Girnar Darshan Experience – Temples, Trek, Ropeway & Best Time to Visit
Girnar
Darshan – 10,000 Steps, One Decision, and a Lot of Faith
Hi all,
I’ve just completed Girnar Darshan,
and I felt I should write this down while the memories, pain in the legs, and
emotions are still fresh. This blog is not to show how fit we are or to
motivate anyone—it’s simply my honest
experience, shared so that it might help you plan your own trip better.
When I
was planning Girnar, I had to jump between multiple YouTube videos, half information here, half information
there. So this is my humble attempt to put everything in one place—how to reach, where to stay,
what to carry, and what to mentally prepare for.
If you
don’t feel like reading the full story, you can directly go to the summary at the end where I’ve listed
everything in short—how to reach, where to stay, what to carry, what to avoid,
etc.
(If you
like this blog you can also read my earlier blog here https://travelandnewexperience.blogspot.com/2024/01/solo-malvan-trip-and-scuba-diving.html
on scuba diving at Tarkarli in the Konkan region of Maharashtra.)
How the Plan Suddenly
Happened
Girnar
was always somewhere at the back of my mind for the last few years. Every time
I thought of it, something or the other—mostly work—came in between and the
plan got shelved.
This
year, something unexpected happened. Even though I’m no longer working with a
Big 4 firm where you get year end holidays , I somehow got a year-end
break, which itself was a pleasant surprise. On top of that, my wife—who
works in the medical field and almost never gets leave—also got time off. That
was shocking in a good way.
And then,
completely out of nowhere, on 30th
December, my wife casually said, “Let’s go to Girnar.”
No long discussion. No overthinking.
I
immediately started checking train tickets from Mumbai to Junagadh, which is the nearest railway station for
Girnar. Since this was last-moment planning, direct tickets were obviously not
available.
There are
only two direct trains from
Mumbai to Junagadh:
- Saurashtra
Janta Express
from Bandra Terminus
- Pune–Veraval
Express,
which you can catch from Kalyan or Vasai Road
Since we
didn’t get direct tickets, we broke the journey:
- Mumbai → Ahmedabad
- Ahmedabad → Rajkot
- Rajkot → Junagadh
Honestly,
it felt like a lot of effort for a sudden plan—but somewhere inside we both
felt that if the plan is happening so smoothly at the last moment, it’s
probably God’s wish. We
finalized the plan on 30th December
for a 1st January Girnar
Darshan. That itself felt like a sign.
Reaching Junagadh and
Staying There
We
started from Bandra Terminus at around
7:40 PM and reached Junagadh at 4:30
PM the next day. There was a long layover at Rajkot—around 4–5 hours. If
you get a direct train, you can reach Junagadh in about 15 hours.
Once you
reach Junagadh, autos are easily available. There’s no meter system, so fares
depend on how well you bargain. Roughly ₹200
is normal.
We wanted
to stay in a dharmashala, but most were already full. During my online search,
I came across Guru Gorakshnath
Dharamshala, which looked decent and clean. Most dharmashalas are
located near Bhavnath Taleti,
the base point of Girnar, around 6 km
from the railway station.
We
finally stayed at Hotel Rudra.
It’s a decent hotel—clean rooms, clean washrooms, all basics covered. It is a
bit far from Bhavnath Taleti (around 8
km), but it’s in the city centre, so you can explore local food places
easily. If you’re looking for luxury, hotels like The Fern are also available.
Deciding How and When to
Climb
One thing
was very clear in our minds:
We wanted to do the entire climb by
walking—all 10,000 steps up and
10,000 steps down.
The trip
had two purposes:
- Darshan of Guru Dattatreya
- Testing our physical and mental limits
We had
earlier done Vaishno Devi and Tirupati
by foot, which gave us confidence. But let me say this clearly—Girnar is far more demanding than both.
Luckily,
the day we chose turned out to be Poornima.
On Poornima, the temple remains open throughout
the night, so you can start climbing at night. Otherwise, the
recommended time is 3:30–4:00 AM,
so you avoid the afternoon sun.
