Asia Largest Dharavi Slum Guided Tour

Highly recommend it to everyone visiting Mumbai

Excellent tour with guide who lives in Dharavi and hence extremely knowledgeable about the everyday life of people there! Very insightful tour!

A sensitive, respectful and moving insight into Dhavari

Vikrant gave us an incredible tour of the Dhavari Settlements that was highly informative and interesting, while being extremely sensitive to both people and place. We had a real moral dilemma about visiting the Dhavari settlements. On the one hand we had a genuine interest in the community and the businesses that exist there. But on the other hand we didn't want to be voyeuristic, insensitive or patronising. We had nothing to worry about. Vikrant's tour was highly sensitive and thoughtful. There were just two of us on our tour, along with Vikrant and our guide Rakesh, who grew up in the slum. We saw recycling, manufacturing, potteries and leather businesses in action, all conducted in small workshops. We also saw schools, a gym, a hairdressers and shops and even glimpsed private homes. Please don't think this is a scary or upsetting or dangerous experience. We felt totally safe, even in the narrowest of narrow alleyways in the warren of alleyways in the slum. The people we saw were working hard, happy, proud and confident in the face of adversity. This was a truly uplifting and life affirming experience. If anything I came out feeling embarrassed about my own petty complaints and moans about my privileged life. This place and its people are beyond inspirational. A huge thank you to Vikrant for his huge sensitivity and thoughtfulness in putting together this tour. I urge you to take it!

Fascinating Experience

We wanted to see the businesses that flourish in this famous slum (recycling, pottery, clothing) and we were comfortable not going through the residence area for fear it might be exploitative. But our outstanding guide “Bunny,” who lives within this sprawling area, really wanted us to see that area too (where photos are prohibited). That part was a bit intense walking through narrow, broken paths with wires overhead, but it showed the reality of living there. That being said, some blocks, like the marketplace, looked like any Indian shopping street. Bunny shared information and stories about the slum and had such an energetic delivery that he made this an enlightening experience. It was quite an adventure!