Dharavi Tour & Pottery Workshop
Description
Step beyond the headlines and explore the real Dharavi on our Dharavi Slum Tour with local residents who call it home. Led by a responsible travel company, this tour directly supports local development initiatives. Visitors experience a wide range of these business activities: recycling, pottery-making, leather tanning, poppadom-making, etc. We’ll also visit the residential areas of Dharavi. Kumbharwada is one of Dharavi’s oldest and most compelling communities, home to its thriving pottery industry. Spend a few hours with us learning about the community’s rich history and how it became the hub of pottery making in Mumbai. You will see where the material comes from, how it’s prepared, moulded into shape and finally baked. We will also get hands-on, visiting a local potter’s workshop—where we’ll get a general overview of pottery making and have a go at wheel throwing and making a piece of Kumbharwada art.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Known to many as ‘one of the largest slums in Asia’, we prefer to think of Dharavi as Mumbai’s beating heart. Through our educational walking tours, visitors experience a wide range of these business activities: recycling, pottery-making, embroidery, bakery, soap factory, leather tanning, poppadom-making and many more. We’ll also visit the residential areas and get a glimpse of street art in Dharavi. People from all over India have come to live in Dharavi, making it a microcosm of India. This diversity is apparent in the murals, temples, mosques, churches and pagodas that stand side by side.
Guests can enjoy a soft drink and learn more about how funds are re-invested back into the community.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(65)
Excellent tour with Bipin. He gave us a very insightful tour allowing us to gain a better understanding of what life is like for people living and working in the Dharavi slum. We saw a mixture of everything and the pottery workshop was a fantastic addition that we would highly recommend.
Excellent tour of Dharavi slum with Chetan. For those who don't know, Reality Tours is the original slum tour, and is run by a charity that provides job education for residents of the slum. So you can get a cultural education and help the people of Dharavi at the same time. The tour takes you through shops and residential areas, and then some of the many "factories" that operate out of Dharavi. You finish up at a pottery workshop where you can try your hand at throwing some jars -- as an experienced potter, the unfamiliar clay and tools made that more of a challenge than I expected. Chetan was very knowledgable about Dharavi (he used to live there) and keen to show all the parts of the "slum". Note that a Mumbai slum isn't like an American slum; it's more like a Mexican maquiladora. Wear very study shoes for this one.
Thank you for your thoughtful review! We are so glad you enjoyed your Dharavi tour with Chetan and appreciated learning about the community and its industries. We will be sure to share your kind words with Chetan. Thank you for supporting our mission, and we hope to welcome you again on another tour!
Great tour and great to see that slum doesn’t have to mean crime and poverty. People live full, employed lives, children are educated - but living conditions are so cramped. Wonderful that our tour actually benefits the slum community. Thank you. Highly recommend.
Thank you so much for your thoughtful and heartfelt review. We are really glad the tour helped show a different perspective — that a slum is not defined by crime, but by hardworking people, strong communities, education, and resilience, even in very challenging and cramped living conditions. That understanding is exactly what we hope every guest takes away. It also means a lot to us that you value the fact that the tour directly benefits the local community. Supporting education and community initiatives is at the core of what we do. Thank you for your recommendation — we truly appreciate it and hope to welcome you again in the future.
The tour was amazing, Rehana shared so much information with us and I love how the profits go back to the community - definitely worth the add on of the pottery too!
Thank you so much for your wonderful review ❤️ We are delighted to hear you had such an amazing experience and that Rehana shared so much insight during your visit to Dharavi. It means a lot that you value how the profits support the local community — that’s at the heart of what we do at Reality Tours & Travel. And we are so glad you enjoyed the pottery add-on too — it’s such a special way to connect even more closely with local craftsmanship! We hope to welcome you back again someday 🌟
Was so fascinating to be able to walk through and get an insight to life in Dharavi. Rehana was a great guide and knew first hand the answers to all our questions. Was also great to know the money spent on the tour goes back to supporting Dharavi
Thank you so much for your thoughtful feedback ❤️ We are really glad you enjoyed gaining insight into life in Dharavi and that Rehana’s first-hand knowledge helped answer all your questions. It also means a lot to hear you appreciated that your tour supports local community initiatives — that’s a core part of what we do at Reality Tours & Travel. Thank you for joining us, and we hope to welcome you again someday 🌟
Rehena was amazing! Very hardworking and smart. I learned a lot on this tour and I will forever remember it!
Thank you so much for your wonderful words ❤️ We are absolutely delighted to hear that Rehana made such a strong impression — she truly is hardworking and incredibly knowledgeable. It means so much to us that you learned a lot and that the experience will stay with you forever. Thank you for touring with Reality Tours & Travel — we hope to welcome you back again one day 🌟
An unforgettable experience and honour to be allowed into see this community. Sabina was an informative guide who generously shared her own family stories. I would recommend this tour through Reality Tours as a must to anyone visiting Mumbai.
Thank you so much for your heartfelt feedback! We are delighted to hear that your tour was an unforgettable and meaningful experience. Sabina will be thrilled to know that her stories and insights made such a positive impression. We truly appreciate your recommendation and hope to welcome you on another tour soon!
Great trip, very insightful. I really enjoyed the explanation of everything and the pottery class. Would highly recommend
Thank you for your kind review! We’re glad you enjoyed the trip, found it insightful, and had fun with the pottery class. We truly appreciate your recommendation and hope to welcome you on another tour soon!
Fascinating tour, Rehana was really kind and patient with our kids and the tour was very well-organised
Thank you for your lovely review! We’re delighted you found the tour fascinating and organised. Rehana will be happy to hear that her kindness and patience with your kids made a positive impression.
Excellent Rhianna was excellent, lobes there and is a great guide.
Thank you so much! We’re delighted to hear that you had an excellent experience with Rhianna. Her strong connection to the area truly makes her a great guide. We really appreciate your feedback!
