Our Dwarka and Somnath packages cover the two great temples at either end of the Saurashtra coast, and two of the twelve Jyotirlingas, in 4 to 6 nights. You start at Dwarka, with darshan of Dwarkadhish and Nageshwar and a drive over the Sudarshan Setu to Bet Dwarka. Then you follow the coast past Porbandar to Somnath for the evening aarti. If you have two more nights, add Girnar at Junagadh and the lions of Gir. From Mumbai, a daily overnight train runs to Dwarka, and another runs home from Veraval, the station for Somnath, so you don’t have to backtrack.
Dwarka Somnath packages at a glance
| Package | Nights | What it covers | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dwarka Darshan | 2N / 3D | Dwarkadhish, Nageshwar, Bet Dwarka, Rukmini temple | A long weekend |
| Dwarka and Somnath | 4N / 5D | Two nights each at Dwarka and Somnath, Porbandar on the way | Families, first-timers |
| Dwarka, Somnath, Gir and Girnar | 6N / 7D | The full Saurashtra circuit with a lion safari and the Girnar ropeway | A complete family yatra |
| Somnath and Girnar | 3N / 4D | Somnath aarti and Girnar darshan from Junagadh | Short trips from Mumbai |
The full day-wise plan for Dwarka, Somnath, Gir and Girnar 6N/7D is on its own page. The other formats are built from it, adding or dropping days, and any of them can be changed to suit you.
The route, and why we run it in this order
Dwarka first, Somnath second. The Saurashtra Mail from Mumbai reaches Dwarka in the afternoon, and the Saurashtra Janta Express goes back to Mumbai from Veraval via Junagadh. So a Dwarka-to-Somnath route lets you arrive by one train and leave by the other, with the coastal drive in between.
| Stop | What you see | Time needed |
|---|---|---|
| Dwarka | Dwarkadhish temple, Gomti ghat, Rukmini temple | 1 day |
| Nageshwar and Bet Dwarka | The Jyotirlinga, then the bridge to the island temple | 1 day |
| Porbandar | Kirti Mandir, Gandhiji’s birthplace | 1 to 2 hours on the drive |
| Somnath | Jyotirlinga, three daily aartis, the light and sound show | 1 to 2 days |
| Sasan Gir (optional) | Lion safari or the Devalia park | 1 night |
| Junagadh (optional) | Girnar ropeway, Amba Mata, Dattatreya | 1 night |
Dwarka: Dwarkadhish, Nageshwar and Bet Dwarka
The Dwarkadhish temple, called Jagat Mandir, stands above the Gomti river. Its present form dates from the 16th century. You climb 56 steps to reach it, enter by the Swarg Dwar and leave by the Moksh Dwar. The flag on the spire is changed five times a day. India’s tourism ministry lists darshan as 6:30 am to 1 pm and 5 pm to 9:30 pm, but timings change on festivals.
Mobile phones are banned inside Dwarkadhish under a police notification, and in September 2026 a man was booked for taking one in. Leave phones at the hotel or in the car. There have also been fake websites and apps using the temple’s name to collect money for pujas, so don’t pay anyone online for darshan or prasad without checking with us first.
Nageshwar Jyotirlinga is about 15 to 18 km from Dwarka, and you’ll recognise it by the large seated Shiva statue outside. Bet Dwarka, the island where Krishna is said to have lived, is about 30 km from Dwarka, off Okha. Until 2024 you reached it by crowded ferry. Since 25 February 2024 the Sudarshan Setu, a cable-stayed bridge of about 2.32 km, has connected Okha to the island, so you can now drive across. The Rukmini Devi temple is just outside Dwarka town, so we usually fit it in on the same day.
