Khajuraho
Basic Info
Khajuraho is a historical town located in the Chhatarpur district of Madhya Pradesh.
Getting there: You can fly into Khajuraho either by taking a direct flight from Delhi or Benaras. SpiceJet operates a direct flight from Delhi and Indigo operates a flight from Benaras as well. Madhya Pradesh has many beautiful spots to visit. It is also home to a few National Parks where you can see the elusive tiger. While visiting Khajuraho I would recommend adding Panna Tiger Reserve to your itinerary.
Where to Stay
While in Khajuraho, I would recommend staying at the Lalit. We stayed at the Ramada and I cannot recommend this hotel since it is so dated.
I would recommend spending a night at Pashan Garh, a Taj property in Panna.
Things to Do
Khajuraho is a UNESCO world heritage site known for its temple complex built by the Chandela dynasty between the 9th and 11th Centuries. The temple complex is divided into 3 groups, the western, eastern and southern group of temples. The Western group is the most famous and well preserved and if you ask me that is the only complex I would recommend you spend your time in.
Day 1
We landed in Khajuraho and went straight to Panna. While I was researching Khajuraho I found that Panna National Park was close by (only 45 mins away) and since it is well known for tigers I wanted to explore this park too. We found a beautiful resort by the Taj called Pashan Garh so I booked us for one night. From the airport we drove here straight and were really pleased by the service, the cottages (there are only 12 rooms in this entire resort) located on 200 acres of forest.
Day 2
We set our alarms to wake up at 4AM to embark on a a safari to find the elusive tiger. As we drove into the park we witnessed the most magnificent sunrise. Although we didn’t spot a tiger, we did see a striped hyena, some deer & monkeys but we witnessed the beauty of the National Park and I would recommend taking half the day to drive in the park. Seeing a tiger is a bonus of course.
After lunch we drove to our hotel in Khajuraho.
Day 3
Wake up by 7AM and plan to arrive at the temple complex as soon as it opens. Make your way to the western group of temples. A guide is recommended although not necessary. Most of what the guides point out is the intricate details of the carvings which I am sure given enough time you can witness yourself. The guides seem to point out more of the erotic sculptures which this temple has become quite famous for.
If you have all day then you could explore the eastern group of temples although it pales in comparison to the western group and I would much rather have gone back to the hotel and moved on to our next destination.
After visiting the temples, I would suggest moving on to the next destination.
P.S. If you want to combine this with a visit to Benares, it would be a perfect getaway since there is a direct flight to Benares from here.