Buddhist pilgrimage in India- Need help for car and driver
 

We are a family of 4 adults, planning a buddhist pilgrimage in October 2011. We arrive in Gorakhpur and would need a car and driver, driving us for 9 days to visit the following cities :
Lumbini, Kushinagar, patna, Bodhgaya and dropping us back in Varanasi.
Has anybody done such a trip ? Do you have any resommendations for a company which can organize a car with a drive for us ? Any suggestions for hotels ? We are also thinking about staying in the temples but do they have private bathrooms ?
Any suggestions are welcome. Thank you

Have you thought about this option?
http://www.indiarailtours.com/buddhi...ial-train.html

At Lumbini I stayed in the Hotel Kasai - highly recommended (http://lumbinihotelkasai.com/en/index.html ). I think it's unlikely the temples will have private bathrooms - or AC. Click on my name for my South Asia TR including Lumbini.

Thank you, Kathie. The special train sounds really good. But we have already our plane tickets, landing in Gorakpur. I really need recommendations for a local travel agency who an organize the car with the driver.

Hi phuon: you may need to get a separate driver for the Nepal section. One up to the border - another once you cross, then vice versa. Better check.

Did you find these guys?
http://www.indialuxurycar.com/gorakhpur-car-rental.html

Remember, you'll have to allow time for your driver to return to home base once you've finished with them in Varanasi. Extra day's rental.

From what I saw of Gorakhpur I don't think you really want to arrange the driver for the whole trip there. Better to use one of the outfits frequently recommended here (Castle and King, for instance) and have their driver meet you in Gorakhpur.

Another option is to pick up a car and driver (taxi) when you get to Gorakhpur to take you to the border. Hotel Kasai, and probably one or two others, will meet you at the border (for an extra charge) and return you there.

Also, I don't know what the requirements are for an Indian car and driver to cross the border. There are no through buses from India to Nepal.