Elephanta Caves & Island Tour with Multiple Options

Elephanta caves April 2024

Thr tour has been really exciting, both the guide and the driver were available to support for any issue and well prepared. Clear and detailed explanations during the tour. Nothing was left to chance. every detail has been taken care of, even local shopping tips. Really you have only to enjoy the full experience, the guides will take care for all the other stuff. 100% recommended

Elephanta Island - well worth a visit.

This was our second tour with Kavita as our guide. She was friendly and informative and made sure we enjoyed our tour. The Elephanta caves were wonderful to visit and we enjoyed learning about history of the Hindu god Shiva. The ferry trip to the island was also enjoyable.

Understand the historical significance of the caves.

Our guides Neha and Trikal were top notch. Neha lives in the city and Trikal is the 4th generation on the island. They really know their stuff providing fantastic information about the city and the caves themselves. Neha greeted us as we arrived to take the boat out to the island and served as our escort up to the beginning of the tour. We were then handed off to Trikal. Neha waited for us to escort us back to the mainland on the boat and help us find taxis afterwards. Both were very friendly, easy to talk to, knowledgeable, and kind. I highly recommend the company for any of their tours and will be taking another one before I return back home.

Elephant Caves

The day was beautiful, the ride to the island was entertaining with the passengers feeding the birds and trying to get a picture of it. Our guide was very knowledgeable about the island, caves and the culture. He is the 4th generation of his family to work on the island. We shared our tour with two young ladies from New Jersey, just like us.

Too bad about the portuguese

After an hour long boat ride you arrive on the island Which has monkeys and a lot of memorabilia to sell. The cave part of the tour has a guide from the island itself. The caves were partially destroyed by the portuguese when they were Trying to convert the locals. Unfortunately they destroyed the lower part of each carving / scene / statue. Imo this is the best Unesco site of Mumbai. A guided tour is good as you get a lot more background for how the island works etc. My tour guide was Kavita and the whole process was smooth.

Amazing tour

We really enjoyed the tour Max, our tour guide was very friendly, informative and accommodating. Shera, our driver was also very friendly and a very skilled driver Thank you for looking after us

Good cultural experience

The first time I came to visit this place, I needed to take a boat and a small train after arrival. My guide was Neha and Pankaj. They made the whole process quite smooth, which saved a lot of time to check the data. I also shared some local culture and stories, so that my gains exceeded expectations and made me know more about Indian culture.

a must see

an amazing place we got there safely with the ferry even though the crowds were unbelievable and our guide on the island was very knowledgeable.

Cave exploration

It was a seamless transfer from my hotel to the Elephanta Cave. Our guide Pooja and another were amazing. Their enthusiasm and careful planning made out trip stress less and enjoyable. Once we reached the cave, Pooja introduced us to the local guide. His knowledge and explanations made our trip very interesting and educational. Bravo to the Magical Mumbai Tours and the guides. Definitely will introduce them to my friends

Cruise to Elephanta Caves

This didn't disappoint, right from the timely pickup by my guide Armaan, to the cool cruise on the ferry to Elephanta Caves. I was a little nervous about having strangers as part of my trip, but the guide made everything smooth with a flawless coordination. I couldn't be more grateful to have picked Magical Mumbai Tours and met Armaan. He's been that little brother and a great friend who makes everything better.

A good day for an excursion!

The logistics were efficient - Got picked up and driven to my apartment by my guide Arnaan and drivers. Arnaan went on the ferry with us and back. On the island we met a local guide and did the tour with him. A few notes: 1. There is a 300m walk ot the base of the stairs and according to the guide, 120 stairs to the top. They begin gradually but become steep. On a Sunday it will be crowded much more than other days. 2. The story portrayed by some of the statues is convoluted with lots of Indian gods names from their mythology - I suggest to read about the statues and come ready as if your ears are less tuned to the India English dialect, you will have an even harder time following. 3. There are lots of people selling stuff on the island and you can be sure that most of it is Chinese stuff. Our guide promised us he'll only take us to his father's and uncle's stalls. My wife got a similar promise a few years ago too. We mainly got necklaces and bracelets with stones and the stones were promised to be genuine with their family working in the villages behind to make them. These didn't cost much and look great so hopefully they will keep. 4. There is a mock toy train covering the 300m walk but we didn't take it. Maybe if there are younger ones on the tour the guide opts to use it. 5. There are lots of monkeys at the top. The monkeys will get aggressive with anyone who takes any food/snack/brown bag etc out and any sweets. Better eat them elsewhere. All in all it was a goo excursion, priced great, and it is recommended!

