Loading…
Shirdi to Trimbakeshwar is 116–123 km via Sinnar and Nashik, about 2.5 to 3 hours. Leave Shirdi by 6:30 am after the 5:15 Kakad aarti, join the Trimbakeshwar line by 9:30, and you have darshan by noon and are back before the 10 pm Shej aarti. Check first that the temple is open that day.
The plan works because both temples bookend the day with fixed aartis. Shirdi's Sansthan runs Kakad aarti at 5:15 am and Shej aarti at 10 pm; Trimbakeshwar opens at about 5:30 am and closes after its 9 pm shej aarti.
5:15 am Kakad aarti at the Samadhi Mandir, out by about 5:45.
6:00–6:30 am Leave Shirdi. Tea at Sinnar or carry breakfast.
9:00–9:30 am Reach Trimbakeshwar, park, join the darshan line.
11:00–12:00 Darshan done on a normal weekday. Kushavarta and the lanes until 1 pm.
1:00–2:00 pm Lunch at a bhojanalaya near the temple.
2:30 pm Leave Trimbak. Optional Panchavati stop in Nashik, 45–60 minutes.
5:30 pm Latest departure from Nashik for a relaxed return.
8:00–8:30 pm Back in Shirdi. Dhoop aarti is at sunset, Shej aarti at 10 pm.
Our Shirdi aarti timings post explains why older guides still print 4:30 am for Kakad. Work from 5:15.
| Leg | Distance | Normal time |
|---|---|---|
| Shirdi → Sinnar | about 60 km | 1 h 15 min |
| Sinnar → Nashik (Dwarka) | about 30 km | 45 min–1 h |
| Nashik → Trimbakeshwar | about 28–30 km | 45 min–1 h |
| Total | 116–123 km | 2.5–3 h |
Every taxi uses the same corridor: the Shirdi–Sinnar road, the Nashik–Pune highway into Nashik, then the Trimbak road west. In the morning the run through Nashik is quick. At midday and after 5 pm the city adds 20–30 minutes, so tell the driver to skirt the centre on the way back rather than cut through Panchavati.
Kumbh 2027 works are live along this corridor. The Ghoti–Trimbakeshwar highway is being widened, Nashik city roads are being white-topped through December 2026, and the Trimbak road has check posts on event days. Budget an extra half hour on any date in late 2026 and avoid Saturday 31 October, the Simhastha flag-hoisting day, when Trimbak is cordoned.
General darshan is free from the east gate and runs about 1–2 hours on a weekday, 4–5 hours on a Saturday, and 6–8 hours on festival Mondays.
The trust's ₹200 donation pass, bought online or at the counters near Kushavarta Chowk and Shivprasad Bhaktniwas, opens a faster line at the north gate with a QR code and ID. Expect about 45 minutes in it.
The pass is not always on sale. The trust suspended it from 3 to 12 October 2026 for the Pitru Paksha crowds, and it has done the same in past peak weeks. Our VIP pass guide tracks the suspensions; the aarti schedule covers the short pause at the 1 pm madhyan pooja.
Through October 2026 Marathi dailies reported a proposal to close Trimbakeshwar to general darshan from mid-October to mid- or end-December so Kumbh works on the darshan path could be finished. The trust and the purohit sangh opposed it.
On 21–23 October the collector said the temple would stay open on 31 October, with 3,000 passes for the flag hoisting. No final closure order had been published when this was written.
Kushavarta Kund itself was closed from 30 September to 31 October 2026 for repairs, with the 31 October flag hoisting at its edge. From November expect new railings, heritage lighting and a one-way walking route around the kund.
Kushavarta is a five-minute walk from the temple and needs 15–20 minutes for a snan or a sprinkle; allow 45 minutes if the family bathes. Do it after darshan, before lunch.
Nashik fits only on the way back and only in a tight form. From Trimbak the Panchavati bend is about 28 km; Kalaram Mandir and Ramkund are a 45–60 minute stop with the car parked near the Godavari ghats.
Leave Trimbak by 2:30 pm, Nashik by 4 pm, and the return still clears Shirdi by 8:30. Timings for the Kalaram darshan are in our Kalaram Mandir guide. Skip Nashik on a Saturday or if the Trimbak line ran past noon.
With elders: skip Kakad aarti, leave at 7 am, buy the ₹200 line if it is on sale, no Nashik stop, back by 7 pm.
On a budget: an ST bus to Nashik and a shared jeep to Trimbak works, but the return connections after 4 pm are poor; the one-day plan really needs a car.
On a tight schedule: the full plan above on a Tuesday to Thursday, darshan by 11, lunch, home by 7:30.
Set on Nashik too: Trimbak darshan first, Panchavati at 3 pm, no Kushavarta snan, home by 8:30.
Avoid: Mondays in Shravan, Saturdays, any Amavasya or Purnima, and 31 October 2026.
Trusted by thousands of Yatris across India.
If the line runs late or the driver advises against the night return, Trimbakeshwar has trust guesthouses and private hotels within walking distance of the temple; see our Trimbakeshwar stay guide. Keep the Shirdi room for the night anyway, so the plan stays a one-day plan unless the day decides otherwise.
Leave after Kakad aarti, confirm the gate is open, and Trimbakeshwar fits inside one Shirdi day. Om Sai Ram, Har Har Mahadev.
Trusted by thousands of Yatris across India.
Shirdi to Pandharpur — The Two-Day Plan That Works (2026)
Shirdi ·
Shirdi Jyotirlinga Circuit — What a Shorter Trip Skips (2026)
Shirdi ·
Shirdi 3 Jyotirlinga Taxi Package — What's Included (2026)
Shirdi ·
Shirdi 3 Jyotirlinga Tour — 4-Day Itinerary by Taxi (2026)
Shirdi ·
Shirdi 3 Jyotirlinga Tour — Best Month & Start Day (2026-27)
Shirdi ·
Shirdi 3 Jyotirlinga Tour with Elderly Parents — Steps & Pace (2026)
Shirdi ·
YATRA GUIDES
Walking distances, darshan timings, where to stay, and how to reach — every yatra question, answered.