2 Days Somnath Itinerary: A Complete Two Day Plan
A 2 days Somnath itinerary gives day one to the temple darshan, the aartis and the sacred sites like Bhalka Tirth and Triveni Sangam, and day two to a nearby day trip such as Diu, Gir or Girnar. Experience My India plans the darshan, stays and transfers for you.
I am Harsh Rawat, born in Dwarka and after more than eight years guiding this coast I find two days is the ideal length for Somnath. One day covers the temple, but a second day lets you slow down and add one of the wonderful places nearby, from the beaches of Diu to the lions of Gir. I handle these trips for the Somnath Dwarka Tour Package team, a unit of Experience My India. Below is the exact two day Somnath itinerary I plan for my own guests.
Planning two days in Somnath? Message me on WhatsApp and I will build the plan with darshan and a cab or call +91 73006 20809.
Is 2 days enough for Somnath?
Two days is the sweet spot. Day one gives you the Somnath temple, both aartis and all the sacred sites around it without rushing and day two frees you for one memorable excursion nearby. If you only have a single day, our Somnath itinerary sets out a tighter one day plan, but with two days you see Somnath properly and still get a taste of the wider region.
2 days Somnath itinerary at a glance
Day | Plan |
Day 1 | Somnath temple, morning aarti, Baan Stambh, Bhalka Tirth, Triveni Sangam, museum, evening aarti and light show |
Day 2 | A day trip from Somnath, choosing Diu for beaches, Gir for lions or Junagadh and Girnar for the climb |
Day 1: Somnath temple and the sacred sites
The first day is devoted to the first Jyotirlinga and the holy sites clustered around it:
Morning: darshan at the Somnath temple and the morning aarti, then the Baan Stambh on the sea wall. Check the Somnath temple timings the night before.
Late morning: Bhalka Tirth, where Lord Krishna is said to have left the earth and the Triveni Sangam, where three rivers meet the sea.
Midday: the Gita Mandir and the Prabhas Patan museum, which brings the Somnath temple history to life, then lunch and a rest.
Afternoon: Somnath beach and a few of the sightseeing places in Somnath like the Suraj Mandir.
Evening: the Sandhya aarti at the shore and the sound-and-light show on the temple facade, the highlight of the day.
Day 2: a day trip from Somnath
With the temple covered, day two is yours to choose. Three excursions stand out:
Diu, about 90 km: the former Portuguese island for beaches, the Diu Fort and St Paul's Church. See our guide to the places to visit near Somnath and Diu.
Gir, about 45 km: a lion safari at the only home of the Asiatic lion. Plan it with our Gir safari ticket price guide and book the permit ahead.
Junagadh and Girnar: the mountain of temples reached by ropeway or steps, about 90 km away. See the Somnath to Girnar distance.
Whichever you choose, start early and return to Somnath by evening. For a lion safari at Gir, the early morning slot is best, so leave before dawn.
How to reach Somnath and get around
Somnath has its own railway station about 0.5 km from the temple, with Veraval junction about 7 km away and the nearest airports are Diu and Rajkot. For the full breakdown, see our guide on how to reach Somnath. Over two days a Somnath Dwarka taxi service with a driver is the easiest way to handle the day-two excursion and the local hops.
Where to stay for 2 days in Somnath
Stay near the Somnath temple for both nights so you are close to the morning and evening aartis. Book Somnath Dwarka hotels ahead in peak season and on festival days, when rooms near the temple fill quickly. Keeping the same base for both nights saves you packing up before the day-two trip.
Best time for a 2 day Somnath trip
October to March brings the coolest, most comfortable weather on the coast and is the peak pilgrimage season. If you are adding a Gir safari on day two, note the park is usually closed in the monsoon, from mid-June to mid-October, so plan the winter months for the full two day plan.
Extend the trip to Dwarka
If you have more time, add Dwarka, Lord Krishna's city, a few hours up the coast, for a fuller Saurashtra pilgrimage. The Experience My India Somnath Dwarka tour packages build these two days into a longer circuit with the darshan, stays and transfers handled and you can also add a one day Somnath tour onto it.
What I tell travellers about two days in Somnath
My honest advice is to keep day one unhurried and let it end with the evening aarti, then decide day two by what moves you. If you love beaches and a slower pace, go to Diu. If wildlife excites you, do the Gir safari, but commit to the early start. If you want another powerful darshan and a climb, choose Girnar. Do not try to do two of these in one day; the joy of a two day trip is depth, not distance. That is exactly how Experience My India plans a Somnath two day trip, around one great day at the temple and one great day nearby.
Related guides
To plan each part of the trip, these Experience My India guides help:
Related guide | What it covers |
The temple's location and how to find it. | |
The ancestral rites performed at the sangam. | |
Distance, ropeway and steps for the Girnar climb. | |
Reaching the Asiatic lion sanctuary near Somnath. | |
The season and festivals that shape when to travel. | |
Access for the Dwarka end of the coast. |
Plan your 2 day Somnath trip with a local
Chat on WhatsApp Call +91 73006 20809
Harsh Rawat
Somnath–Dwarka circuit planning
Harsh Rawat runs Somnath Dwarka Tour Package on the ground in Gujarat, part of Experience My India. Since 2018 he has been planning and driving the Somnath–Dwarka circuit — the darshan timings, the road hours between temples and the stops worth adding — and the routes, fares and timings published across this site are the ones he maintains.