Highly recommend

We had such a great first day sightseeing with tour company we booked for the elephanta caves the next day. We were very lucky it was Ashab and Shamshir again. They were both just as fantastic the next day. Shamshir very patient driving in challenging conditions in Mumbai. Shamshir took us to port, Ashab accompanied us on ferry and a local villager was our guide on elephanta. The local guide was amazing, he had so much knowledge he wanted to share at all parts it was very special. We had time to really take it all in and explore. Highly recommend visiting - a magical place. Ashab waited and accompanied us back with Shamshir driving. Once again, can’t thank Ashab and Shamshir enough for all they did to make sure we enjoyed a great day.

Mumbai tour

Kamila was very nice and explained all the different monuments. She was also very patient. Ashfak was also very good and drove very nicely.

Amazing

Loved elephanta caves loved having Pooja as our guide. She was fantastic, walked us around, took us to the places we wanted to go. Everything was perfect!

Great guide and awesome views!

Shruti was an excellent guide. She navigated us through the gate of India and was informative on our boat ride to Elephanta Island. She ended the excursion by recommending two great options for lunch. Thank you Shruti!

Great day with Kavita

Had a great day going to the Elephanta Caves with Kavita. She picked me up from the hotel and escorted me to the ferry and to the caves. We had great conversation and I saw and learned a ton! The caves are an amazing site to see and I highly recommend adding to the list if you visit Mumbai.

Elephanta Caves 2023

Me and my cousin had a great experience at the Elephanta Caves excursion, especially because of our tour guide Shruti. She was very kind and shared a lot of information during our trip and answered every question with a deeper understanding of the country. I will recommend this tour - thanks for this nice day! Regards from Germany!

Excellent snd fascinating trip

Fascinating trip with two excellent guides-one bring the local guide who was a wealth of knowledge about the hostory and stories about the cave. The guide who met me and another tourist could not have been more helpful and kind. She was excellent and went above and beyond in looking after me. The ferry was really good too.

Amazing Tour of Elephanta Caves!

The tour was magical. Kavita was our guide for the day. Trikal was our guide for the Elephanta caves. Kavita escorted us to the Elephanta Caves by the boat, helped us every way possible and provided us very useful suggestions for the tour. Her amicable and professional approach was very touching. Trikal was our guide for the entire tour of the caves. He was very knowledgeable, helpful and professional. At every step of the tour he extended his curtsy and help. The way he narrated the story was not only factual but also educative. Elephanta Caves are easily one of the most enigmatic, fascinating and extraordinary heritage sites in India, and our guides Trikal and Kavita have made this trip memorable and touching. Thank you guys for being the wonderful hosts.

Elephanta Caves with our family

We were met by our fantastic & friendly local guide, Pooja and taken to the sea ferry to head to Elephanta Caves. The journey to the caves is approximately 1 hour each way. We were met by a local guide, Trikal, once on the island. He took us on a great tour showing us the key monuments and explaining village life. He was very informative and took some great snaps. We really enjoyed the visit and meeting the great guides.

Kavita was great!

I had a lovely day taking the local transportation and seeing the Elephanta caves with the charming and capable Kavita. Thanks for showing me around, Kavita! The caves were amazing and the monkeys were so cute!

Truly Magical!

Kavita picked me up with a warm welcome and bright smile. She and our driver Ashtak safely navigated the thriving streets of Mumbai all the while explaining historical monuments and key locations. After taking a short ferry ride Kavita handed me off to Trikal. Trikal is 4th generation on the island which made the tour even more meaningful. He explained the history with such vivid story telling. After the tour he escorted me through the shopping area introducing me to the most wonderful craftsmen. All the while I felt safe and supported. I can’t thank the team enough. This excursion was truly wonderful.

Must do's in Mumbai!

We had a lovely time on this tour. Certainly one of our highlights so far. Our local tour guide was very knowledgeable and answered all the questions we had. He took lots of photos of us (guys a pro) and we learnt plenty about the Hindu Gods. It was an absolutely beautiful place which has been one of our favourite parts of India do far. (We also liked seeing the monkeys). After this our tour guide, Rishi, kindly took us on a street food tour and showed us the real Mumbai which we wouldn't have seen otherwise. He selected several places known to him and it was safe to say it didn't disappoint! Thanks for braving the boat trip with us too! Our only regret is our early flight prevented us from going on the slum tour. Maybe next time! Thanks again guys!! We,d both recommend to everyone!

Extraordinary Tour guide.

I had a wonderful time with my tour guide Sahil. He was great to work with and I will be doing the rest of my tours with home in India going forward.

Impressive Caves

My Friend and I had an incredible time at The Elephanta Caves due to our Amazing Tour Girl, Neha. Since departure, Ferry accommodation, Shopping, Refreshments, Neha Always made sure that we got everything we needed. The history behind the caves is quite impressive and the carvings blew up my mind. There are a group of men ready to make you feel as Cleopatra by lifting you up, so you don't have to climb the 120 steps to reach your destination. I rather walked in my feet and took my time while I was seeing all the merchandise around the steps. The local tour guide was very knowledgeable. I will recommend light clothes and keep yourself hydrated. If you are like me and Do not like to be sweating, Go as early as possible because of the weather.

