Fortunately, we went there, and it was very nice trip. Firstly excellent ancient construction 'work', i like it. Secondly along the staircase one can buy some little gifts ;) Just cant understand that such famous tourist spot has not proper internet coverage, so entrance tickets must pay in cash... and again, fee for Indians is 40,-, for foreigners 600,- perfect, "like" it.

Two hundred and sixty rupees gets you a return boat trip from Mumbai. It’s about a 70 min trip each-way. What a lovely way to see Mumbai harbour and the dozens of commercial vessels on route. When you disembark, you’ll be harassed immediately by folk claiming to be tour guides. You don’t need a guide at all. But they are persistent. A different kind of persistence on the island from the usual Indian approach. Less cordial. More full on. You’ll pay the officials some ridiculous fee to progress. I think it was something like 15 rupees. Once you’re ’in’ you have a choice of walking the length of the pier or talking the model train. I took the train there. It was around 25 rupees. The train journey is around 300 - 400 meters. It terminates at the base of the steps you’ll need to climb to get to the entrance of the caves. Believe it or not, but you’ll be offered to be carried up the stairs on a rudimentary wooden chair. Looked a bit colonial to me. It’s quite ridiculous and unless you have mobility and / or imperialist issues, totally unnecessary. Again, the chaos offering the service are pests. The climb up is leisurely. There’s hawkers and some restaurants on both sides of the stairs. The restaurants looked ok to me but I wasn’t hungry. Once you get to the top of the stairs you’ll pop out at the kiosk to pay entry into the caves. I wasn’t too impressed by the caves. I think I’d seen enough stunning sights on my travels and felt a bit let down. However, I enjoyed the troupes of monkey and I saw a wonderful lizard who was a good two feet in length. The mangrove swamps and the jungle delighted me. As did the boat trip.

Had been to this ancient rock cut caves near Mumbai a long back ago. It is located at Elephanta Island. These caves are designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and was dedicated to Lord Shiva. It is famous for the rock cut sculpture of the Trimurti. There are 5 rock cut caves on the western hill that are visited by tourists. There are 2 rock cut caves on the eastern hill that are unexplored by tourists. One can get views of the surrounding area and the other side of the Island. Beware of monkeys that roam around in the vicinity. One can trek up the hill for 15 mins to get a good view and see 2 large British era cannons. Earlier, the entrance fees were Rs. 10 per Indian and Rs. 300 per foreigner. But, now, it is Rs. 40 per Indian and Rs. 600 per foreigner. There are restaurants nearby. There are small shops lined on the steps. One can walk or ride a toy train to reach the foothill. It takes an hour to reach the island by ferry from the Gateway of India. These caves are an ideal place for families as well as history lovers. It is a must visit and should not be missed.

Avinesh (+91 98693 16041) is a dedicated tour guide who lives on the island and has an intimate knowledge of the caves. The caves are stunning and rich in history. Would recommend booking g Avinesh as a guide.

AVENISH is The Man! His father was a tour guide & he is the Best Tour Guide in Mumbai (+91) 98693 16041 He is professional & very informative! The Island was amazing & we were very blessed to have him with us! 10 Stars out of 5. Thank you AVI!! We’ll reach keep in touch!

This review is more a how-to guide on how to get to the caves and the charges along the way. First off is the boat ride from the Gate of India which costs INR 260 return for double decker ones which are much more pleasant to ride on than the cheaper alternative. Once you're on the boat, it will cost another INR 10 to sit on the upper deck. A bunch of seagulls will flock around the boat as it departs and you soon understand why as people on the boat start feeding them snacks. Chips will set you back INR 10 for a small pack. When you arrive at the island, you can choose to walk the length of the jetty or take a train ride for INR 20 return. By this time, some local guides would have introduced themselves to you. We randomly went with Chandra Kant, an elderly gentleman who did a good job taking us around. He charged us INR 1000 for the effort, but we happily tipped him more at the end. If you're keen to link up with him, this is his number: +919870473673 When you reach the entrance, you first need to pay another INR 10 as some form of tourist tax. Then there is another INR 600 you need to pay as the entrance ticket. A visit to the toilet will set you back INR 5. I hope this gives you a good idea of the charges involved in visiting the island. Remember that you need cash for all of this. Overall it was a nice day trip and as some reviews have mentioned, the journey there is very much part of the adventure :)

Avenish (+91) 9869316041 met us on the island as we disembarked the ferry. He was very helpful and knowledgeable in explaining the Elephanta caves. He was pleasant, took fantastic photos and made our experience definitely a memorable one. Would recommend to anyone wanting to know more about the Elephanta caves.

The caves are definitely worth a visit, they are very interesting and were brought alive for us by the guide we hired on the jetty as we landed on the island. His name was Nitin Mali (and contactable on +91 97573 25881) if you would like a guide to meet you on arrival and take you round I would recommend him. He even showed us round his village nearby which was also interesting. He also knows where and how to take the best photos of the caves!! There is one main cave with carvings which is a walk up some steps (which are mostly flanked by stalls selling nik naks). The boat trip over to the island is also a great experience, we went for the top deck where you can feed the sea gulls as they flock round the boat! You can buy boat tickets next to the Gateway to India, so I would recommend doing this trip yourselves, arriving on the island and meet your guide there for a price you are both happy with! A fascinating look back into history at the World Heritage site, and a great day out away from the hustle of Mumbai.

Elephanta Caves are one of the "must see" places when visiting Mumbai. The thing is that in our view it's overrated. Sure, there are some ancient structures carved in the stone and the boat trip is chilling experience allowing one to escape the hustle of the big city. The island itself is dirty with tons of garbage lying around and seems as if noone was taking care of it. It gets a little better behind the ticketed entry but IMHO entire path from the jetty to the gates are also the part of the experience.

Highly recommend this tour. Harish did a great job explaining the caves and monuments. He also made pickup in Mumbai seamless and explained what life was like on the island as a resident himself. We did not tour any local village as the description mentions.