Safety of Bodhgaya

lukehford

Hi all,

Just a quick one before I start booking trains for my upcoming trip in early September...What is the current status of Bodhgaya?

I have read various posts but none seem quite so current. I am travelling from Delhi through to Sikkim and would like to stop at Varanasi and Bodhgaya, but if what I have heard about the safety there is true then perhaps I will bypass Bodhgaya and spend a couple of extra days in Varanasi instead.

I am in my early 20s male (first time India - but quite travelled) and travelling with my sister who has actually never travelled before, so I want to ensure that she will always feel safe. I did read not to travel on the road at night, is this all I should worry about?

Thanks,


Luke

pantelis

follow my advice:Since you 'll be visiting Varanasi,book a morning train ticket for Mughal Sarai-Gaya{i did this route last January 2008}.Mughal Sarai is half an hour drive from Varanasi with a taxi.It takes 5 or 6 hours by train.As far as i remember i arrived in Gaya early afternoon,around 17:00 or 18:00}.Catch a rickshaw or a taxi outside the trainstation of Gaya and head towards Bodhgaya.Doing this during daytime is completely safe but at night it's better to have company with you,more difficult.Although i arrived once in Gaya at 2:30 am but fortunately i had already met a couple from Washington and travelled together.

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wonderwomanusa

Agree with Pantelis: make your transit from Gaya to Bodh Gaya in daylight and you should be fine.

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The map is not the territory. --Alfred Korzybski

bpacker

So what if train leaves from Gaya Station late (about 11 pm).

Should I go to the train station from Bodhgaya before it gets dark and wait there about 5 hours ?

Or is it safer to go there later than waiting long time in train station?

wonderwomanusa

Well, you could take an earlier train...