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Ready to book a trip to the incredible Ellora and Ajanta Caves?
Well, you’re in the right place because the top Ajanta and Ellora Caves tours are all listed here.
If you’re not familiar, the Ellora and Ajanta Caves are a series of ancient rock-carved temples that were built in India thousands of years ago.
Located near the city of Aurangabad, they are among the best historical places in the world and an unmissable destination in India whether you’re a history buff or not.
Because of their rather isolated locations, the most popular and practical way to visit these historical sites is with a guided tour.
In this list I give you the 4 best options for Ajanta and Ellora Caves tours depending on what your situation is.
Maybe you’re short on time and only have 1 day, maybe you’re visiting from Pune, or maybe you’ve got all the time in the world and want to see it all – whatever your situation I’ll give you the Ajanta & Ellora Caves tour that works for you.
Don’t have time to read the whole article? Here’s the quick version:
⭐️ Best 1-day tour: Ajanta & Ellora Day Tour with All Inclusion
⭐️ Best 2-day tour: Ajanta and Ellora Caves Private 2-Day Tour
⭐️ Most comprehensive tour (3 days): Private tour to Lonar Crater, Ajanta, and Ellora Caves
⭐️ The best tour from Pune: Ajanta, Ellora Caves and Aurangabad Guided Tour
Table of Contents
The Best Ajanta and Ellora Caves Tours
⭐️ Rating: 4.8 out of 5 stars
⏱ Tour Length: 2 days
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This is the overall best Ajanta and Ellora Cave tour.
The best way to experience the caves is over 2 days, and this is the highest-rated and most reviewed 2-day Ajanta and Ellora Caves tour, with a 4.8 out of 5 star rating, while still being a reasonable price.
Why choose this tour? It includes everything you need to experience the Ellora and Ajanta caves to their fullest.
You’ll be picked up from your hotel, driven out to the caves in a private AC car, explore both sites with an experienced, English-speaking guide, and driven back to your accommodation at the end of the day.
On the way back to Aurangabd, you’ll also stop by Bibi ka Maqbara (the mini Taj Mahal), another popular historical site in Aurangabad.
The only downside of this tour is that entry tickets are not included, but the fees to enter both sites comes to a total of around $14 USD, so it doesn’t add much extra to the total cost of the trip and is worth it for the high-quality tour.
Very well organized, and a nice pace spreading Ajanta and Ellora over two days. The guide was very knowledgeable in explaining the history of these extraordinary sites and the scenes depicted in the frescoes. The driver was safe and added much interesting detail about the region as we drove around. Highly recommended!
-Marc, from the USA (read more reviews)
This 2-day Ajanta and Ellora Caves tour includes:
✅ Pick up and drop off from your hotel in Aurangabad
✅ Both Ajanta and Ellora caves
✅ Private AC car
✅ Experienced, English-speaking Guide
✅ Entry tickets to both sites
✅ Free bottled water
✅ Flashlights/torches to use inside the caves
⭐️ Rating: 4.9 out of 5 stars
⏱ Tour Length: 9 hours
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If you’re limited on time, this 1-day Ajanta and Ellora Caves Tour is the one for you.
The best way to experience the caves is over 2 days, but you may not have the luxury of time. If you absolutely must visit them in 1 day, this tour is your best option.
There are multiple 1-day Ajanta and Ellora Cave tours, but this one is the highest rated with the most reviews, with a whopping 4.9 out of 5 stars!
Why choose this tour? It’s the best way to maximise your limited time and see both the Ajanta and Ellora Caves without being too rushed.
Our guide was very knowledgeable and made the day extremely easy and convenient for me and my family. His extensive knowledge and way of explaining the significance of the sites we visited made the day all the more special. I would 100% recommend the tour!
-Rahul, from the UK (read more reviews)
This 1-day Ajanta and Ellora Caves tour includes:
✅ Pick up and drop off from your hotel in Aurangabad
✅ Both Ajanta and Ellora caves
✅ Private AC car
✅ Tour size of 1 to 4 people
✅ Knowledgeable, English speaking guide
✅ Free bottled water
✅ Stop at Bibi ka Maqbara (mini Taj Mahal)
⭐️ Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
⏱ Tour Length: 3 days
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This is the most comprehensive Ajanta and Ellora Caves tour.
If you’ve got plenty of time, want to see both sites, and also want to see the other top historical sites in Aurangabad, this tour is ideal for you.
Why choose this tour? It includes all the top historical sites in and around Aurangabad, including both the Ajanta and Ellora Caves, Daulatabad Fort, the mini Taj Mahal, and more.
It’s undoubtedly the best way to experience Aurangabd. Some of the historical sites you’ll visit in addition to the caves are unforgettable, like Daulatabad Fort, which was once the capital of India.
It also takes you to Lonar Lake, which is a crater caused by an asteroid that hit the planet millions of years ago.
Our driver was EXCEPTIONAL. He was very helpful, informative, pleasant and truly went the extra mile for us. [The guides] met us upon our arrival to review our itinerary to ensure we were able to see the items most important to us during our stay. The vehicle/transportation was very nice. The trip and service were excellent.