Magical Mumbai indeed!

Neha was an excellent guide packing in so much that Mumbai has to offer in one day! Huge thanks to Ram our driver for keeping us safe on the crazy roads. Highly recommend to those trying to pack it all in one day!

Elephanta caves and Mumbai Excursion

I had the Elephanta caves and Mumbai excursion with Neha as the tour guide and Ram as the driver. It was such an awesome experience to see parts of the city hand selected by the team. It is a private tour where you can ask many questions and get driven around the city. Neha also took us to an incredible lunch spot! I highly recommend the experience for anyone!

Good guide.

Imran met us at the hotel and took us to board the ferry with two others. He’s a very interesting person to speak to during the ferry ride. He’s diligent and proactive. Once at destination we met up with a local guide. Gave a thorough tour of the cave. We didn’t have to line up for the ferry.

An amazing adventure

Imrhan was amazing. He met us on time and escorted us appropriately. The cave guide was also stellar. My family really enjoyed this trip.

Very nice trip

It was overall a very nice trip. Ilam was doing a very good job and made sure we were well taken care of.

Magical Mumbai Tours

We engaged the services of Magical Mumbai Tours for a guided tour to Elephanta Island Caves and was escorted by Imran as our tour guide… it was a wonderful experience from start to finish and Imran’s guidance, assistance and support was exceptional… We would recommend Imran and Magical Mumbai Tours to everyone wishing to tour not only the Elephanta Caves but other areas of Mumbai.

Great tour, plenty of information and detail

great tour very informative with the information at the caves. got warned about the tour guide on the island with him favouriting his relatives stalls compared to other. would recommend magical mumbai tours to anyone travelling to the caves. Hotel pick up was right on time too.

Incredible. Recommended!

I love that only the local people living on the island can have shops/stalls and be guides on the island. Our excellent Mumbai guide (Imran Khan) fetched us from the hotel and escorted us on the ferry - pointing out interesting things along the way and answered our questions well. On the island, our local guide (Krupesh) was very knowledgable about the history of the temple caves, the message of the sculptures and Hindu beliefs. I very much found it fascinating and will recommend this tour (and these guides!) to anyone interested in history and are as in awe of ancient art as I am.

Over Priced Tour

The Guides Imran and Trikal were good and the pick up was on time!! But it is just not worth the money spent!!! The price set for the tour is too over priced!! The tickets for ferry (round Trip) and the caves just cost 300 rupees for Indian Nationals and 900 rupees for Foreigners!! It was more of a 2-3k per person tour not 5k !! I spent 15k on this tour for 3 family members which is not justified!!

Long ferry ride; island is dirty and signage is poor. No hotel pickup from Powai

Tour company would not do pickup from our Powai hotel despite accepting booking with hotel pickup selected. You are met at Gate and helped onto crowded ferry that leaves every 20 minutes. One hour each way ferry ride- Mumbai air pollution severe even at sea. The island is filthy with trash and approach to caves lined with souvenir vendors. Our guide talked very rapidly in a rote fashion about the various deities in the sculptures- hard to understand and did not encourage any questions. He stopped several times to talk to other guides in Hindi which was rude. At end of tour he steered us to a souvenir vendor with high prices he said was his "father". Disappointed at lack of quality of the tour guide who didn't seem to want us to understand the culture just rapidly went through a script without stopping. The island is hotter than Mumbai so bring a hat and your own water and sunscreen. Careful with children on ferry as boarding areas are open to the sea. We are glad we saw the caves but said that a Unesco site is so dirty and without any historical interpretation. Also do not buy tickets from hawkers -go to actual ticket gate. Frankly, better off buying or printing a guide in your own language and going on your own.

Very good introduction to Hinduism

We spent the day with Sahil going on the Elephanta caves tour. It was our first day in India and a wonderful introduction. Sahil was terrific and took great photos. He is charming and knowledgeable. We then had a local guide on the island that shared much about the caves and the Hindu religion. The ferry ride to the island was relaxing but it was very foggy/smoggy that day so hard to get a good view of the coastline. Still very enjoyable.

Great tour guides

Had a great time, the driver Ahsan arrived right on time to pick me up from my hotel and drive me down to the Gateway. We met the local guide on the island, he was very knowledgeable and earnest. When we got back, I met my guide for the rest of the day, Yash. Yash was great, had a tidbit of information for seemingly everything. This was a perfect way to get in sightseeing in Mumbai when you have limited time.

Great

Had a great time at the caves with very polite , friendly staff from the driver to the tour guide Ravi to the explanations given at the tour . The hotel pick up was smooth and on time and very helpful explanations of Mumbai along the way . Ravi went above and beyond , i defo recommend.

