As I was anxious, I kept searching for best ways to reach Khajuraho for a very long time. Given my work commitments, I had a short window to travel. The flight I checked out 2 weeks before booking was cheap (INR 1,500 – one way), but I delayed my booking and by the time I decided to book it, price had shot up to INR. 10,000 – One way. With this situation I decided to book a train and the only train that directly goes from Delhi to Khajuraho was all booked. Few more searches later I booked my tickets First on a bus to Gwalior – another beautiful city in Madhya Pradesh (my photo album) and then took onward train to Khajuraho. I spent a night at my Aunt’s place in Gwalior.
By Flight: Air India operates flights to Khajuraho from Delhi, Agra, Varanasi, and Mumbai and
Jet Airways offers flights Delhi and Varanasi. These are not daily flights and as frequency is to very high these flights get expensive closer you book to your travel dates. Just like what happened to me. If you can plan in advance, it is a great way to reach Khajuraho. Airport is just 5km from the city centre and tuk tuk (auto rickshaw) and cabs are easily available.
Khajuraho is decently well connected to major cities in India by train, flight, and road. Thanks to vast road networks in our country, these places can be reached by road also. All modes of transport are safe, just be careful of what type of bus or train coach you are booking. Usually a bit expensive, AC (air conditioned) buses and train coaches are fine for female travellers. I took Volvo AC Sleeper bus to Gwalior and then 3AC (3 Tier AC Coach) train to Khajuraho.
By Train: Khajuraho train station was opened about 10 years back in 2008, linking the town to Jhansi which provides it direct connectivity. There is a direct train from Delhi to Khajuraho –
UP SAMPARK KRANTI Express (Train number 12448) – which starts at around 8pm and reaches Khajuraho next early morning around 6:30am. Book your tickets about a week in advance during peak season to ensure reservation. (
How to book trains in India – Click Here)
There are more trains to Khajuraho from Udaipur (I took this one –
UDZ KURJ Express), Gwalior, Jhansi, and Satna. One can reach Khajuraho via Jhansi – it takes about 3-4hours. The train I took from Gwalior started from there in afternoon but got delayed by about 3 hours and I reached around 9:15pm. As I was a bit sceptical about taking a tuk tuk late at night to reach my hostel, I called the reception, asked for fair price to pay (it was INR 100) and if it was safe to travel alone at this hour. They assured me that it is totally safe and that’s how it actually was. I was still super conscious about my surroundings and was carrying my camera tripod in my hand, just in case.