OurVacays Home Trips Guides About ← all trips

A Travel Diary

India 2017

Gujarat, the stepwells, and Mumbai — December 2017

71Photographs

11Days

6Places

Scroll to explore ↓

Temples, stepwells & the sea

A winter trip across western India — the temples, lakes and ancient ruins of Gujarat, the astonishing carved stepwell at Adalaj, the vast Laxmi Vilas Palace at Vadodara, and then Mumbai: the rock-cut caves of Elephanta Island, the gulls over the harbour, the Gateway of India and the grand Gothic city, and the old-world halls of the Taj. Tap any photo to enlarge it, or open the map.

Day 1

Fri 29 Dec

Gujarat — temples, lakes & ruins

Gujarat — temples, lakes & ruins — Gujarat — temples, lakes & ruinsA roadside shrine and the dry Gujarat plains.

Day 2

Sat 30 Dec

Gujarat — temples, lakes & ruins

Gujarat — temples, lakes & ruins — Gujarat — temples, lakes & ruinsA great bronze Shiva watching over the water.

Gujarat — temples, lakes & ruins — Gujarat — temples, lakes & ruinsOne of the old temples, its shikhara rising over the town.

Gujarat — temples, lakes & ruins — Gujarat — temples, lakes & ruinsA still reservoir mirroring the morning sky.

Day 3

Sun 31 Dec

The Adalaj Stepwell

The Adalaj Stepwell — The Adalaj StepwellThe Adalaj Stepwell, five storeys of carved stone going down into the dark.

The Adalaj Stepwell — The Adalaj StepwellLooking up the octagonal shaft to a square of sky.

The Adalaj Stepwell — The Adalaj StepwellEvery pillar and lintel covered in carving.

The Adalaj Stepwell — The Adalaj StepwellCool air and old water at the bottom of the well.

The Adalaj Stepwell — The Adalaj StepwellThe information board for the 15th-century stepwell.

Day 4

Mon 1 Jan

The Adalaj Stepwell

The Adalaj Stepwell — The Adalaj StepwellLight falling through the galleries onto the stone.

The Adalaj Stepwell — The Adalaj StepwellThe Adalaj Stepwell, five storeys of carved stone going down into the dark.

Day 5

Tue 2 Jan

The Adalaj Stepwell

The Adalaj Stepwell — The Adalaj StepwellLooking up the octagonal shaft to a square of sky.

The Adalaj Stepwell — The Adalaj StepwellEvery pillar and lintel covered in carving.

The Adalaj Stepwell — The Adalaj StepwellCool air and old water at the bottom of the well.

The Adalaj Stepwell — The Adalaj StepwellThe information board for the 15th-century stepwell.

The Adalaj Stepwell — The Adalaj StepwellLight falling through the galleries onto the stone.

The Adalaj Stepwell — The Adalaj StepwellThe Adalaj Stepwell, five storeys of carved stone going down into the dark.

The Adalaj Stepwell — The Adalaj StepwellLooking up the octagonal shaft to a square of sky.

The Adalaj Stepwell — The Adalaj StepwellEvery pillar and lintel covered in carving.

The Adalaj Stepwell — The Adalaj StepwellCool air and old water at the bottom of the well.

Day 6

Wed 3 Jan

Vadodara — palace & city

Vadodara — palace & city — Vadodara — palace & cityLaxmi Vilas Palace, four times the size of Buckingham.

Vadodara — palace & city — Vadodara — palace & cityThe palace towers against a hard blue sky.

Day 7

Sat 6 Jan

Vadodara — palace & city

Vadodara — palace & city — Vadodara — palace & cityThe Sabarmati riverfront lit up at night.

Vadodara — palace & city — Vadodara — palace & cityCity streets, scooters, and the hum of the evening.

Vadodara — palace & city — Vadodara — palace & cityLaxmi Vilas Palace, four times the size of Buckingham.

Vadodara — palace & city — Vadodara — palace & cityThe palace towers against a hard blue sky.

Vadodara — palace & city — Vadodara — palace & cityThe Sabarmati riverfront lit up at night.

Vadodara — palace & city — Vadodara — palace & cityCity streets, scooters, and the hum of the evening.

Day 8

Mon 8 Jan

Mumbai harbour

Mumbai harbour — Mumbai harbourIndia, in all its noise and color.

Day 9

Wed 10 Jan

Mumbai harbour · The Elephanta Caves · Mumbai — Gateway, CSMT & the Taj

Mumbai harbour — Mumbai harbourIndia, in all its noise and color.

Mumbai harbour — Mumbai harbourIndia, in all its noise and color.

Mumbai harbour — Mumbai harbourIndia, in all its noise and color.

Mumbai harbour — Mumbai harbourIndia, in all its noise and color.

