Shirdi to Ajanta Ellora: Via Jalgaon or Aurangabad

Thanks a ton!

Since you are taking a flight to Aurangabad then its better to stay at Aurangabad. Ellora is hardly 20 kms from Aurangabad. You can make a day trip to Ellora and Grishneshwar (12th Jyotirling) from Aurangabad. You will require couple of hrs to see Ellora if you skip through and may be a full day might be short to properly see the caves. The Kailash Temple is an acrhitectural marwel.

You can also visit Daulatabad fort from Aurangabad which again will require couple of hrs.

Ajanta is about 110 kms from Aurangabad. The best place to stay in Ajanta is MTDC cottages. Beautiful location and you can just walk to the bus stand. Please note that cars are not allowed near Ajanta caves. The last 5 kms are to be done by MTDC buses which ply frequently from MTDC cottages at Ajanta.
Again Ajanta will require couple of hrs and more if you want to see it properly.

Carry a water bottle and a hat. It becomes very hot during day time even in winters.

For Shirdi if you are staying at Aurangabad then the route will be through Ahmednagar.

I am just back from a road trip of Maharashtra which also included Ajanta Ellora Aurangabad and Shirdi.

Hi EOS,

Is it possible you to give a tentative iternary for me to cover majority of places in Maharashtra. I am planning to go on self-driven car from Bangalore for 8-9 days barring night time drives!

Right now I have places in mind are, Kolhapur, Shirdi, S.Signapur, Pandharapur, Ganapa & Nasik. You may add some more places with details.

Thanks in advance!
Jay

Jay

My road trip was ex Bhopal. And it was like this
Bhopal-Ajanta-Ellora,Grishneshwar-Aurangabad-Mahabaleshwar-Tarkarli (malwan area in Konkan) - Shirdi - Bhopal.

For Ajanta , Ellora, Aurangabad pls see my above post.
My sole motivation for driving to Tarkarli all the way from Bhopal was to see Coral reefs. And believe me it was worth all the effort. Tarkarli is i think Maharashtra's best kept secret. Golden colured sands, crystal clear waters, pristine beauty and the best part...No hordes of tourist. Just you and couple of people more...thats it. Some times the beach is all for you. The best option for staying at Tarkarli are the MTDC cottages bang on the beach. Book online on maharashtra tourism site.

Snorkelling is done around sindhudurg fort area which is 6 kms from Tarkarli. And yes you can actually see the brilliant coloured corals and fishes what you see in Discovery channel. Truly mesmerising.

Its also a great time to go to Mahabaleshwar. Starwberry season has started and you can eat your heart out having fresh strawberries. You can also try Parasailing which again is absolutely great.

All in all we had a rocking vacation.

See if you can workout these in your vacation if you have'nt already seen them..

Hi EOS

Thanks for your inputs.

Best Regards,
Jay

Hi
I will be landing in Aurangabad at 8 am, is it possible to go to shirdi and visit Grishneswar Jyotirlinga and return by taxi to Mumbai on the same day as i have a flight from Mumbai to Blore at 8 pm in the evening.

also is there any budget hotels in Aurangabad for a few hours to shower.
are there any sharing taxi from shirdi to Mumbai and how many hours will it take.

Anyother suggestions will be helpful. This will be on the 10th of Feb.
Thank you

Not Possible.

Aurangabad - Shirdi is at least 4 hours drive then Darshan Time at the temple, then another drive to Nashik and then to Mumbai......

You'll 100% miss your flight !

Hello Eklavya

It was a resourcefull explanation. I really liked it. I am trying to visit Ajanta & Ellora only in 1.5 days.

- I will be starting on Friday Night from Mumbai.
Day 1: Reach Jalgaon at 5 am (sat). From there i will go to Ajanta.
Day 1: Sepnd whle day in Ajanta and then take a bus or cab to reach Ellora
Day 1: Take a room in the night (sat).
Day 2: Next Morning visit Ellora (sunday)
Day 2: Check out the hotel and reach station in the evening (sundy).
Day 2: Board train for mumbai in the night (sunday).

Q1> Please let me know if this plan is ok, and if I am spending enough time for both place.
Q2> Which one should i visit first Ellora or Ajanta ?
Q3> how to reach ellora from ajanta and from ellora to station.

PLease help me to decide.

Thanks
Rohan

Hello Eklavya..

Thanks a ton to you, for writing out such a nice description of your trip to Nasik- Ajantha-Ellora which u took in 2008.

It played as a REAL GUIDE for me to plan my whole Trip (Nasik,Shirdi,Aurangabad,Ellor a n Ajantha),to an unknown state where just only 3 of us went (Myself, my husband and my 3 yrs old daughter) and that too in 2011 !! Three years after u made ur trip.

It helped me right from making reservation, scheduling days and the detailed description of do's n don'ts. I followed them everywhere and benifitted a lot..

Thanks Again for making my trip memorable..

Hi All,

I am from Chennai.

We are a family of 5 adults and a child of 10. We would like to do a trip covering Mumbai, Nasik, Shirdi, Shani Shingnapur, Aurangabad, Ajanta and Ellora. Can anyone tell me whether this is a good itinerary

Chennai-Mumbai - air
Mumbai local - 3 days
Mumbai - Nasik - Shirdi - Shani Shingnapur - Nasik 2 days
Nasik - Aurangabad - Ajanta - Ellora - 2 days
Aurangabad - Pune
Pune - Chennai - train

I would appreciate a quick response from my friends here.

Regards
RSK

RSK, If you have not completed your trip as yet, you may revise it little bit.
After completing Mumbai - Nasik - Shirdi - Shani Shingnapur, in stead of returning to Nasik, you may proceed to Aurangabad. From Aurangabad you may do Ajanta on one day and Ellora on the other day.
You can also visit Ghrishneshwar Temple, one of the twelve Jyortirlingas of Lord Shiva in India which is just beside Ellora caves.
Both of them would be taking one day each.
Then proceed to Pune to catch your train.
It would save your time.
Regards, PraKaant

Hi,
I am putting up in Bhopal. We plan to visit from bhopal :

(1) Ajanta /Ellora caves ; then
(2) Shirdi, then back to Bhopal .

Most probably we will be starting saturday evening from bhopal and reaching back bhopal tuesday night by train.

We will be a group of 9 persons including 2(two) sr. citizen, 2(Two) children.

Please help me to plan my visit.

@bubu, when are you planning to do this?

There is a direct train from Bhopal to Auranagabad leaving in the afternoon. Another option would be to get down at Bhusaval / Jalgaon (closer to Ajanta).

From Aurangabad check if you get a direct bus to Shirdi.

From Shirdi go to Kopargaoan and take a direct train to Bhopal.

This trip will be too hectic. Increase one more day.

Thanks Aarosh,

I am planning 1st week of April'12. yes I know it is going to be hectic but has to join back office..
I feel:
1st day for for Ajanta caves
2nd day for ellora caves
3rd day for Shirdi
back to bhopal by night train

all journeys during night time...

Is it OK?

Regards

Up and down that route so many times and I never stopped in at Shirdi..