MUMBAI DHARAVI SLUM TOUR

On this tour, visitors will see why Dharavi is the heart of small scale industry in Mumbai. Many people know Dharavi as the ‘largest slum in Asia’, but there is much more to this historic area of Mumbai than poverty. Dharavi’s industries have an annual turnover of approximately US$ 665 million. Through our tour visitors experience a wide range of these activities: recycling, pottery making, embroidery, bakery, soap factory, leather tanning, poppadom-making and many more.

Most of these things are created in innovative ways and in very small spaces!

When passing through the residential spaces, you will undoubtedly feel the sense of community and spirit that exists in the area. People from all over India live in Dharavi, and this diversity is apparent in the temples, mosques and churches that stand side by side. A tour through Dharavi’s narrow alleys is quite an adventure, and you will leave with an enlightened sense of the purpose and determination that exists in the area.

Highlights:

Visitors experience what matters most to Reality Tours… the men, women and children that make this dynamic community one of the most vibrant places in Mumbai.

Recycling Area: Old computer parts and plastics come from all over the world to Dharavi to be recycled. See the recycling plants in which separation and melting of plastics takes place. We also show metal recycling, food making, temple making, clothes making, soap factory. They all take place in small rooms, which you’ll observe as you pass through the maze of small gullies.

Roof Top Visit: There is nothing like the view from a Dharavi factory rooftop. The tin hutments that house so many human lives stretch on as far as you can see. You will never forget this view!

Bakery: See the tea biscuits eaten all over Mumbai being made hot and fresh at the source! (Note: sometimes the bakery is closed.)

Poppadom Making: Watch the women of Dharavi make popaddoms, the essential appetizer of any Indian meal, by drying them in the sun on wooden baskets that are turned upside-down.

Resident’s House: Gain an understanding of how the incredible people of Dharavi live while visiting our model resident’s house. Furthermore we exhibit photographs here which are taken by kids from Dharavi participating in our art program.

While going through the residential area, you’ll get a sense of the conditions and problems that the residents face.

Community Centre: The Community Centre, supported by funds from the tour, provides education in English, computers, and other soft skills to the teenagers and young adults of Dharavi. Other activities take place here such as a library, dancing, yoga, and indoor games.

Kumbharwada Pottery Colony: Watch artisans create all types of pots out of unfired, sundried clay.

The tour is not just about observing. The guide will also explain the businesses that exist in Dharavi, give information about Dharavi and its history, talk about and give facts about issues such as sanitation and education, challenges of a slum, where does the sewage go, what fuel sources are people using, where is medical care delivered and the role of government. The guides themselves are young and from modest backgrounds who speak very good English.

It’s not a depressing tour, but an uplifting one, showing that despite the obvious problems that the Dharavi community faces, they can still live in a dignified way.

We finish the tour

The tour is about 2.5 hours on foot.