Mumbai harbour — Mumbai harbourIndia, in all its noise and color.

Mumbai harbour — Mumbai harbourIndia, in all its noise and color.

Mumbai harbour — Mumbai harbourIndia, in all its noise and color.

Mumbai harbour — Mumbai harbourIndia, in all its noise and color.

Mumbai harbour — Mumbai harbourIndia, in all its noise and color.

Mumbai harbour — Mumbai harbourIndia, in all its noise and color.

Mumbai harbour — Mumbai harbourIndia, in all its noise and color.

Mumbai harbour — Mumbai harbourIndia, in all its noise and color.

Mumbai harbour — Mumbai harbourIndia, in all its noise and color.

The Elephanta Caves — The Elephanta CavesThe rock-cut caves of Elephanta, carved out of the living basalt.

The Elephanta Caves — The Elephanta CavesA colossal Shiva relief, fifteen hundred years old.

The Elephanta Caves — The Elephanta CavesCarved pillars holding up the cave roof.

The Elephanta Caves — The Elephanta CavesThe lingam shrine deep inside the rock.

The Elephanta Caves — The Elephanta CavesHilltop views back across the harbour to the city.

The Elephanta Caves — The Elephanta CavesGulls over the sea on the ferry back.

The Elephanta Caves — The Elephanta CavesThe rock-cut caves of Elephanta, carved out of the living basalt.

The Elephanta Caves — The Elephanta CavesA colossal Shiva relief, fifteen hundred years old.

The Elephanta Caves — The Elephanta CavesCarved pillars holding up the cave roof.

Mumbai — Gateway, CSMT & the Taj — Mumbai — Gateway, CSMT & the TajThe Gateway of India standing over the harbour.

Mumbai — Gateway, CSMT & the Taj — Mumbai — Gateway, CSMT & the TajThe Taj Mahal Palace hotel along the waterfront.

Mumbai — Gateway, CSMT & the Taj — Mumbai — Gateway, CSMT & the TajThrough the great arch to the sea.

Mumbai — Gateway, CSMT & the Taj — Mumbai — Gateway, CSMT & the TajChhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, Gothic and grand.

Mumbai — Gateway, CSMT & the Taj — Mumbai — Gateway, CSMT & the TajThe Bandra-Worli Sea Link curving out over the water.

Mumbai — Gateway, CSMT & the Taj — Mumbai — Gateway, CSMT & the TajInside the Taj — staircases, chandeliers, and old India.

Mumbai — Gateway, CSMT & the Taj — Mumbai — Gateway, CSMT & the TajThe Gateway of India standing over the harbour.

Mumbai — Gateway, CSMT & the Taj — Mumbai — Gateway, CSMT & the TajThe Taj Mahal Palace hotel along the waterfront.

Mumbai — Gateway, CSMT & the Taj — Mumbai — Gateway, CSMT & the TajThrough the great arch to the sea.

Day 10

Thu 11 Jan

Mumbai — Gateway, CSMT & the Taj

Mumbai — Gateway, CSMT & the Taj — Mumbai — Gateway, CSMT & the TajChhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, Gothic and grand.

Mumbai — Gateway, CSMT & the Taj — Mumbai — Gateway, CSMT & the TajThe Bandra-Worli Sea Link curving out over the water.

Mumbai — Gateway, CSMT & the Taj — Mumbai — Gateway, CSMT & the TajInside the Taj — staircases, chandeliers, and old India.

Mumbai — Gateway, CSMT & the Taj — Mumbai — Gateway, CSMT & the TajThe Gateway of India standing over the harbour.

Mumbai — Gateway, CSMT & the Taj — Mumbai — Gateway, CSMT & the TajThe Taj Mahal Palace hotel along the waterfront.

Mumbai — Gateway, CSMT & the Taj — Mumbai — Gateway, CSMT & the TajThrough the great arch to the sea.

Day 11

Fri 12 Jan

Mumbai — Gateway, CSMT & the Taj

Mumbai — Gateway, CSMT & the Taj — Mumbai — Gateway, CSMT & the TajChhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, Gothic and grand.

Mumbai — Gateway, CSMT & the Taj — Mumbai — Gateway, CSMT & the TajThe Bandra-Worli Sea Link curving out over the water.

Mumbai — Gateway, CSMT & the Taj — Mumbai — Gateway, CSMT & the TajInside the Taj — staircases, chandeliers, and old India.

Mumbai — Gateway, CSMT & the Taj — Mumbai — Gateway, CSMT & the TajThe Gateway of India standing over the harbour.

Mumbai — Gateway, CSMT & the Taj — Mumbai — Gateway, CSMT & the TajThe Taj Mahal Palace hotel along the waterfront.

Where we wandered