+91 9820822253 info@realitytoursandtravel.com

Dharavi Tour Including Car Transfer

Price
From₹3,150
Price
From₹3,150

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Why Book With Us?

  • Trusted and experienced local guides
  • Hassle-free booking and attentive customer service
  • 80% profit goes back to our sister NGO Reality Gives

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+91 9820822253

info@realitytoursandtravel.com

4.5 Hours
Availability : All days
Mumbai
Max People : 4

Explore the narrow streets and alleys on Dharavi and on the way, learn about some of Mumbai’s lesser known history!

The first portion of the tour is by car as way we make our way north from Colaba to Dharavi. On the way you’ll receive some information on the history of Mumbai. As we drive past the historical textile mill area, for example, we’ll learn about this once crucial Mumbai industry and how it helped make the city what it is today. We’ll also discuss some of the city’s ongoing social issues as we pass by areas like the red light area of Kamathipura. This added information will help you better understand the historical and social context of Dharavi. We’ll also stop off at Dhobi Ghat, the largest open air laundry in the world.

Known to many as ‘one of the largest slums in Asia’, we prefer to think of Dharavi as Mumbai’s beating heart. It houses about one million of Mumbai’s inhabitants and its industries have an annual turnover of approximately US$ 665 million.

Through our educational walking tours, visitors experience a wide range of these business activities: recycling, pottery-making, embroidery, bakery, soap factory, leather tanning, poppadom-making and many more.

We’ll also visit the residential areas of Dharavi. People from all over India have come to live in Dharavi, making it a microcosm of India. This diversity is apparent in the temples, mosques, churches and pagodas that stand side by side.

Our community centre that is funded through the profits from the tours is also located in the residential area. We will visit it and you will learn about the programs that our NGO, Reality Gives, offers the community.

Our 2.5 hour introduction to Dharavi aims to give visitors a much more nuanced understanding of life and work in Mumbai slums.

*Please note that it’s not possible to take photos while in Dharavi to respect the residents’ privacy.

Tour Types

Shared Tour

Enjoy with other people!
From INR3150
  • 1ps: INR 3,150pp
    2ps: INR 3,150pp
    3ps: INR 3,150pp
    4ps: INR 3,150pp
  • 4 hrs 30 mins duration including transport
  • Starting point at Leopold Cafe, Colaba
  • Complimentary cold drink
  • 1 to 4 people on the tour. if your group size is greater than 4, please contact us
  • 8.30am or 2pm start time


Private Tour

Enjoy with just your family & friends!
From INR3150
  • 1ps: INR 9,000pp
    2ps: INR 4,500pp
    3ps: INR 3,750pp
    4ps: INR 3,150pp
  • 4 hrs 30 mins duration including transport
  • Starting point from your hotel or residence
  • Complimentary cold drink
  • 1 to 4 people on the tour. if your group size is greater than 4, please contact us
  • 8.30am or 2pm start time. If you wish to start at a different time, please contact us
Highlights

Dhobi Ghat

As we travel to Dharavi by car, we’ll stop and see the world’s largest outdoor laundry. We’ll see the dhobiwallahs, or washermen, scrubbing sheets from Mumbai’s largest hospitals and hotels at this busy open air laundry area!

Recycling Area

Metal and plastic comes from all over the world to Dharavi to be recycled. See the entire recycling process from sorting to the finished plastic pellets.

Diverse communities and small scale industries

Wander through the narrow lanes and alleys of Dharavi discovering the different communities from all regions and religions of India as well as the many small scale industries like embroidery, bakery, soap factory, leather tanning, poppadom-making

Popaddom Making

Two tons of food, like khari, pav, chakli and chikki, are produced every day in Dharavi and a large part of that is papad (popaddoms), the essential appetizer or side dish of many Indian meals; they are typically made by women in Dharavi in the residential areas.

Community Centre

Our Community Centre, supported by funds from the tour, provides education in English and computer training to the teenagers and young adults of Dharavi. Other activities such as dancing and yoga are also hosted at our community centres.

Photos
Map

The tour takes place in Dharavi, in the centre of Mumbai. As many travellers stay in Colaba, for the shared tours by car, we meet here. For private tours, we will pick you up from your hotel / residence

Meeting / End Points 

For Shared Tours:

Outside Leopold Cafe on the side street Nowroji Fardonji Road, off Colaba Causeway (See “A” in Map below)

For Private Tours:

Your hotel or residence

*Warning: Be wary that there are other tour operators on the street that may claim to be Reality Tours. You will recognise our guide by the light blue button down shirt with our logo on it.

FAQs

What will I see in Dharavi?

We focus on the small scale industries in Dharavi, such as recycling, the making of clay pots, embroidery, bakery, soap factory, leather tanning, papad (poppadom) making and many others, most of which take place in very small spaces.We also pass by the residential areas, where you really get a feel of how the people live and the sense of community that exists in the area.

People from all over India and from all religions live in Dharavi, and you will see this diversity. On the tour you will pass Hindu temples, mosques and churches in the area. When open, we visit the social projects run by our sister organisation and NGO Reality Gives, such as the community centre. It is quite an adventure to pass through the narrow alleys and you will almost certainly lose your sense of direction!.

