It was a busy final day of the trip, leaving Delhi at 03:00 to cover the 225km to Agra and the Taj Mahal. I had been to Agra before, but during December and the dry-season – things would be quieter now in the low and wet season – and the marble washed clean.

We arrived at the gate of the Taj Mahal around 07:00; it turned out busier than expected – though still quiet and serene enough. We had some time to discover the grounds, the Taj Mahal itself, as well as the other buildings of the site.

We were back on the bus around 09:30 heading to a local hotel for a good and big breakfast – complete with idlis, dosas plus – most important – coffee and tea. Thus invigorated we continued to Agra Fort for a tour (just to be hit by another cleansing monsoon downpour). Next stop was at Itmad-ud-Daula, a smaller mausoleum from white marble with intricate inlays of semi-precious stones, nicknamed the Baby Taj.

By now it was afternoon and we made it back into town for some snacks and a great mango lassi. After this short break we had tuktuks waiting for us for the trip across the river and to a viewpoint with great back views of the Taj Mahal. From here it was back to the bus – and after a quick shopping stop, we were back on the road to make it back to Delhi – where we arrived just after 21:00 … a long and busy day.

Overall this has been a great trip; I especially enjoyed the high mountain landscape up in Ladakh and along the Leh/Manali highway. The itinerary was great, leaving enough time for altitude adjustment and activities on oneself – – the temples were just adding to that – – and isn’t any view three-times more beautiful once prayer flags are added? Ultimately this has been a superb trip and a worthy extension of my Darjeeling-Sikkim-Bhutan trip from last year … another clear recommendation.