Solo traveling on a shoe-string budget in India? Having heard about MTDC tours from Tripadvisor, I went on them myself from Aurangabad to Ellora and Ajanta respectively in September 2017.
The Ellora tour is a day tour covering several sites in Aurangabad including Ellora Caves, Grishneshwar Temple, Daultabad Fort, Bibi Ka Maqbara, Panchakki and a small shopping trip and lunch in between. Being the only foreigner amongst 8 other Indian tourists, I was cautious and concerned about being left behind because of translation problems. However, I felt comfortable with my group because they would collectively help translate instructions from the bus operator.
The MTDC bus is an AC bus with charging ports on the bus. It does not include a tour guide and only covers the bus itself from CBS to the different stops and back to CBS. However, I’ve heard that if your bus has more than 20 people, MTDC is obligated to provide you a tour guide free of charge due to Maharashtra tourism regulations.
Trip breakdown
8:30AM – 9:00AM: The bus arrived at Central Bus Station platform 11 at 8:30AM and departed CBS at 9:00AM. The ticket can be purchased on the bus directly from a bus operator, who will walk around with a small machine and give you a receipt.
9:20AM – 9:25AM: A quick stop on the road up a mountain for a photo with the Daulatabad ruins. There are some hawkers that will try to sell you selfie sticks or a thin guidebook.
9:30AM – 10:30AM: Stop at Grishneshwar near Ellora Caves. No cameras or phones are allowed into the temple and you must leave them on the bus with your bag. It is a highly popular place for worship and is inundated with praying locals. Although most of the tourists from my tour finished visiting the temple in around 30mins, the tour bus driver insisted that we stay the full hour. Also, there was an older couple that decided to complete all the additional prayers so they took the full hour.
10:30AM – 1:30PM: Ellora Caves. Cave 16 is the biggest and grandest temple and will be the temple you spend most of your time at. It is possible to walk up a pathway past a warning sign to view the temple from the top. However, I’m not sure if it’s legal or allowed. There’s no catchment or barricades to prevent any people from falling from the edge should you decide to climb up.
You can catch the local red bus inside the gates (near the ticket office) to access the other temples. Having visited the Ajanta Caves the previous day, I didn’t find the other Buddist caves to be as interesting or as well preserved.
Restoration work was being completed on some temples and on pathways when I visited.
I was pretty hungry already but couldn’t find any restaurants nearby to eat at. Although there are many snack stalls outside, they don’t look hygienic.
1:45PM – 3:00PM: The bus stopped at a paithani shop for people to go shopping. I was hungry though so I asked the bus driver where the nearest restaurant was. He asked a motorbike driver from the restaurant that he would take us to next to drive me there first. I don’t remember the restaurant name but it wasn’t that great and the food was very average in taste and not amazing in hygiene. I felt a little sick the next day. The rest of the tour joined me at the restaurant around 2:15PM and we departed around 3:00PM.
3:00PM – 4:00PM: An hour stop at the Daultabad Fort. I personally left the tour at 3:00PM here because I had to catch a bus out of Aurangabad. The tour bus driver was very nice to me and helped me wave down a local red bus back into Aurangabad and gave me instructions on which bus stop to get off at.
4:00PM – 5:30PM Bibi Ka Maqbara/Panchakki/Return to CBS
Price:
MTDC bus tour: 276 INR
Ellora Caves entrance fee (foreigner): 500 INR
Daultabad Fort entrance fee (foreigner): 100 INR
Bibi Ka Maqbara entrance fee (foreigner): 250 INR
Panchakki entrance fee (foreigner): 100 INR
Recommendations:
Ellora Caves is closed on Tuesdays so it’s best to check schedules beforehand. Bring water, sunscreen and comfortable walking shoes as well!
Aurangabad does not use meters in their rickshaw. One way to avoid having to haggle autorickshaw prices is to download the Ola app. You can order rickshaws from the app with a fixed price.
(Updated September 2017)
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