Is Dharavi safe?

Although we cannot take responsibility should anything happen, we believe that the places that we visit are very safe. There are a lot of people in Dharavi (one million approximately in an area of 0.7 square miles) and there is a strong police presence in the area. Dharavi is generally full of hard-working, honest people, although for security purposes we ask you not to take valuables with you on the tour.

In the small alleys you have to be careful of low hanging roofs, open drains, and occasionally exposed electric wires. Also, in some of the factories that we visit there are fumes that can be hazardous.

Is Dharavi hygienic?

With the very high density of population and the limited infrastructure and sanitation facilities, there are areas which are quite dirty and smelly. We ask you to wear covered shoes.

What clothing should be worn on the slum tours?

We recommend that you wear covered shoes as some areas can be dirty, especially during the monsoon months from June to mid September. We request that you do not wear clothes that might offend the residents such as low cut shirts, short shorts/pants etc.

Why can we not bring cameras on the slum tours?

We have a strict no camera policy in order to respect the privacy of the local residents. Dharavi has received a lot of attention from the media and the residents are very wary of being exploited. The policy may be considered strict but our relationship with the Dharavi community has been built over a number of years based on mutual respect. We do not wish for even the occasional photo as it could be incorrectly perceived as our starting to permit general photography on our tours. We can, however, send you a link to Dharavi photos which can be downloaded. There is also the opportunity to buy postcards at the end of the tour, all profits going to our sister NGO Reality Gives.

Can I buy anything on the tour?

We don’t sell or ask you to buy any products made by the residents of Dharavi on the tour. We don’t want you to feel obliged to buy anything. If there is anything in particular that you find interesting on the tour, then by all means you can speak to the guide and he can help you buy it. There is also the opportunity to buy postcards and other merchandise at the end of the tour, all profits going to our sister NGO Reality Gives.

Is it appropriate to bring small children on the tour?

There are health hazards highlighted above which children need to be very aware of. Otherwise we see no problem with bringing children of any age on the tour. Indians are very welcoming and receptive to young people.

I don't like going on organised tours. Is it possible to visit Dharavi on my own?

Yes it is possible to visit Dharavi on your own, and in our opinion it is safe to do so. However you will not know the best places to go, the area is like a maze and you will not gain the same insight as with one of our guides.

I hear that Dharavi is going to be redeveloped. Will I still be able to see the area?

The redevelopment plan has been stalled many times and now it looks like the original plan has been scrapped and a new one is being suggested. Due to the value of the land in Dharavi now, some say that redevelopment in some form is inevitable but there are still a lot of issues to be resolved and the developers have still not been announced. It should be possible to visit Dharavi even while the development (which would take several years) takes place.

Where is Dharavi?

Dharavi is situated between Mahim and Sion – two areas at the northern tip of South Mumbai, just before the suburbs commence (Bandra and Kurla). It is sandwiched between the Western and Central Railway lines. It is about 10km south of the International Airport and 18km north of Colaba, the main tourist area.

I want to do a Dharavi Tour and another tour on the same day. Is this advisable?

Absolutely! Our tour timings were decided with this in mind. Have a look at the timings for the tours and let us know!

The Dharavi Tour including Car Transfer seems very long. Why is this?

For the “with car transport” option, the total time is approximately 4.5 hours. This includes transport to Dharavi and back from our office in Colaba, or to and from your hotel. For people staying in Colaba, if you were to catch the train/taxi to Dharavi from Colaba, the transport time would be approximately 50 mins to an hour each way, so the total time to do the Dharavi Tour and the Dharavi Tour with Car Transport is approximately the same.

I am staying near the airport/Juhu/Bandra. Should I do the Dharavi Tour including Car Transfer?

As you are staying north of Dharavi, it would make the most sense to do the regular Dharavi Tour and meet us directly at Mahim Station.

If you would like car transport then a private tour with car transport would be a good option. This way we could pick you up directly at your hotel. But please note that only the Dharavi part of the trip would be covered (ie. you would not see the red-light area and open-air laundry). There would also be an additional charge to cover the extra distance that our car would have to come. If you wish to do a private tour with car transport and also see the other parts of the tour such as the red-light area and the open-air laundry, then contact us and we will try to arrange something.

If you would still like to do the shared Dharavi Tour with Car Transport, you will need to be at our office at 8.30am. It will take about 80 minutes/80 minutes/60 minutes to reach by taxi so it would be an early start! If you still wish to go, then you might consider making your own way back to your hotel/residence after the Dharavi part of the tour.

How is the private Dharavi Tour including Car Transfer different from the shared version?

On the shared version, you will need to meet outside our office in Colaba at the stipulated time. On the private tour with car transport, other visitors will not come on the tour with you and we will come to your hotel or residence to pick you up and drop you back. The tour is more flexible as well to what you want to see. Since we pass by areas of interest between Colaba and Dharavi, to get the most out of the private tour, it is best to start from Colaba, Fort or Marine Drive. For tourists staying in other parts of Mumbai who wish to do the private tour with transport (and hence be picked up from their hotel) we can advise on what will and will not be included in the tour depending on the location of your hotel.