For
beginners like us, the total time required is roughly:
- 5.5–6
hours to
climb
- 4–4.5
hours to
descend
If you
don’t want to do all 10,000 steps, there is a ropeway available till 5,000
steps (Ambaji Mata Temple). Ropeway operates from 7 AM to 5 PM, costs around ₹1,400 (return), and remains closed
during monsoon. Booking online helps avoid long queues.
The Actual Climb Begins
We
started climbing at 9:30 PM from
Bhavnath Taleti.
Up to Ambaji Mata Temple, it’s only
continuous ascent. No flat surface at all—just steps after steps. After Ambaji
Mata, the path becomes a mix of ascent and descent, which gives some breathing
space.
One very
motivating thing is that from Ambaji Mata, you can see the shining Guru Dattatreya Temple at the
top. That sight alone gives you fresh energy.
The last stretch is the steepest and the
most exhausting. That’s where the real test begins. We took small halts there.
I personally focused on one step at a
time and avoided looking up—that strategy helped a lot.
We
reached the Guru Dattatreya Temple at
3:00 AM. A 5.5-hour climb.
Because
it was night, there was almost no
waiting for darshan. The temple is very small, built right along the
stairs, with no flat surface. Only a few devotees can stand inside at a time.
One very
important thing—photography is strictly
prohibited. We actually saw an incident where a devotee tried taking
photos and got into serious trouble. Please don’t risk it.
Coming Down – The Real
Pain
After
darshan, we immediately started descending.
Many
people think descending is easy. Personally, I feel descending is more risky than climbing. Slipping is the biggest
concern, especially when your legs are already tired.
We
reached Ambaji Mata Temple at around
5:30 AM and continued further down. The last 1,000–1,500 steps were pure torture for me. After walking
continuously for almost 8 hours,
my legs were completely gone. Taking even one step felt painful.
Those
last 1,000 steps took me almost 1.5
hours.
Finally,
at 8:30 AM, we reached Bhavnath Taleti.
An 11-hour journey completed.
The sense
of achievement was unreal.
Things That Really Matter
(From Experience)
- Buy a walking stick at the base (₹50,
₹30 refunded on return)
- Carry light snacks like khakhra or
protein bars
- Carry a non-plastic water bottle (refill
available till 5,000 steps only)
- Refreshments like tea, lemon
water, Maggi, fruits are available—but only till Ambaji Mata
·
There are
no washrooms anywhere along the entire
route, so be mentally prepared for that. If you get an urgent urge,
you’ll have to find a discreet spot to relieve yourself. I was told that
washrooms are available near the ropeway, but we couldn’t locate any when we
reached there—so I can’t really confirm whether those facilities actually exist
or not.
- Girnar has zero flat surface—only steps from
start to end
I wasn’t
even fully fit—I had mild fever before starting. At many points, especially in
the first few thousand steps, the thought of abandoning the climb crossed my
mind. But somehow, after around 3,000
steps, everything became natural. The body adjusted. The mind became
stronger.
Girnar is
the toughest thing I’ve done so far. Tirupati and Vaishno Devi give you flat
patches to breathe—Girnar gives you
none.
If you are planning Girnar Darshan from Mumbai and have questions, feel free to comment below. I’ll try to help based on my experience.
Quick Summary (For Easy
Planning)
How to Reach
- Best route: Mumbai → Rajkot
→ Junagadh
- Junagadh lies on Veraval
(Somnath) route
Where to Stay
- Dharamshalas near Bhavnath
Taleti
- City hotels like Hotel Rudra
- Luxury hotels like The Fern
Best Time to Climb
- Poornima: anytime (temple
open all night)
- Otherwise: start at
3:30–4:00 AM
Ropeway
- Available till 5,000 steps
- ₹1,400 return
- 7 AM–5 PM
What to Carry
- Walking stick
- Light snacks
- Non-plastic water bottle
- Torch (Good to have)
What to Avoid
- Photography at temple
- Kids below 12
Temples on
Girnar
There are many temples, but three main ones:
1.
Neminath Temple
– at around 4000 steps (Jain temple)
2.
Ambaji Mata Temple
– at 5000 steps
3.
Guru Dattatreya Temple
(Gurushikhar) – at 10000 steps,
the final destination
Me sitting near Ambaji mata temple while coming back.
Superb
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