Bhimashankar, sixth of the Jyotirlingas, is the one Pune families can reach and return from properly in a single day. Each leg takes roughly three hours, and the last part is a real ghat climb, so we start early. Your cab from Pune to Bhimashankar collects you at 5:30 AM and reaches the temple around 8:30 AM. We then keep four full hours for darshan, and that much time is planned on purpose. On an ordinary day the line can take two hours, and because the shrine lies below the road, reaching it means going down about 200 steps and coming back up the same way. Expect to be back in Pune by late afternoon.
What's included
Pickup from your home in Pune and drop back at the same door
300 km included in the fare; the actual route is about 220 km, which leaves a margin
Fuel, tolls and parking covered up to the included distance
Day-long driver allowance
AC car, with drinking water kept in the vehicle
Your driver's mobile number and the vehicle details, sent to you the evening before
Not included
Food, snacks and your own spending
Darshan passes, poojas, offerings or donations to the temple
Doli (palanquin) fees at Bhimashankar, should you take one
Stay and the driver's night halt charge, if the trip becomes two days
Travel insurance
Day-by-day itinerary
Hour by hour, temple by temple.
Tap a day to expand. Drive blocks show distance from the previous
stop; temple blocks link to the temple guide below.
Timings below are indicative, not fixed.
Darshan queues, traffic, weather, and road conditions all shift the
day. Your driver adjusts the running order on the road to fit
every temple in — the stops stay the same, the clock moves.
Day 1 · 220 km
Pune → Bhimashankar → Pune
Four hours at the temple for a morning darshan, and back home by late afternoon.
5:30 AM
Pickup from your home in Pune
We collect you at your door. Leaving this early is what gives you time for darshan without rushing.
7:00 AM
Tea stop on the way
A quick break before the road starts climbing the ghat.
8:30 AM
Arrive at Bhimashankar temple
110 km from previous stop
From here it is about 200 steps down to the sanctum, and the same number back up.
8:30 AM – 12:30 PM
Darshan at Bhimashankar
Four full hours are kept for this stop. Even on a regular day the line alone may take two hours, and it is much longer on Mondays, through Shravan and at Mahashivratri. Most groups also go slowly on the steps. Should the line move fast, the spare time is enough for the walks to Hanuman Lake and Gupt Bhimashankar, or just for sitting quietly among the trees, since the temple stands within a declared wildlife sanctuary.
12:30 PM
Lunch near the temple or on the way
You arrange and pay for this. Food near the temple is basic, and there are better places after the ghat descent.
1:30 PM
Start the drive back to Pune
110 km from previous stop
4:30 PM
Drop at home in Pune
We leave you at your door.
Indicative schedule. Arrival and departure at each stop
depend on darshan queues, traffic, and conditions on the
day — expect some drift from the times shown.
Temple guide
Every temple, what to expect.
Notes from drivers who have done this circuit hundreds of times —
timings, dress code, accessibility for elders, and what makes
each temple unique.
01 · Bhimashankar
Bhimashankar Jyotirlinga
Lord Shiva (Bhimashankar Jyotirlinga)
The sixth Jyotirlinga and the source of the Bhima river, set deep in the Sahyadri hills. The nagara-style temple, with later Nana Phadnavis additions, marks where Lord Shiva is said to have slain the demon Tripurasura. The surrounding forest is a declared wildlife sanctuary and home to the Indian giant squirrel, Maharashtra's state animal.
Modest attire with covered shoulders and full-length clothing for the sanctum. The hill setting is cold and misty — carry a layer even in summer.
Photography
No photography of the garbhagriha or the Jyotirlinga. The outer temple and forest surroundings are fine.
For seniors
The temple sits below road level — roughly 200 descending steps from parking to the sanctum, then the same back up. This is the most physically demanding darshan of the five. Doli (palanquin) carriers are sometimes available at the top.
Best time: Early morning, and outside the monsoon if mobility is a concern (the steps get slippery). Mondays and Mahashivratri are heaviest.
Need a different vehicle or seater configuration? Message us on
WhatsApp — we customise routinely.
Before you book
Know before you go.
**Times are a guide only.** This plan expects usual traffic and an ordinary line for darshan. On Mondays, during Shravan and at Mahashivratri the picture is very different, and waiting can stretch to several hours instead of one. Heavy monsoon rain can also slow the ghat. The four hours at the temple are there because the queue is hard to predict, yet on Mahashivratri and Shravan Mondays even that may not be enough. Your driver will update you through the day. Please leave the evening open and do not plan anything before 5 PM.
**Expect steps on the way to darshan.** The temple is lower than the road. From the parking it is about 200 steps down to the sanctum, then the same climb back. There is no lift, and vehicles cannot go any nearer. Doli (palanquin) bearers are sometimes found at the top, but we cannot promise one and they cannot be booked ahead. If anyone in your group has knee problems, a heart condition or trouble breathing, please think this through honestly before you book.
