise on timings. Entry to the temple is traditionally restricted to Hindus, so non-Hindu guests see it from outside and explore the town and the Kushavarta tank, the stone-walled pool where Trimbakeshwar's own Kumbh bathing takes place. The lanes around the temple are lined with stalls selling flowers, rudraksha beads and brass lamps.

Climbing Brahmagiri to the source of the river is a steep, stepped walk of several hours and slippery in the rain, so we do not recommend it this week. Lunch is a simple Maharashtrian thali. We return to Nashik by afternoon so you can rest before tomorrow's early start.

• MorningTrimbakeshwar Jyotirlinga temple and the Kushavarta tank
• AfternoonReturn to Nashik and rest

OvernightNashik.

The Amrit Snan at Ramkund

Leave before dawn with your guide. The akharas process to Ramkund in a set order: sadhus and ascetics, many smeared with ash, saints on decorated chariots, flags, drums and chanting. Watch from a public viewing area as they plunge into the river at the auspicious time. The order and timings are set by the akharas and the authorities on the day, so there can be long waits; bring patience along with your camera.

After the akharas, millions of pilgrims follow. If you wish, you can bathe later in the day when the crowds ease. Roads near the river are closed to cars, so expect several hours on foot, in rain or heat. We give you a rain poncho, water and snacks.

Wear sandals or shoes you do not mind getting wet, carry very little, and keep valuables in a zipped inner pocket. Agree a meeting point with your guide in case you are separated. Many sadhus are happy to be photographed, but always ask first; some will expect a small offering.

Return to your hotel or camp to rest in the afternoon.

• Before dawnWalk to the viewing area with your guide
• MorningThe akharas' procession and royal bath
• AfternoonOptional bath, then rest

OvernightNashik.

To Ellora via Grishneshwar

After a slow breakfast, drive east across the Deccan plateau to Ellora, near Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, formerly Aurangabad. The road leaves the hills behind and crosses wide, flat farmland, green with cotton and soybean in the monsoon. If you would like a break, stop at Yeola, a weaving town known for Paithani silk saris, with their bright borders of peacocks and lotus flowers woven in gold thread.

Stop at Grishneshwar, another of the twelve Jyotirlinga temples of Shiva, built in red stone right beside the Ellora Caves and restored in the 18th century by Queen Ahilyabai Holkar. Its walls are carved with gods, dancers and animals. Shoes come off at the gate, and men are usually asked to remove their shirts to enter the inner sanctum.

Check in to your hotel and rest. After the intensity of the Kumbh, the quiet is welcome. For dinner, try naan qalia, a spiced mutton dish with bread that is Aurangabad's own Mughal-era speciality.

• DayDrive to Ellora, with an optional stop in Yeola
• AfternoonGrishneshwar Jyotirlinga temple
• EveningCheck in and rest

OvernightChhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Aurangabad), 2 nights.

The Ellora Caves

Spend the morning at Ellora, a UNESCO World Heritage Site with 34 caves carved between about the 6th and 10th centuries by Buddhist, Hindu and Jain communities, side by side. The masterpiece is the Kailasa temple, Cave 16, cut downwards into a single rock to create a complete temple, with courtyards, towers and life-size elephants. It was carved in the 8th century under the Rashtrakuta kings. Walk up the path to the rim of the pit for a view down over the whole temple.

Do not miss Cave 10, the Buddhist prayer hall with a ribbed ceiling carved to look like wooden beams, or the Jain caves at the northern end, with their fine carved pillars. In the monsoon, a waterfall often pours over the cliff near the caves. Wear shoes with grip, as the rock floors get slippery.

Ellora is closed on Tuesdays, so we visit on Thursday. In the afternoon, rest, or visit the Bibi ka Maqbara in the city, a 17th-century tomb modelled on the Taj Mahal, or Daulatabad Fort, a medieval hilltop citadel on the road back to the city.

• MorningEllora Caves, including the Kailasa temple
• AfternoonFree, or Bibi ka Maqbara or Daulatabad Fort

OvernightChhatrapati Sambhajinagar.

Fly to Mumbai and home

Your driver takes you to Aurangabad airport, a short drive from the city, for your flight to Mumbai, where you connect with your flight home. Leave a few hours' buffer, as monsoon weather can delay flights.

If you have more time, add the Ajanta Caves, about two hours away, famous for their Buddhist wall paintings; note that Ajanta is closed on Mondays. Keep your passport and tickets handy, as both are checked at the terminal entrance.

• MorningFlight to Mumbai