Walking Tour of Dharavi Slum in Mumbai

Recommended by 98% of travelers

Badge of Excellence

Mumbai, India

1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours (approx.)
Group discounts
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Dharavi Slum Tour in Mumbai, India

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Overview

Take a walking tour of the Dharavi slum area in Mumbai with an informative guide who shares a new perspective on life in one of India's largest cities. Glimpse a hidden side of urban India and discover a place that's alive with small-scale industries and community spirit.

Get inside tips from a local
Soak up the atmosphere on a walking tour
Led by a local guide
Small-group tour

What's Included

Local guide

Hotel pickup and drop-off
Food and drinks
Gratuities

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

Third Wave Coffee
Tip Road, Unit no.58, Ground, Ram Mahal, Senapati Bapat Marg, Marinagar Colony, Station, Mahim, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400016, India
Our guide will be waiting for you Outside the Third wave Coffee restaurant, please be at this location 10-15minutes to the start of the tour

End point

Sai Multispeciality Hospital & Research Centre
90 Feet Rd, 2VQ4+X2F, Masiha Islampura Co-op Hsg. Soc. Ltd, Dharavi, 90 Feet Rd, behind Sion Hospital, Muslim Nagar, Kumbhar Wada, Dharavi, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400017, India
The tour ends, opposite to the Sai Hospital.

Itinerary

Meet your guide in the morning near Mahim Station (West) outside Cafe Coffee Day restaurant.

Dharavi has a population of almost one million people, the largest slum neighborhood in Asia. Head into Dharavi to learn about life in India and challenge any negative stereotypes associated with the idea of "slum" living.

Observe a wide range of small industry at work, such as recycling, pottery-making, embroidery, soap-making, and leather tanning. Most activities use innovative techniques in very confined spaces.

People from all over India live in Dharavi, a diversity that becomes apparent when you see temples, mosques, and churches side by side. Note the sense of community as you tour the area on foot while your guide provides insightful commentary.

Dharavi

1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Dharavi Leather

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Dharavi Leather

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking, unless booked within 12 hours of travel. In this case confirmation will be received as soon as possible, subject to availability
Not wheelchair accessible
Children must be accompanied by an adult
Minimum age is 5 years
Near public transportation
Not recommended for pregnant travelers

No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
Dress appropriately for the Tour, avoid Very short clothes
Photography is Not Allowed on this Tour at certain locations
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 15 travelers

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Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Reviews

4.9

based on 81 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

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Sort by: Most insightful

This was one of the coolest things we did in all of India.

Chelsea_B, Feb 2024

This was one of the coolest things we did in all of India. The guide was really kind and informative. We felt safe. On my particular tour, I was a little disappointed at the end, because we has spent a lot of time learning about the plastic recycling and the leather industry, but we really rushed through the pottery area at the end of the tour, which I would have liked to hear more about and spent some time there. Maybe we were out of time by then.

Perfect tour with perfect guide

Mark_W, Mar 2023

Our guide could not have been more helpful. Nobody else was on our tour and he catered it to exactly what we were looking for and the timings too as we were in a bit of a hurry. Would recommend without any hesitation.

Excellent experience

Peter_G, Mar 2023

Our guide was born and lives in Dharavi and gave us a positive view of Dharavi. Highly recommended tour.

Amazing tour. We visited...

Justina_K, Dec 2022

Amazing tour. We visited many manufacturers (leather, plastic, soap, pottery...) The guide cares about community, asked not to take pictures. Everything is well explained.

Great tour of Dharavi

Josiah_W, Dec 2022

Nice tour. Very good explanation of the history of Dharavi. Many interesting stops at various mini factories. I especially enjoyed seeing the plastic recycling process and the ceramics area. Mr. Ganesh was the guide and he did a great job. The tour started right on time, and he was helpful in finding transport back to my hotel afterwards. Some places were closed on Friday for the Muslim holy day, but most were still open. Do be advised that Dharavi isn't really a slum anymore, at least compared to other areas of Mumbai such as Bandra East. It's more an example of successful slum re-development projects from the 1990s through today, with many permanent dwellings and schools. I recommend you visit!

Best tour in Mumbai!

Fabiana_C, Dec 2022

We had an incredible experience in this tour. Mr. Alam, our amazing tour guide, was extremely knowledgeable and eagerly shared very interesting information regarding the slum community. He ensured our safety at all times and provided us with a very thorough view of the slum. He was also very helpful and showed a great sense of humor. I strongly recommend this tour and Mr. Alam.

Amazing and highly recommended experience

Caroline_M, Jun 2022

Ganesh was a fantastic guide on our recent walking tour of Dharavi. His English was excellent and he gave us a real insight into the thriving businesses and the lives of the residents. We were fortunate to be invited into a garment-making factory where we met the workforce; we saw recycling businesses, leather making, food production, pottery making and various types of clothes manufacturing. We walked through residential areas and saw schools, tuition classes and children just enjoying being children. We finished by some apartment blocks which had beautiful and colourful murals on the ends. It was a pleasure to be guided by Ganesh; this was a top experience in India for me and should be on every visitor’s list of must-sees.

Gives you different perspective

Bob L, Oct 2019

An educational tour of how the Mumbai slums really operates, quite different from common stereotypes. Overall fun and informative experience

Fantastic tour

Mitch_R, Apr 2019

A must see when in Mumbai. Our tour guide was great. Very informative, actually took us for lunch in one of the slum apts. No pictures are allowed during the tour for the privacy of the occupants. Would recommend bringing water, although the tour guide stopped at a shop for some bottled water.

I have been on many guided tours to...

Philip S, Feb 2018

I have been on many guided tours to places of interest around the world. Forts, castles, palaces etc. but nothing compares to this experience. Firstly, this is definitely not poverty tourism. This is as much a cultural tour as any I have ever been on. From start to finish the guide explained what was happening in all the various parts of the slum city, for that is what it is, a city within a city. There are many tours available, but this one cannot be beaten for the cost of only 9 or so. The guide was extremely knowledgable about Dharavi, its people and purpose. The tour was conducted in a very respectful manner, we are after all not here to gloat. I have to say this was my favourite tour of all time. If I had the time I would do it again with this company. I could have spent 8 hours on the tour, 3 hours flew by. There is simply so much to see and take in. It is a very humbling experience. Well done Viator.

AMAZING AND INCREDIBLE EXPERIENCE

Naim_B, Aug 2023

C’est expérience a été incroyable, j’ai visité le bidonville de Dharavi avec Dawood. je me suis senti en sécurité à 100 %, l’expérience est vraiment à faire avec ce tour-opérateur. Toutes les explications ont été très claires, Dawood nos mis en confiance, en sécurité, il nous a fait visiter les points clés du bidonville. Je suis très satisfait de cette expérience et je recommande à 100 %. Les habitants du bidonville ont été très chaleureux et très accueillant. J’ai eu 10 minutes de retard, ils ont accepté de m’attendre ce que je trouve très sympathique de leur part, je suis encore une fois émerveillé par cette expérience qui, pour moi a été la meilleure de mon séjour en Inde. Encore 10000 merci