Nashik to Saptashrungi Distance — Road Route & Ghat (2026)

Nashik to Saptashrungi Gad is about 65 km by road, one way, and takes roughly 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours. The route goes north through Dindori and Vani to Nanduri, then climbs a ghat of about 10 km to the village on top of the hill.

A return trip from the city comes to about 130 km. Here is the road leg by leg, and the part of it that actually eats the time.

🗺️ The route, leg by leg

There are four clear legs. The figures are rounded and start from Nashik's Central Bus Stand (CBS); your own door may add or remove a few kilometres.

Nanduri, at the foot of the hill, is about 52 km from Nashik. Everything after it is the climb.

🛣️ Which road to take

The standard road is the Nashik–Kalwan state highway, commonly listed as SH-17. Leave the city by Dindori Road past Mhasrul and simply stay on it.

• Nashik to Dindori: a wide, busy road through vineyard country. City traffic is the only delay, so an early start pays here.

• Dindori to Vani: open farmland, with the Ozarkhed dam off to one side near Vani. This is the fastest stretch of the day.

• Vani to Nanduri: the hill range fills the windscreen. Nanduri is where buses halt and the ghat begins.

Vani is the last real town for fuel, tea, an ATM or a chemist. Finish those errands there, not on the hill.

⛰️ The ghat from Nanduri

The ghat is a two-lane hill road of roughly 10 km. It rises from the plain to the top village, which sits at about 1,230 m above sea level.

What to expect on it:

• Continuous curves with several tight bends. Buses swing wide, so smaller cars wait at the corners.

• Monsoon (June to September): mist, wet tar and now and then loose stones on the road. Drive it only in daylight.

• Winter mornings: fog can sit on the upper half until about 8 am.

• No overtaking worth the risk. If you are behind an ST bus, you stay behind it.

Anyone who gets car-sick should sit in front and keep the window open. The climb is short, but it is steady.

⏱️ Where the time really goes

On paper it is under two hours each way. In practice the clock runs at three points.

1. Getting out of Nashik. After 8 am, the first 10 km on Dindori Road can take 25 minutes.

2. The ghat. 10 km at the pace of the slowest bus ahead of you.

3. The top. The road ends at a parking area, not at the temple. From there it is 510 stone steps or a 3-minute funicular trolley ride.

So the full return trip, about 130 km, is roughly four hours of driving plus about three hours on the hill. What happens once you are up there is covered in our Saptashrungi darshan guide.

🔄 Which way round to drive it

For a Saptashrungi-only trip the road up and the road back are the same. What you can choose is the order of the stops.

• Go up without stopping. The hill is quietest and coolest before 9 am, so save the breaks.

• Stop at Vani on the way down. Tea and a meal taste better once the ghat is behind you.

• Be off the ghat before dark. Start down by 5:30 pm in winter and by about 6:30 pm in summer.

Some drivers return through Pimpalgaon Baswant and the Mumbai–Agra highway when the Dindori road is jammed. It is a little longer, so let the driver judge it on the day.

🚧 When the road rules change

During the big fairs the ghat is managed differently. At the Chaitra festival in 2026, private vehicles were stopped at Nanduri and ST buses carried Yatris up and down the ghat.

Sharad Navratri runs 11 to 20 October 2026, and similar controls are likely on the peak days. Check that week's traffic order before leaving. Our Saptashrungi Navratri 2026 guide has the festival plan.

On Tuesdays, Fridays and Purnima the road is open as usual, but the parking on top fills early. Reach before 8 am.

🚌 Which way should you travel?

• With elders or children: a private car. It goes door to door, stops when someone needs a break and waits at the top.

• On a budget: MSRTC buses run from Nashik CBS towards Vani and the gad. Ask for the last return bus the moment you arrive.

• Driving yourself: fine if you are used to hill roads. If not, the ghat in rain or fog is the wrong place to learn.

• On a tight schedule: leave by 6 am, and you are home for a late lunch.

What to avoid: climbing the ghat for the first time after sunset, and planning a weekend trip around a 10 am start.

🛏️ Where to stay

At about 65 km, Saptashrungi does not need a night on the hill. Most Yatris stay in Nashik and go up and back the same day.

Choose a room on the northern side of the city — Panchavati, CBS or near Dindori Road — and you skip the cross-town crawl in the morning. Our guide to where to stay in Nashik compares the areas.

Know the road, start early, and the gad is an easy day from Nashik. Jai Saptashrungi Mata.