Elephanta Caves Tour

My sister and I had a great time on the tour to the Elephanta Caves. Aparna did an amazing job at being our tour guide. She is very friendly, knowledgeable and made us feel comfortable. Hassan was our driver and he was very patient and waited on us.

Mumbai trip

Great tour. Magical Mumbai facilitated everything we needed. The Elephanta Caves are a must see when you are in Mumbai.

Awesome day out with two great guys

We did the Elephanta caves and the city tour whole day private tour. Our tour guide was Ravi and our driver was Nasir. They were terrific. We would recommend doing this tour if you can. Ravi was great at explaining everything as it was our first trip to Mumbai. Nasri was awesome at directing through the traffic. Thank you guys for a great experience that we will forever remember.

Very good and well organised tour.

The visit of the Elephanta island was very well organised! Imran was extremely helpful, he picked us up directly from our hotel with Hasan, who is a very good driver. We enjoyed very much the visit and then the food in the Indian restaurant. I would highly recommend them!

Worth the Ferry Ride!

This was my second tour with MAGICAL MUMBAI TOURS, and it didn't disappoint. May be one of my favorites of the trip. This tour required a bit of coordination, because once on the island the guides must be local - and rightfully so. Magical Mumbai Tours made sure I had a liaison, IMRAN and driver, HUSAN, to pick me up from the hotel and get me to the island for the "handoff" to local guide TRIKAL. (The ferry ride was around 70 minutes each way, and Imran went with me. Once again, I had a wonderful guide who was extremely knowledgeable about the site. I highly recommend this tour!

Excellent trip

It was a nice trip to the Elephanta Island, and the caves were amazing. Our driver and our guide, Nazir and Imran, was very friendly and helpful. They made the trip safe and stress free. When we came to the island we met a local guide who took us to the caves and told everything about the story of the place. It was very interesting!

Great full day experiance

I had a great tour with a local of the Elephanta Caves! Afterwards I had a city tour with and hr break in between. I had Yash as my private tour guide with a private driver and the tour was amazing! His English was really good and he answered all my history questions. While he is young he has great historical knowledge. Keep in mind the tour is long so you better be ready for a full day. I was out of the hotel from 9am-8pm

Not what was promised

The guide took some time to find us even though we clearly mentioned to meet us at the iconic Taj Mahal Palace hotel. We had to hand the phone to a hotel concierge so he could direct the guide to the hotel entrance which is next to the Gateway of India where the boats depart. A private tour was promised, but other people were with the guide when he arrived. We then had to argue with the owner before boarding the boat since it was not advertised as a group tour. When we sent the requested proof, the owner grudgingly arranged an extra guide to meet us at the island. The guide and tour of the caves was good, and the caves are certainly worth a visit. However, when we went to return we were asked to wait 10 minutes for another group. After 20 minutes waiting we just left on our own due to an evening dinner appointment. The cost is high for what you get, and if you can figure out where to pick up the tickets, board the boat and pick a guide on the island you could probably arrange it yourself.

Highly recommend

The guide Sahil and the driver Sam from Magical Mumbai tours picked us up from our Hotel and showed us several locations around Mumbai before taking us at the Gate of India, from where we took a boat to the Elephanta Island. Not only we got to hear very interesting stories about the Gate of India and the Taj hotel next door, but the Elephanta caves are a destination like no other. They are a temple dedicated mostly to the Hindu got Shiva. The beauty and the intricacy of the murals is breathtaking, offering a window into the Hindu mythology. The local guide on the island, arranged by the Magical Mumbai tours company explained to us in detail the history of the island, the caves, and of each individual mural.

So worth it!

Great experience, everything was taken care of from hotel pickup to drop off. Tour guide was born on Elephanta Island and was knowledgeable and friendly, definitely recommend this to anyone thinking about visiting!

Elephanta Caves for Senior Citizens

EXCELLENT day trip to the caves. The staff is attentive to all details, from hotel pickup, to climbing 120 steps (yes...), to the return trip to the hotel. Very informative guide. Presented at a good pace (English-speaking). Ha, watch for the cow when on the stairs - she gets the right of way..! Highly recommended for seniors. I am mid-70s and choose to walk up the stairs. Plenty of opportunities to catch your breath. Carry chairs are available as an alternative. Our guide, Imran, made sure we were safe, comfortable, and relaxed.

Wonderful trip to Elephanta with Imran

The tour was organized very seamlessly. Imran showed up early so we were on schedule for the trip to Gateway of India. He navigated the crowds so we were comfortably settled on the boat without a lot of hasel. After reaching Elephanta and a short mini train ride he handed us over to the local guide as required by law. The local guide was extremely knowledgeable and more so very patient as we climbed the 120 steps to the top. He explained all the carvings in detail and later on the way down helped us pick up a few gift articles. Imran brought us home. All in all a great day with a lot of fun and laughter.