How Many Days Are Required for a Dwarka Somnath Gir Tour?

Combining Dwarka, Somnath and Gir into one trip is the classic way to experience Saurashtra, blending the sacred and the wild and the first question is how many days it needs. This guide, from the team behind Somnath Dwarka Tour Package, a unit of Experience My India, answers how many days are required for a Dwarka, Somnath and Gir tour, with what each length lets you do, so you can plan the right trip for your time.

How many days for the tour at a glance

The right length depends on your pace and how much you want to add to the core route. Here is a quick overview:

For most travellers, five days is the sweet spot for a Dwarka, Somnath and Gir tour, giving enough time for the two temples, the island of Bet Dwarka and a full Gir lion safari without rushing. Four days works if you are short on time and six to seven days let you travel at a gentler pace and add nearby highlights. The right answer comes down to how much time you have, whether you are on a focused pilgrimage or a fuller holiday and how relaxed a pace you prefer over covering the maximum number of sights.

Why the tour needs at least four days

A Dwarka, Somnath and Gir tour needs at least four days because the three destinations are spread across Saurashtra, with real distances between them. Dwarka sits at the far western tip, Somnath about 230 km down the coast and Gir inland from Somnath, about 57 km away. You need time for Dwarka and its temple and island, the coastal drive to Somnath and its temple, the short drive to Gir and a morning safari, plus your arrival and departure. Trying to do all this in fewer than four days would mean a rushed, tiring trip with too little time at each place, so four days is the practical minimum for a satisfying tour of all three. It is worth remembering that each of these is a major destination in its own right, so squeezing them together too tightly does none of them justice and the joy of the trip lies as much in the unhurried moments, an aarti by the sea, a lion sighting at dawn, as in the ticking-off of sights.

A four day tour: tight but workable

Four days is a workable minimum for a Dwarka, Somnath and Gir tour, if you are happy with a full pace. In four days, you can spend a day in Dwarka, combine the Dwarka sightseeing with the drive to Somnath on the second day, see Somnath and drive to Gir on the third and take a morning safari on the fourth before departing. This covers all three destinations and the essential highlights, but the days are full, especially the second, so an early start each morning helps. Our 4 day Dwarka Somnath Gir itinerary lays out exactly how to do this efficient version, day by day.

A five day tour: the ideal length

Five days is the ideal length for a Dwarka, Somnath and Gir tour and the most popular choice. With five days, you can give Dwarka two days for the temple, Bet Dwarka, Nageshwar and the coast; a day for the drive to Somnath and its evening aarti and light show; a morning of Somnath sights before the drive to Gir; and a morning safari before departing. This comfortable pace lets you enjoy each destination properly, without the rush of a four-day trip, which is why five days is what most travellers choose. Our 5 day Dwarka Somnath Gir itinerary sets out this relaxed version in full. The extra day over a four-day trip makes a real difference, turning the Dwarka leg from a half-day dash into two unhurried days and leaving room to breathe between the long coastal drive and the safari, which is why five days feels comfortable where four feels full.

A six or seven day tour: relaxed, with extras

With six or seven days, a Dwarka, Somnath and Gir tour becomes wonderfully relaxed, with time to add nearby highlights. The extra days let you include Diu, the former Portuguese beach island near Somnath and Gir, with its fort and beaches; Girnar and the Uparkot fort at Junagadh, near Gir; the Blue Flag Shivrajpur beach at Dwarka; and offbeat sites like Mool Dwarka or Chorwad. A longer tour also allows a gentler pace, with more time for aartis, the coast and rest between the drives. Six to seven days is ideal for those who want to experience Saurashtra deeply or who are travelling from far and want to make the most of the journey. A week-long trip also gives welcome slack for rest days, unexpected delays or simply lingering somewhere you love, so it is the most comfortable choice for older travellers, families with young children or anyone who prefers to travel slowly and savour each place rather than move on the moment the main sights are seen.

How the days split across the three

It helps to see roughly how the days of the tour are allocated across the three destinations:

• Dwarka: one to two days, for the Dwarkadhish temple, Bet Dwarka, Nageshwar and the coast.

• The coastal drive: about half a day for the roughly 230 km drive from Dwarka to Somnath, via Porbandar.

• Somnath: one day, for the temple, the aarti, the light show and the sacred sites like Bhalka and Triveni.

• Gir: about a day, for the short drive from Somnath and an early morning lion safari at Sasan Gir.

Where to start and end the tour

The number of days can also depend on where you start and end. The smoothest plan starts in Dwarka and ends at Gir, with no backtracking, flying into Jamnagar for Dwarka and out of Diu, Keshod or Rajkot from Gir. If you must start and end at the same city, such as Ahmedabad or Rajkot, add a little driving at each end, which may mean an extra half-day or day. Our how to reach Dwarka and how to reach Somnath guides cover the arrival and departure options, which help you decide the total length of your trip.

Best time for the tour

Whatever the length, the best time for a Dwarka, Somnath and Gir tour is the cool season, November to March, when the weather is pleasant for the temples, the coast and the safari, as covered in our best time to visit Gujarat. Crucially, the Gir safari zones close during the monsoon, roughly mid-June to mid-October, so a tour that includes Gir should not be planned then, whatever its length. Winter is ideal, so plan your days in the cool season and book well ahead, as hotels and safari permits fill quickly in the peak months, especially around festivals like Mahashivratri and Janmashtami.

Tips for planning your tour length

A few pointers to help you decide:

• Allow five days for a comfortable Dwarka, Somnath and Gir tour covering all three destinations properly.

• Choose four days only if you are short on time and happy with a full, early-start pace.

• Plan six to seven days to add Diu, Girnar or the beaches and to travel at a relaxed pace.

• Book your Gir safari permit well in advance whatever the length, as slots sell out in peak season.

• Plan the tour outside the monsoon, mid-June to mid-October, when the Gir safari zones close.

• Start in Dwarka and end at Gir for the smoothest route with no backtracking across Saurashtra.

Plan or book your tour

Once you know how many days you need, Experience My India can arrange the whole tour. Explore the Somnath Dwarka Gir tour package, built around exactly this temple-and-safari route or the wider Somnath Dwarka tour packages, book Somnath Dwarka hotels and Gir lodges and let a Somnath Dwarka taxi service handle the driving and the safari logistics, so your chosen number of days is used to the full across the temples, the coast and the lions.

Related guides

To plan the details of your tour, these related guides help:

Plan your trip

Experience My India can arrange your Dwarka, Somnath and Gir tour for the right number of days. Browse more travel guides, message us on WhatsApp or call +91 73006 20809.