ABOUT US
Our History
OUR JOURNEY
Two Friends, One Vision:
Tourism for Good
Founded in 2005 by Chris Way and Krishna Pujari, Reality Tours & Travel began with the launch of the first Educational Slum Tour in Dharavi, one of Asia’s largest slums. Chris and Krishna aimed to raise awareness about life in slums, challenge negative stereotypes, and fund local community projects with 80% of post-tax profits from the tours. What started as a single tour has since grown into a leading socially responsible tourism company that showcase real India and give back to local communities. Watch Krishna share the inspiring founding story at TEDx.
MILESTONES
The Reality Tours & Travel Story
2002 | A Chance Encounter
Krishna was working at a restaurant in Mumbai when he first met Chris, a traveler from the UK. The next day, they crossed paths again at a park, where Chris was hoping to join a cricket match. Krishna invited him to play, and they quickly became friends. Two years later, after returning from Brazil where he had taken a favela tour, Chris shared with Krishna his idea for an educational walking tour in Dharavi, Mumbai's largest slum. He believed that, with the right approach, slum tours could become a powerful force for local development.
2005 | The First Dharavi Slum Tour
While Chris's initial idea seemed challenging— no one had ever done slum tours in India—the two friends began to turn it into a reality. They founded Reality Tours & Travel in August 2005, but the first Dharavi tour didn’t run until January 2006. Convincing people to visit a slum wasn’t easy: hotels wouldn’t partner with us because we didn’t pay commissions, and people were skeptical of flyers promoting slum tours. Despite only having 367 visitors in 2006, we remained determined. We knew Dharavi was a fascinating place, and the tour was crucial for raising awareness.
2007 | Opening a Community Centre
The feedback from our early tours was overwhelmingly positive. Our big break came in 2007 when Lonely Planet featured us in their guidebook, which helped spread the word about our mission. Motivated by our long-term vision, we began community work that same year, even though we were not yet profitable. After assessing Dharavi's needs, we learned that education for children was a top priority. In response, we opened our first Community Centre, offering English classes. Soon after, we expanded to include computer classes, further supporting the community’s growth.
2009 | Our Charity: Reality Gives
This was a pivotal year for us as a socially responsible tour operator. It became clear that more children and youth in Dharavi needed access to quality learning spaces and opportunities. As our tours grew—now including city tours beyond Dharavi—we wanted to be transparent with our visitors about how we were investing 80% of post-tax profits from tours. To meet these goals, we founded our charity, Reality Gives (registered as Reality Cares), with the mission of providing access to quality education for young people in low-income communities.
2012 | Pan-India Expansion
Our Dharavi and Mumbai city tours continued to thrive, but a pivotal moment came in 2012 when we received the Responsible Tourism Award. The judges of this prestigious recognition encouraged us to broaden our sustainable development model. In 2013, we expanded to Rajasthan and Kerala with multi-day tours, and in 2014, we opened our first office in Sanjay Colony, a slum and industrial area in Delhi. From there, we launched our first Delhi slum tour and Reality Gives’ educational programs, along with Delhi City Tours, Agra tours, and North India tours.
The Way Forward
In the last decade, we focused on expanding our tour offerings and enhancing the quality of our services. We hired and trained many talented local guides, taking thousands of travelers from around the world across India. Most importantly, we provided Reality Gives with the financial support needed to empower future generations in the communities where Reality Tours & Travel operates. The COVID-19 pandemic was a challenging time for the travel industry; we paused, struggled, and reset. Now, we look forward to a new decade of inspiring travel and social change.
2002 | A Chance Encounter
Krishna was working at a restaurant in Mumbai when he first met Chris, a traveler from the UK. The next day, they crossed paths again at a park, where Chris was hoping to join a cricket match. Krishna invited him to play, and they quickly became friends. Two years later, after returning from Brazil where he had taken a favela tour, Chris shared with Krishna his idea for an educational walking tour in Dharavi, Mumbai's largest slum. He believed that, with the right approach, slum tours could become a powerful force for local development.
2005 | The First Dharavi Slum Tour
While Chris's initial idea seemed challenging— no one had ever done slum tours in India—the two friends began to turn it into a reality. They founded Reality Tours & Travel in August 2005, but the first Dharavi tour didn’t run until January 2006. Convincing people to visit a slum wasn’t easy: hotels wouldn’t partner with us because we didn’t pay commissions, and people were skeptical of flyers promoting slum tours. Despite only having 367 visitors in 2006, we remained determined. We knew Dharavi was a fascinating place, and the tour was crucial for raising awareness.
2007 | Opening a Community Centre
The feedback from our early tours was overwhelmingly positive. Our big break came in 2007 when Lonely Planet featured us in their guidebook, which helped spread the word about our mission. Motivated by our long-term vision, we began community work that same year, even though we were not yet profitable. After assessing Dharavi's needs, we learned that education for children was a top priority. In response, we opened our first Community Centre, offering English classes. Soon after, we expanded to include computer classes, further supporting the community’s growth.
2009 | Our Charity: Reality Gives
This was a pivotal year for us as a socially responsible tour operator. It became clear that more children and youth in Dharavi needed access to quality learning spaces and opportunities. As our tours grew—now including city tours beyond Dharavi—we wanted to be transparent with our visitors about how we were investing 80% of post-tax profits from tours. To meet these goals, we founded our charity, Reality Gives (registered as Reality Cares), with the mission of providing access to quality education for young people in low-income communities.
2012 | Pan-India Expansion
Our Dharavi and Mumbai city tours continued to thrive, but a pivotal moment came in 2012 when we received the Responsible Tourism Award. The judges of this prestigious recognition encouraged us to broaden our sustainable development model. In 2013, we expanded to Rajasthan and Kerala with multi-day tours, and in 2014, we opened our first office in Sanjay Colony, a slum and industrial area in Delhi. From there, we launched our first Delhi slum tour and Reality Gives’ educational programs, along with Delhi City Tours, Agra tours, and North India tours.
The Way Forward
In the last decade, we focused on expanding our tour offerings and enhancing the quality of our services. We hired and trained many talented local guides, taking thousands of travelers from around the world across India. Most importantly, we provided Reality Gives with the financial support needed to empower future generations in the communities where Reality Tours & Travel operates. The COVID-19 pandemic was a challenging time for the travel industry; we paused, struggled, and reset. Now, we look forward to a new decade of inspiring travel and social change.
