Excursion tour of Rajgir & Nalanda from Bodhgaya

The remains of Nalanda University are amazing, and some of the sights associated with the Buddha in and around Rajgir are quite interesting. And all are very difficult for a foreigner to reach, being in remote areas with bad roads and frankly a reputation for being a little unsafe for travellers. This tour, guided by Mr. Randhir, proved to be an ideal way to see these sights. Our guide and a driver picked us up in an A/C sedan at 8am, and dropped us back at our hotel in Bodh Gaya around 4:30pm. The itinerary included the Nalanda ruins, Shanti stupa, Vulture's Peak, and Bamboo Grove in Rajgir, as well as the "chariot tracks" near the entrance to ancient Rajgir. You will need to pay for admission for the sites for the passengers and the guide, so bring cash. For two foreigners this came out to about maybe 2500 rupees, but bring a little more than that (as well as money to tip the guide and driver!) Admission prices are of course subject to change. Lunch was included in our package, which was a buffet at the Hotel Indo-Hokke in Rajgir. Only two small things could be improved: bottled water was not provided for us (although the booking said it should have been included), and the car didn't have accessible seat belts in the back. Note that you'll spend about 5 hours in the car. The sites, especially Vulture's Peak, require a fair amount of climbing and would not be appropriate for someone with poor mobility or fitness. We were very grateful that we were able to see these fascinating but otherwise hard to access sites, and recommend this tour if you are into ancient Buddhist sites or Indian archaeology.