Somnath: darshan, aarti and the light show
Somnath is the first of the twelve Jyotirlingas, on the sea at Prabhas Patan. According to Shree Somnath Trust’s own pages, the temple is open from 6 am to 10 pm and aarti is at 7 am, 12 noon and 7 pm. The sound and light show, “Jay Somnath”, starts at 7:45 pm, right after the evening aarti. Stay the night: you can’t fit the aarti and the show around a long drive.
| Somnath | Time |
|---|---|
| Darshan | 6 am to 10 pm |
| Aarti | 7 am, 12 noon, 7 pm |
| “Jay Somnath” sound and light show | 7:45 pm |
The Trust runs its own guest houses, from sea-facing rooms at Sagar Darshan to plain dormitories. It takes room bookings and puja payments only on its official website or at its counters, and it has warned pilgrims about fraud through private numbers, UPI and WhatsApp. Nearby, Bhalka Tirth (where Krishna is said to have been struck by the hunter’s arrow) and the Triveni Sangam fit into a morning. Expect to leave phones and bags at the cloak room before the security check.
Adding Girnar and Gir
Junagadh is a short drive inland from Somnath. The Girnar ropeway takes you up to Amba Mata in about 9 minutes. From there, people who can manage it climb on to Guru Dattatreya. All of this is on our Girnar parikrama and darshan page, along with the Lili Parikrama dates. Sasan Gir sits between the two. The main Gir jungle safari is closed every year from 16 June to 15 October, but the Devalia park stays open, and permits for both are sold only on the forest department’s official site. There’s no tatkal booking, so we book as soon as your dates are firm.
Best time and crowd dates
October to March is the comfortable season on the Saurashtra coast. April to June is hot, and July to September brings rain, though the temples stay open. The biggest crowds come at Janmashtami in Dwarka, in the month of Shravan and on Mahashivratri at Somnath, and at Diwali, when Gujarati families travel too. Kartik Purnima, around Dev Diwali, is busy at both Somnath and Girnar. If you’re coming at any of these times, book hotels two months ahead.
Getting there from Mumbai, Pune and Delhi
- Mumbai to Dwarka by train: the Saurashtra Mail leaves Mumbai Central at night every day and reaches Dwarka early the next afternoon on its way to Okha.
- Somnath to Mumbai by train: the daily Saurashtra Janta Express runs from Veraval, a few kilometres from Somnath, to Bandra Terminus via Junagadh.
- By air: Jamnagar is the nearest big airport to Dwarka. Rajkot works for the Junagadh end. Keshod, between Junagadh and Somnath, has a small Mumbai service, but its schedule keeps changing.
- From Pune or Delhi: connect through Mumbai or Ahmedabad, or fly to Rajkot and do the circuit in reverse.
Notes for senior citizens
This is one of the easier pilgrimages for older parents. There’s no trek, and every temple is reached by car. The hard parts are the steps from the Gomti ghat at Dwarka, the queues on festival days, and long drives on the coast road. We break the drive at Porbandar and avoid early starts after a late aarti. For the Girnar add-on, the ropeway brings Amba Mata within reach. Dattatreya is better left to the younger members of the family.
Questions pilgrims ask before booking
How many days do I need for Dwarka and Somnath?
Four nights covers both without rushing: two at Dwarka and two at Somnath. With three nights you can do it, but you lose either Bet Dwarka or a calm evening at Somnath.
Do we still need a boat to Bet Dwarka?
No. Since February 2024 you can drive over the Sudarshan Setu from Okha. That makes Bet Dwarka a half-day trip, easy to pair with Nageshwar.
Can we see the Somnath aarti and the light show on the same evening?
Yes. The aarti is at 7 pm and the show begins at 7:45 pm next to the temple. Be in the queue well before 7 on busy days.
Is Gir worth adding for a pilgrimage group?
If there are children or grandchildren along, yes. A lion sighting on the main safari isn’t guaranteed. Devalia is shorter and more certain, and better for seniors.
Official sources: Shree Somnath Trust for timings and guest houses, and the Gir permit site for safaris.
Somnath timings, the show and the guest-house rules checked November 2026 on the Shree Somnath Trust website. Dwarkadhish timings are from India’s tourism ministry site, and the phone ban from a September 2026 news report. Sudarshan Setu details come from the PMO, and the Gir closure from Gujarat Tourism and the forest department’s permit site. Train details were checked on timetable sites, and they change, so we confirm everything when we send your quote.