Mumbai cruises, India

If you expect extreme poverty and desperation, you’ll be surprised by this tour. Wandering the labyrinth streets and alleyways of Dharavi – Asia’s largest slum and home to a million people – you’ll discover how enterprising locals run thriving businesses and overcome the challenges of daily life. Many rags-to-riches stories have begun here.

Follow your guide and peer inside the single-room factories, where computer and automotive parts are recycled by hand. Watch potters and embroiders squeezed into tiny spaces, working in innovative ways to support their families. Observe traditional poppadoms being made, drying in the sun on upturned wooden baskets, and see the tea biscuits which are enjoyed all over India as they’re baked – hot and fresh at the source.

Following Dharavi, you’ll walk to Dhobi Ghat for a photo stop. This vast outdoor laundry serves businesses and customers across Mumbai and it bustles for up to 20 hours a day, with around 7,000 busy workers.

Your tour also includes a photo stop at the famous Gateway of India monument.

Essential information

This excursion will operate by coach and on foot. There is approximately 1½ hours of walking on this tour, some of which is over rough terrain. Children are not permitted to participate on this tour. Photography is prohibited at Dharavi.

As you travel to the Fort area of Mumbai you’ll pass many architecturally impressive buildings, including the General Post Office; Victoria Terminus; Municipal Corporation Building; St Xavier's College and St Thomas Cathedral.

Enjoy a brief visit inside St Thomas Cathedral, Mumbai’s first Anglican church, before beginning your historic walking tour. As you stroll through parts of the Heritage Precinct, your guide will regale you with stories and facts about this bustling city. You will see and learn all about the many buildings and monuments that contribute to the special history of Mumbai. These include the ornate Flora Fountain, the gothic style Mumbai University and High Court buildings. View the unusual façades of the David Sasson Library, Jehangir Art Gallery and the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (formerly named the Prince of Wales Museum) with its carved features and elaborate brackets.

Absorb the local culture around you as the horns blare out from the passing traffic and spicy aromas waft from the food stalls. Watch the locals rushing about their daily activities and the ladies with their colourful clothing. As you reach the waterfront, you’ll notice the imposing Gateway of India. This famous monument, erected to commemorate the visit of King George V, combines both Hindu and Muslim architecture. You’ll have time to take a photo before boarding the coach for your journey back to the ship.

Essential information

This excursion will operate by coach and on foot. There will be approximately 1½ hours of walking over some uneven ground. Flat, comfortable, enclosed shoes, water, sunscreen and a sun hat are recommended.

Enjoy a visit to the former Mumbai residence of Mahatma Gandhi, Mani Bhavan. It is now a museum and memorial to Gandhi. The room he slept in has remained unchanged and still contains his bed and many of his personal possessions.

Continuing along Marine Drive, Mumbai’s seaside promenade, you will visit the Krishna Temple (ISCKON). This epicentre of spiritual activity has been modelled after the temples of Vrindavan and accommodates over 140 monks. Afterwards, you’ll stop at the Hanging Gardens, for some excellent views of the city. On leaving the Hanging Gardens you will hear about the unusual Parsi traditions as you pass the Parsi Towers of Silence.

En route, stop at the Dhobi Ghat. This fascinating open-air laundry employs hundreds of workers, who have devised their own system to code the laundry to ensure nothing is lost.

As you drive through Mumbai you will pass by monuments built during the British era, including the High Court; Crawford Market; Mumbai University and the Victoria Terminus Station before stopping at the famous Gateway of India, an Indo-Saracenic archway built in 1911.

Your tour ends with a visit to the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (formerly named the Prince of Wales Museum), which contains a wealth of paintings, jewellery and artefacts collected from many different eras including the British reign.

Essential information

This Tour will operate coach and on foot. Mani Bhavan has 2 floors each with 20 steep steps. Approximately 45 minutes is spent at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya. There is a fee of (INR125) to photograph or video in the museum. Professional photography is not permitted. Comfortable, non-slip footwear, water and a sunhat are recommended. Modest attire is required for the visit to the Krishna Temple and shoes must be removed.