-Bruce, from the USA (read more reviews)
This 3-day Ajanta and Ellora Caves tour includes:
✅ Pick up and drop off from your hotel in Aurangabad
✅ Both Ajanta and Ellora caves
✅ Private AC car
✅ Visit many other top historical sites in and around Aurangabad
✅ Knowledgeable, English speaking guide
✅ Free bottled water
While entry tickets are not included in the price of this tour, the sheer amount that’s included still makes it good value.
⏱ Tour Length: 3 days
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This is the best Ajanta and Ellora Caves tour if you’re visiting them on a day trip from Pune.
While Aurangabad is the ideal base for a day trip to the caves, there’s one other popular tourist destination you can visit them from, and that’s Pune.
This comprehensive tour is split over 3 days. It starts by driving you via private car from Pune to Aurangabad, where you’ll visit some of the historical sites in the city itself.
You’ll spend the next 2 days in Aurangabad. Your private driver will take you to both Ajanta and Ellora Caves, where you’ll be guided around by an experienced, English-speaking guide.
You’ll also stop at many other historical sites along the way, like the Daulatabad Fort and the mini Taj Mahal.
Keep in mind, you’ll still have to book your own hotel in Aurangabad for those 2 nights that you’re there.
At the end of the 3rd day of the tour, your drive will take you back to Pune.
The driver was great, friendly, courteous and safe! Ajanta & Ellora caves are amazing & definitely worth visiting…the guide was very knowledgeable…I thoroughly enjoyed the bits that were covered and appreciated the insight from the guide.
-Kate, from the UK (read more reviews)
Why choose this tour? If you’re based in the city of Pune and still want to see the amazing Ajanta and Ellora Caves, this tour is ideal for you.
This 3-day Ajanta and Ellora Caves tour from Pune includes:
✅ Private car pickup from Pune and drop off from Pune
✅ Private driver in Aurangabad for 3 days.
✅ Visit both Ajanta and Ellora Caves
✅ Visit other top historical sites in Aurangabad
✅ Experienced, English-speaking guide
✅ Free bottled water
Entry tickets are not included in this tour, so keep in mind this will cost you an extra roughly $20.
Best time to visit Ellora & Ajanta Caves
The caves are open at all times of the year, but choosing the right season makes the experience all the better.
Monsoon season runs from July to September. While this season adds to the scenic beauty of the caves, going at this time also means you risk your trip being spoiled by torrential rainfall.
March to June are the hottest months, with the daytime temperatures staying consistently around 35 to 40 degrees. While the caves themselves are a great escape from this heat, you’re still going to be spending a lot of time walking around outdoors so visiting during this time is not recommended.
The best time to visit the Ellora & Ajanta Caves is from October to February. These are the winter months, when the daytime temperatures are much more agreeable and rainfall the least likely.
How to get to Aurangabad
The Ellora and Ajanta Caves are located in the Indian state of Maharashtra, near the city of Aurangabad (located about 250km east of Mumbai). The caves are 2 separate sites, with Ellora being closer to the city while Ajanta is further away.
Aurangabad will be your home base as you visit these historical sites (unless you’re doing a day trip from Pune), so first you need to get yourself there.
Bus
Depending on where you’re coming from, a bus may be your most straightforward option. India has an extensive bus network that can take you just about anywhere you need to go.
You’ll most likely be headed to Aurangabad from Mumbai, which takes about 8 hours via bus. I recommend taking advantage of the overnight sleeper buses. This way you combine your transport with your accommodation for the night and save more time in your days.
You might also be reaching Aurangabad from Pune, which takes around 5 to 6 hours.
The best place to book your bus ticket to Aurangabad is on 12Go Asia.
Train
You can also reach Aurangabad by train. Just like the bus, you can catch a train to Aurangabad from both Mumbai and Pune.
A train from Mumbai to Aurangabad will take about 7 to 8 hours. A train from Pune will take about 8 hours, which is longer than the bus because the route is less direct.
Just like with a bus, you have the option of booking an overnight sleeper ticket to save time.
The best place to book your train ticket to Aurangabad is on 12Go Asia.
Fly
You also have the option of flying to Aurangabad.
The airport in Aurangabad is called Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Airport and is located on the eastern outskirts of the city.
While this is certainly the most expensive option, its still relatively cheap. A flight from Mumbai can cost as little as $60 and will get you to Aurangabad in about 1 hour.
The best place to find cheap flights to Aurangabad is on Skyscanner.
Where to stay in Aurangabad
Despite having the Ellora & Ajanta Caves right on the doorstep, Aurangabad is rather underdeveloped as a tourist destination, but there are still plenty of decent accommodation options for you to choose from.
Personally I stayed at Zostel Aurangabad. This is the only hostel in town, but thankfully Zostel is an established franchise and has all the basic luxuries you would expect from a quality hostel.
It’s also located in a convenient location in downtown Aurangabad.
If you’re looking for a private room, you could opt for FabHotel Prime Opulence. While its located on the outskirts of town, its a high-quality hotel for a very affordable price.
More on Aurangabad
Since you’re thinking about visiting Aurangabad and the Ellora & Ajanta Caves, here’s a couple of other articles you might be interested in:
