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South India is a treasure trove of untold stories, vibrant cultures, and hidden gems waiting to be explored. Sure, you know about the famous temples and beaches, but have you ever ventured beyond the well-trodden paths? Here are 7 offbeat experiences that will make you fall in love with the region, and I promise you, […]

Mumbai, India’s bustling metropolis, is known for its glitz, glamour, and diversity. However, beyond the well-trodden paths of Bollywood and Marine Drive lies the heart of the city: Dharavi, one of Asia’s largest slums and a thriving community with an incredible spirit. If you’re interested in exploring the city beyond tourist spots, the Dharavi Slum Tour offers an […]

Dharavi, one of Asia’s largest and most densely populated slums, is on the verge of a major transformation. With the Dharavi Redevelopment Project officially underway, this iconic neighborhood of Mumbai may soon undergo a dramatic change, altering the landscape, community, and industries that have thrived here for decades. As plans take shape, now might be your […]

In 2008, Slumdog Millionaire’s success put Mumbai’s slum community on the world stage. Millions around the world felt as if they really were a part of it, engrossed in the film, as they followed Jamal through the crowded streets of the city’s underworld Finally being on the world stage, in many ways, was one of the […]

Our very first tour of Dharavi was in January 2006; shortly after this, we introduced a ‘No Photography Policy’. Some press coverage had been critical of people going to Dharavi and taking photos, and when we saw the results, we agreed. Over a decade on and the policy remains unchanged: guests on our educational slum tours are not […]

Slum tourism has become extremely popular in the 21st century, especially in Mumbai. With its escalating use, throughout media and existing scholarship slum tourism has generated a heated and critical debate especially concerning ethics and its so-called ‘voyeuristic’ nature. However, scholarly research on slum tourism remains limited and fragmented. Reality Tours & Travel began, first […]

Salman Rushdie once wrote that “to understand just one life you have to swallow the world“. In Dharavi there’s an estimated one million lives. In Sanjay Colony, there’s a not inconsiderable 50,000. As we try to convey on our educational tours, these communities are incredibly complex. Whilst the word ‘slum’ evokes a negative view (The […]

India will not be what you expect. You will meet people that are friendlier and more generous than you ever thought possible. You will taste foods so delicious you’ll begin to wonder why Indian food isn’t everyone’s favourite. You will see sights so beautiful that they will remain embedded in your memory for the rest […]

India is a country where great wealth and prosperity sits side by side with incredible hardship and poverty and making sense of the great contradictions is a nigh on impossible task. But that hasn’t stopped people trying. Here are some of our favourite attempts to understand and explain this diverse, compelling and fascinating country that […]

This week we have a special guest post by Krishna Ganatra from Happy Travelling Girl, an organization dedicated to making traveling a safe reality for women. They share with us their top trips for travelling solo in India. I was reclining at one of the pillars at Vitthal Temple in Hampi. We had been cycling […]

Chris Way, co-founder of Reality Tours, takes us through his work with Smokey Tours in Manila and compares it with the challenges he faced in Dharavi. I have been acting as a Consultant for Smokey Tours since March 2013, when I visited Manila for the first time. Juliette Kwee, from the Netherlands, who was working […]

Prison escapes, a forbidden city, treacherously high mountain peaks, ancient belief systems – forget Shantaram, Seven Years in Tibet is the best travel story I have ever read. But while I was impressed by what he saw and learned, it was how Henrich Herrer accomplished these things that stood out to me. The story highlights 4 essential pieces of […]