Private 2 Days Tour: Ajanta Ellora Caves and Aurangabad City

Ancient art rewards a little planning. This private two-day tour gives you a cool, air-conditioned car, hotel pickup in Aurangabad, and a clear way to reach the UNESCO-listed Ajanta and Ellora Caves without negotiating with taxi drivers. I like the private vehicle and the freedom to adjust the schedule. I also like that you can tour independently or add a guide at the caves.

The main catch is that entrance fees, meals, guides, and accommodation cost extra. You should also confirm the full second-day route before setting off, since the advertised plan includes Daulatabad Fort while the detailed stop list names Ellora and Bibi Ka Maqbara. March heat can make the cave visits tiring, too.

Key points to know before booking

• Two full sightseeing days: Ajanta is planned for day one, with Ellora, Bibi Ka Maqbara, and potentially Daulatabad Fort on day two.
• Private transport for up to three people: The listed price is $92.80 per group, not per person.
• Ajanta and Ellora close on different days: Ajanta is closed Monday, while Ellora is closed Tuesday.
• Guides are optional: You can explore alone or choose a guide service when booking.
• The price covers transport, not sightseeing costs: Monument tickets, shuttle bus tickets, food, lodging, and guide fees are separate.
• Strong service record: The experience has a 4.9 rating from 91 reviews, with 99 percent recommending it.

Why a private car helps in Aurangabad

Ajanta and Ellora are not quick city-center stops. You need separate drives, early starts, and a sensible plan if you want to see both without turning the visit into a rushed race through dark corridors.

This service is built around that simple need. You are picked up from your Aurangabad hotel each morning in a private, air-conditioned vehicle. Bottled water and a tissue box are supplied, small touches that matter when the weather is hot and the roads are long.

I like the private format because you are not tied to the pace of a large group. If you want more time at a particular cave, need a short break, or prefer to visit without a guide, you can discuss that with the driver. The tour is for your group only, with a maximum of three people, so it suits couples, a small family, or a few friends especially well.

The tradeoff is that this is mainly a transport and sightseeing arrangement, not a fully guided cultural tour. Your driver may help with timing and local suggestions, but a driver is not automatically an art historian or cave guide. If the paintings and religious sculpture are your main reason for coming, pay for a guide or choose the guide option when available.

Day one at Ajanta’s Buddhist caves

Ajanta is the emotional center of this two-day plan. The site contains 29 rock-cut Buddhist cave monuments, with paintings and sculpture that are regarded as major works of Buddhist and world art.

The planned visit lasts about three hours. That gives you enough time to see a meaningful selection, but it is not an invitation to inspect every detail slowly. Ajanta rewards patience. You will want time to look at the painted surfaces, study the carved figures, and understand how the caves were shaped from living rock.

The appeal is not just age. Ajanta brings together monastic spaces, religious images, and painted scenes in a setting that makes the craftsmanship feel even more striking. A guide can help explain what you are seeing, especially when a painting is worn, dim, or difficult to interpret without context.

You can also explore independently. That is a reasonable choice if you have already read about Buddhist art or want to set your own pace. Still, I would consider a guide here more useful than at Bibi Ka Maqbara, because the meaning of the caves is not always obvious from the stonework alone.

Admission is not included. The stated entrance fee is ₹600 per person, and shuttle bus tickets may also be separate. Confirm the current fee and transport arrangements before your visit, since monument charges can change.

Ajanta is closed on Mondays. Check the calendar before booking the first day, because putting Ajanta on the wrong day can disrupt the entire plan. March can also be hot, and the combination of outdoor walking, steps, and cave visits may leave you tired. Carry water, use the supplied bottle as a backup, and avoid treating the three-hour estimate as a strict promise.

Day two at Ellora, Bibi Ka Maqbara, and Daulatabad

The second day has more variety. Ellora gives you another major rock-cut site, then the schedule moves back toward Aurangabad for Bibi Ka Maqbara. The wider tour description also includes Daulatabad Fort, though the detailed stop list does not give it a separate duration. Ask the operator to confirm whether the fort is included in your exact plan.

Ellora is listed for about two hours. The caves form a sacred site in Maharashtra and are protected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Compared with Ajanta, the visit gives you a different look at India’s rock-cut religious art and architecture.

Two hours can work if you have a clear route and a guide who knows how to use the time. If you want to linger, photograph details, or see the site without rushing, you may need to negotiate the schedule. A private car helps here because you are not waiting for a group to gather at every stop.

Ellora is closed on Tuesdays. That rule is easy to miss, and it matters because Ellora is one of the main reasons to book this package. If your two days include a Tuesday, arrange the order carefully or choose different dates.

Daulatabad Fort adds another historical stop if confirmed. The tour description places it on the second day, but no duration or entrance price is supplied in the details here. That makes it especially important to clarify the route, timing, and admission cost before you pay. A fort visit could make day two considerably fuller, particularly after Ellora.

Bibi Ka Maqbara, Aurangabad’s mini Taj Mahal

Bibi Ka Maqbara is scheduled for about one hour. It was commissioned by Azam Shah, the son of Aurangzeb, in memory of his mother, Begum Rabia Durani. Its resemblance to the Taj Mahal explains its popular nickname, the mini Taj Mahal.

The stop works well at the end of the day because it offers a change from the rock-cut caves. Instead of dark chambers and carved walls, you get a formal mausoleum with a strong visual connection to one of India’s best-known monuments.

I would keep your expectations in check. This is not the Taj Mahal, and the comparison can overshadow what makes the monument interesting in its own right. One hour is enough for a focused visit, especially if you want photographs and a short look around rather than a long architectural study.

The stated entrance fee is ₹300 per person, and it is not included. Add that amount, the Ajanta and Ellora charges, possible shuttle tickets, and any guide costs to the advertised tour price.

