Description

The vitality of Mumbai with its spectacular monuments and the fascinating Buddhist spirituality of ancient caves: a combination that kindles strong emotions during a thrilling journey into Indian culture and Buddhist asceticism.

What we will see

Stop for photos at the Gateway of India
Ancient complex of the Kanheri Caves
Tour of the caves
Amazing Buddhist statues
Short panoramic tour on the way back

What we will do

We leave the cruise terminal behind us and venture by coach into the city of Mumbai, a charming city teeming with life and suspended between modernity and tradition.
Our sightseeing tour takes us to admire the Asiatic Society Library which was once the Town Hall and the famous Rajabai Clock Tower, designed by a British architect and modelled on Big Ben in London.
We stop off for photos at the Gateway of India, maybe the city’s most famous monument: an imposing stone archway 26 metres tall built in the early 20th century to celebrate the visit of King George V and his wife.
We then proceed along Marine Drive, the wide boulevard overlooking the ocean, and drive past Haji Ali, the famous white-walled mosque with its towering minaret surrounded by the sea.
We head out of the city to reach the Kanheri caves, a Buddhist monastery complex carved into the rock whose buildings operations started in the first century B.C. and continued until the 11th century AD.
We visit this incredible site characterised by over one hundred caves carved into the rock mainly made up of a simple cell, some with monumental façades proceeding for kilometres along the coast characterised by hills of volcanic origin.
We remain enchanted in front of the incredible Buddhist statues found in some of the caves like the colossal Buddha in cave 3 or the large statue of the Bodhisattva of compassion in cave 2. But art and spirituality are not the only fascinating things here: the site boasted an advanced water system as testified by the tanks and large basins used to collect water.
We then head back to Mumbai where we reach the port driving past other significant monuments providing wonderful memories.

What you need to know

This excursion is not recommended for guests with limited mobility.