Entry · DAC → DEL
India
Marble, sandstone and the Ganges
15 Nov — 29 Nov 202415 days5 places
Mughal tombs in Delhi, the Taj at dawn, Jaipur's pink city and the ghats of Varanasi at aarti. A winter route through the north: Delhi, Agra, Jaipur, and an overnight train east to the oldest living city on the Ganges.
5 places across Delhi, Agra, Jaipur, Varanasi
Humayun's Tomb
The blueprint for the Taj, with a fraction of the crowds and parakeets in the gardens.
Taj Mahal
Gates at sunrise. The marble goes from grey to pink to white in about forty minutes.
Amber Fort
Ramparts snake over the hills like a smaller Great Wall. Mirror palace inside.
Hawa Mahal
953 small windows. Best seen from the rooftop café across the road with a masala chai.
Dashashwamedh Ghat
Evening aarti from a rowing boat: fire, bells, conch shells and marigolds drifting downstream.
Parakeets and sandstone
Humayun's Tomb was the surprise of Delhi — symmetrical, calm, and nearly empty at 8am except for gardeners and green parakeets.
Forty minutes of colour
Everyone tells you to see the Taj at sunrise. Nobody tells you it changes colour three times before breakfast.
It changes colour three times before breakfast.
Fire on the river
From the boat the aarti is a wall of sound and flame. Then the marigold lamps are released and drift past in the dark, one by one.