What the $92.80 group price really buys

At $92.80 for up to three people, the price can be good value if you would otherwise arrange several private taxi rides. You are paying for private transportation and an air-conditioned vehicle over two days, not for a complete all-inclusive holiday.

For three people, the transport cost works out to roughly $31 per person before admissions and other extras. For two people, it is about $46.40 each. A solo visitor pays the full group rate, so the arrangement makes more financial sense when shared.

The value improves if you care about comfort and flexibility. A private car means you avoid hailing taxis, and you can speak directly with the driver about timing. The service also includes complimentary bottled water, which is useful in the heat.

The final bill can be higher than the headline price. Budget separately for:

• Ajanta entrance: ₹600 per person
• Ellora entrance: ₹600 per person
• Bibi Ka Maqbara entrance: ₹300 per person
• Monument shuttle bus tickets
• Optional guide service
• Meals
• Hotel accommodation
• Airport or station pickup and transfer to your hotel

The airport or station transfer is not included as a standard part of the tour and is chargeable separately. The listed meeting point is Chikkalthana Airport, now identified as Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar Airport, but the daily sightseeing pickup is described as hotel pickup in Aurangabad. Confirm the exact pickup arrangement if you are arriving by air or rail.

Driver service and flexibility

The strongest part of the service is the basic human help that makes a two-day visit easier. Drivers are described as punctual, patient, friendly, and willing to offer suggestions for food and other places around Aurangabad.

Shabaz is specifically praised for being friendly without being pushy and for adjusting the schedule. That kind of attitude is useful when you are trying to balance cave time, meals, heat, and a second-day fort or monument stop. One especially practical detail is that he was willing to accommodate a request for a daily cappuccino, which suggests a relaxed approach to small personal needs.

You should still take an active role in the plan. One booking involved a driver named Habeeb who was not fully clear about the second day’s route, leaving the passengers to explain where they were supposed to go. The operator apologized and explained that the driver was adjusting the plan because the accommodation was near Ellora.

That situation gives you a useful lesson: print or save the full route, confirm the order of stops the night before, and ask whether Daulatabad Fort is included. A private tour gives you flexibility, but flexibility works best when both sides agree on the plan.

Heat, timing, and what to bring

March heat was a real difficulty for one booking, even though the caves were considered worth the effort. The air-conditioned car helps between stops, but it cannot remove the heat at the monuments or during walks between entrances and caves.

I would plan for practical comfort rather than style. Bring water, light clothing, sun protection, and shoes suitable for walking. The exact number of steps or walking distance is not provided, so you should not assume every part of the visit is effortless.

The three-hour Ajanta estimate and two-hour Ellora estimate are useful planning guides, not guarantees. Add time for driving, admission, shuttle buses, meals, and possible delays. If you want a relaxed visit, resist the temptation to add too many extras without discussing the timing.

Because Ajanta and Ellora close on different weekdays, your choice of dates matters more than usual. Avoid Monday for Ajanta and Tuesday for Ellora. If your schedule is fixed, ask the operator to confirm the order before booking.

Is this tour a good match for you?

I would recommend this experience if you want the convenience of a private car but do not need a fully packaged tour. It is particularly suitable for:

• Couples or small groups of up to three
• People staying in Aurangabad
• Visitors focused on Indian art, religion, and architecture
• Anyone short on time who wants both Ajanta and Ellora
• People who prefer to choose their own guide or explore independently
• Visitors who value hotel pickup and an air-conditioned vehicle

I would be more cautious if you want every cost included or expect the driver to provide detailed historical commentary. Guides, meals, lodging, and monument tickets are extra, and the day two route needs confirmation.

The service has a 4.9 rating from 91 reviews, with 99 percent recommending it. The praise centers on clean air-conditioned transport, punctuality, patience, flexible scheduling, and helpful local suggestions. Those are meaningful strengths for a two-day cave trip.

Final verdict: book it with the route confirmed

I would book this tour if I were traveling with one or two companions and wanted an easy way to connect Aurangabad with Ajanta and Ellora. The private car, hotel pickup, bottled water, and flexible schedule offer real value, especially in hot weather.

Before booking, I would confirm three things in writing: the exact day two stops, whether Daulatabad Fort is included, and the total cost of any guide and shuttle services. I would also check the weekday closures and add the entrance fees to my budget.

Book it for dependable transport and freedom to set the pace. Skip it if you want a fully guided, all-inclusive experience with no extra planning. With the route clarified in advance, this is a practical base for seeing three very different sides of Aurangabad.

FAQ

How long does the tour last?

The experience lasts approximately two days. Day one includes about three hours at Ajanta, while day two includes about two hours at Ellora and one hour at Bibi Ka Maqbara.

Is transportation included?

Yes. Private transportation in an air-conditioned vehicle is included, along with complimentary bottled water and a tissue box.

Is hotel pickup included?

Pickup from your hotel in Aurangabad is offered each morning. Airport or station pickup and transfer to your hotel are chargeable separately.

Are entrance tickets included?

No. Monument entrance fees and shuttle bus tickets are not included. The listed fees are ₹600 per person for Ajanta, ₹600 per person for Ellora, and ₹300 per person for Bibi Ka Maqbara.

Is a guide included?

No. Guide service is not included as standard, but you can choose an option with a guide or hire one at the caves.

How many people can join the private tour?

The listed price covers one private group of up to three people. Only your group participates in the activity.

Which days are the caves closed?

Ajanta Caves are closed on Mondays. Ellora Caves are closed on Tuesdays.

Can I cancel for a full refund?

Yes. You can cancel at least 24 hours before the experience starts for a full refund. Cancellations or changes made within 24 hours are not refunded or accepted.