Ajanta Caves
Before descending into the caves, take the trail to the main Ajanta viewpoint overlooking the dramatic horseshoe gorge of the Waghora River — this is the perspective from which British Army officer John Smith famously 'rediscovered' the caves in 1819. Seeing the 29 dark openings carved into the cliff face rising from the jungle is genuinely spine-tingling, and the scale of the human endeavour involved in creating them over 800 years becomes viscerally clear from this vantage point.
Visit the viewpoint first before entering the caves — understanding the layout from above makes the cave tour far more meaningful and contextual.