Ghats at Sunset and the Evening Ganga Aarti

Highlights

• Walk the ghats as the light turns gold
• Manikarnika, the cremation ghat, explained honestly and respectfully
• The Ganga Aarti at Dashashwamedh, from the steps or from a boat
• A good spot for the ceremony without the elbowing

What you will do

We walk along the ghats in the late afternoon and stop at Manikarnika, where fires have burned day and night for centuries. Shiva explains what happens there and why, with the respect the place asks for. When it gets dark we watch the Ganga Aarti, from the steps or from a boat on the river.

How the time goes

1. Late afternoonPickup at your hotel
2. +20 minWalk the ghats from south to north
3. +1 h 15Manikarnika, from a respectful distance
4. +2 hGanga Aarti at Dashashwamedh
5. +3 hBack to your hotel

Meeting point

Shiva picks you up at your hotel or guesthouse in Varanasi. Staying near the ghats, where cars cannot go? He meets you at the nearest landmark.

Good to know

• Photographing cremations is not allowed.
• The aarti area is very crowded on festival days.

Best for

Everyone on a first visit; it is the evening most guests remember.

Meals and tips

Meals are never included, unless the page says so. Shiva can suggest where to eat, and you pay at the stall or restaurant.

Tips are optional. If a tip is useful, Shiva tells you where, how, when and how much, and only then. Nothing else is extra: everything not listed above is included in the price.