**Get your darshan pass from the trust's official site.** The Bhimashankar temple trust issues its own online darshan pass at shreebhimashankar.com. Book there and only there, not through agents or other apps, as several of them have no approval from the trust. In 2026 the trust dropped compulsory booking after devotees ran into technical problems, so the general queue with free darshan is always open to you. A pass is still useful on a Monday or during Shravan. Note that the trust's website still shows a notice about restricted timings from the 2026 construction work, and temple hours have changed more than once this year, so please phone the trust on 02135 222 880 before setting out. As a cab service, we are not able to book a pass for you.
**Pack something warm, even in summer.** Bhimashankar stands high in the Sahyadri, and for much of the year its mornings are cold and foggy. During the monsoon the steps become really slippery, so good footwear counts for more here than at most temples.
**Your fare includes 300 km; this route needs about 220.** A round trip from Pune to Bhimashankar is around 220 km, which leaves roughly 80 km unused from the 300 km in your fare. We set it up that way on purpose. The margin takes care of a pickup from a different place, a side trip to Hanuman Lake, or a detour if the ghat road is shut, and nobody has to count kilometres at the end. It is a package fare with no meter running. The amount we quote is the amount you pay.
**We run cabs. We do not run tours.** Our part is the car and the driver. Darshan passes, priests, poojas and guides are not something we arrange, and we have no way of cutting a darshan queue short. Anything inside the temple is for you to organise.
**More Jyotirlingas from Pune.** Maharashtra has five Jyotirlingas, and Bhimashankar is one of them. Our 2-day package adds Trimbakeshwar and Shirdi, and the 4-day Panch Jyotirlinga package takes in all five. Both begin with the same Pune pickup.
Frequently asked
What yatris ask before they book.
Will the trip run to these exact timings?
Not exactly. The times are a guide, based on usual traffic and an ordinary darshan line. Mondays, Shravan and Mahashivratri change things a great deal, and heavy rain in the monsoon slows the ghat stretch too. Your driver will keep you informed as the day goes on. Please keep the evening open and do not plan anything before 5 PM.
Is the Bhimashankar darshan hard for seniors?
The shrine lies below the road, so from the parking you go down about 200 steps to the sanctum and climb the same back. This is the toughest part of the day by a wide margin, while the car journey itself is comfortable. Doli bearers are sometimes at the top, but we cannot promise one or book it ahead. Anyone in the group who cannot handle stairs can wait at the top in comfort while the others go down.
Can I do Pune to Bhimashankar and back in one day?
Yes. Among the Jyotirlingas in Maharashtra, this is the only one where a day trip really works. The temple is about 110 km from Pune, around three hours by road each way, partly on a ghat. With a 5:30 AM pickup you reach around 8:30 AM for morning darshan and are back in Pune at about 4:30 PM.
Which months are best for a Bhimashankar trip?
The most comfortable months are October to February. In the monsoon the forest and waterfalls look their finest, but the steps turn slippery and the ghat road is slower, which makes the trip harder for senior travellers. The biggest crowds come on Mahashivratri and Shravan Mondays, so pick a different day if you want a calmer darshan.
Does the Pune to Bhimashankar taxi fare include meals or darshan passes?
No. What you pay covers the car, the driver and his allowance, fuel, tolls and parking. Meals, poojas, offerings and donations are paid by you separately. In the general queue, darshan at Bhimashankar costs nothing, and since June 2026 direct darshan has not needed online registration. Should passes come back, book them only on the trust's own website, shreebhimashankar.com.
How many kilometres are included?
300 km. A Pune to Bhimashankar round trip comes to about 220 km, so around 80 km is left over. That covers a pickup from somewhere else, a side trip to Hanuman Lake, or a detour if the ghat road is closed. You pay a package fare, not a metered one, so there is no need to keep an eye on the odometer.
Are the cab charges from Pune to Bhimashankar fixed?
Yes. The quoted amount already has tolls, parking, fuel and the driver's allowance in it, and prices do not rise on busy dates. It changes only if you want an extra stop off the route, and we would give you a quote for that before the trip.
How can I get from Pune to Bhimashankar?
You have three choices. MSRTC runs state buses from Pune to Bhimashankar. This costs the least but takes longer than a car and departures are few, so confirm the return bus before setting off. If you drive yourself, it is about 110 km each way, and the final section is a narrow ghat road that goes slowly in fog or monsoon rain. Parking is at the top, above the temple. The third choice is a private cab that picks you up at home and brings you back, which is what this package offers. The driver waits while you have darshan, and no bus timetable decides your day.
Is the fare for a round trip or one way?
Round trip. The car picks you up and drops you at your own door in Pune, and the return journey is in the fare. If you need only a one-way drop to Bhimashankar, send us a WhatsApp message and we will give you a separate quote.
Is there a shared cab or per-seat fare from Pune to Bhimashankar?
No. Each booking gets a private car for your group alone, and we do not add other passengers. You pay one price for the car, however many of you travel.
Ready for this yatra?
WhatsApp us your dates and we'll reply with an all-inclusive
quote, your driver's mobile number and vehicle details, and pickup confirmation.
