Planning the Buddhist circuit from Varanasi

Of all the trips we run out of Varanasi, the Buddhist circuit takes the most planning, and it's the one most often sold with the awkward bits quietly left out. You're covering the four great sites (Lumbini, Bodhgaya, Sarnath and Kushinagar) plus Rajgir and Nalanda, and that's around 1,400 km on the road.

The distances that shape the route

Seven days is the honest minimum for all six sites. Five days can cover Sarnath, Bodhgaya, Rajgir and Nalanda comfortably and leaves Lumbini out — which is a legitimate trip, and better than rushing the full loop.

The border, which is where trips fail

Remember, Lumbini's in Nepal. You cross at Sunauli, and every single passenger needs photo ID, kids included. Turn up one document short and the whole group gets sent back, and that's the end of Lumbini for everyone.

Indians don't need a visa for Nepal, just photo ID. Everyone else, please check your own rules well before you travel. Give the crossing itself 90 minutes, and more if you get there in the afternoon.

Why two nights at Bodhgaya

Bodhgaya is the place to stay over, not just pass through. Be at the Mahabodhi Temple for the chanting at about 06:00, before the tour buses roll in, and it feels like a completely different courtyard from the one you'd see at noon. If a night has to go somewhere, don't let it be this one.

Vehicle choice

This is 1,400 km of driving across seven days, much of it on mixed-quality road. It is the itinerary where vehicle comfort stops being a luxury. A 17-seater tempo traveller handles it; a Force Urbania with air suspension handles it noticeably better, and over seven days that difference compounds.

Whatever you take, it needs a Nepal vehicle permit for the Lumbini leg, which is arranged in advance rather than at the border.

What to check before booking

• Photo ID confirmed for every passenger, children included.
• Nepal vehicle permit included in the quote, not added later.
• State permits for Bihar and Uttar Pradesh crossings.
• Monument entry fees, which are usually excluded and payable at each site.
• Whether the itinerary gives Bodhgaya two nights or one.