Dhobi Ghat Tour:

ABOUT:
A longer group or private tour through the heart of Dhobhi Ghat: 

(Mahalaxmi Dhobi Ghat) is a well-known open-air laundromat in Mumbai, India.

The washers, locally known as Dhobis, work in the open to wash the clothes from Mumbai’s hotels and hospitals.

There are rows of open-air concrete wash pens, each fitted with its own flogging stone.

Called the world’s largest outdoor laundry, Dhobi Ghat is a very popular attraction among foreign tourists.

The word Dhobi Ghat is used all over India to refer to any place where many washers are present.

It is located next to Mahalaxmi railway station on the Western Railway’s Saat Rasta roundabout.

It can be easily seen from the flyover bridge of Mahalaxmi station.

In 2013, World Records India and World Amazing Records honored World Record Certificate to Dhobi Kalyan.

Home to the dhobis and their families (around 200 families), the Dhobi Ghat has seen this occupation passed down from one generation to the next.

Also known as the Mahalaxmi Dhobi Ghat, it can be viewed easily from the Mahalaxmi Railway station. The best time to visit Dhobi Ghat is early morning and early afternoon.

While the dhobis are in action in the morning to take care of the washing load, the early afternoons are an ideal time to see the clothes dry.

This tour is a half day experience, abolishing all preconceived notions of this large slum area in Mumbai. Dharavi is much more than a historic area of Mumbai's poverty. Dharavi's industries get an annual turnover of approximately US$665 million and this tour shows how most of that revenue is created, through 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 innovatively, in very small spaces!

Before the visit to Dharavi slum by automobiles, the visitors will pass through other well known locations of notoriety such as Kamathipura (red light area) as well as famous tour spots like Dhobi Ghat (big open air laundry). The guide in charge gives a detailed description of all these spots. Another aspect that the visitors witness is the diversity in religion, custom and belief however a sense of unity is definitely experienced, even from an outsider's point of view. When passing through the residential spaces, you will most certainly feel the sense of community and spirit that exists in this slum area in Mumbai. The diversity is apparent in the temples, mosques and churches that stand side by side.

 

PRICING:

  • Group Tour: 1300 Rupees per person. You will be accompanied with up to four other travelers,

  • Private Tour: 6,000 Rupees.You can bring a maximum of five people on your private tour.

TIME:

  • Operates every day

  • Duration: 4-5 hours

  • Morning Tour: 8:30 AM

  • Afternoon Tour: 2:00 PM

MEETING LOCATION:

  • Morning Tour: Regal Cinema, Colaba

  • Afternoon Tour: Regal Cinema, Colaba

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS:

  • DHOBI GHAT: See the Dhobiwallahs or human washing machines, scrubbing, washing and beating sheets and clothes from Mumbai's largest hospitals, hotels and garment industries at this busy open air laundry locality!

  • RECYCLING AREA: Everything old from plastics to metal come from all over to be recycled at Dharavi. See the recycling plants in which separation and melting of the wastes takes place.

  • BAKERY: Khari Biscuits hot and fresh from the source, available in every kind and served on a platter!

  • POPADDOM MAKING: Watch the Dharavi women making poppadoms, the essential appetizer before every Indian meal. It is done by drying them on wooden baskets, turned upside-down.

  • RESIDENTIAL HOUSES: Bask in the creativity of the humble dwellings of the incredible people of Dharavi.

  • KUMBHARWADA POTTERY COLONY: Watch artisans create all types of pots out of unfired, sundried clay and even learn a thing or two.