Indian Cooking Experience
Cook curry, bread and dessert in a local family’s kitchen, then feast on it.
Dharavi Community Tour
A million people, 10,000 small businesses, and a cup of chai with a local family.
- 2.5 hours, flexible
- Morning · Afternoon
- Private, or a small group
- Easy
About this experience
Dharavi is known to many as “one of the largest slums in Asia”. Walk in with us and you find something else: a city inside the city, home to about one million people and roughly 10,000 small businesses, with an annual turnover estimated between US$665 million and US$1 billion.
This is a real-life educational tour. We want you to experience people’s daily life as it is, and to understand the range of work that happens here: recycling, embroidery, bakeries, soap-making, leather tanning, poppadum-making, pottery and much more.
Your guide grew up in these lanes. Expect stories, questions answered honestly, and, when the family is home, a cup of masala chai.
The route
- 01Plastic recycling workshops
- 02Leather manufacturing
- 03Food making: poppadums, bakery, sweets
- 04The potters’ quarter, Kumbharwada
- 05Community and residential lanes
- 06A local school optional
- 07Chai with a local family optional
Included
- Private English-speaking local guide
- All visits listed on the route
- chai or refreshments (ask us)
Not included
- Car transfer (add-on)
- Tips
Good for
- First-timers
- Families
- Students and universities
- Anyone curious how a city really works
Bring and wear
- Comfortable walking shoes, light clothes that cover shoulders and knees
- A bottle of water and sun protection
- Closed shoes: some lanes are narrow and uneven
- Start times
- Agreed with you when you book
- Meeting point
- Your hotel, or a point we share on WhatsApp
- Group size
- Your own group only
- Getting there
- Private car with driver as an add-on, or meet us there
- Fitness
- Easy. About 2.5 km on foot through narrow lanes, mostly flat.
- Children
- Welcome. Great with children; reviewers came with theirs.
- Monsoon (June–September)
- Good in the monsoon. Most of the walk is inside workshops and covered lanes.
- Cancellation
- See our booking terms · Booking terms
Guests on this experience
“Suraj was an amazing tour guide for Dharavi! He took the time to help us understand that the tour is not about seeing poverty, but about learning about the businesses and way of life of the people living there. He prepared us for the experience and we always felt comfortable, safe and well informed. Highly recommended!”
“Suraj has over 12 years of experience in guided tours through Mumbai, in particular Dhobi Ghat and Dharavi, which was the tour we did. Being born, raised and still living in Dharavi makes him very knowledgeable about the area. He took us to his auntie's place for a peaceful break with a cup of masala chai. Highly recommended!”
Questions
Is this a “slum tour”?
It is a tour of a working neighbourhood. You meet entrepreneurs and families, not poverty as a spectacle. Read how we run it on our responsible-travel page.
Can I take photos?
Of workshops and products, when your guide says it is fine. Never of people without asking them first.
Is it safe?
Yes. Dharavi is a tight-knit community and your guide is part of it. Guests of all ages join every week.