Getting to the caves is by boat/ferry from the gateway of india. Make it to the edges near the water and you’ll see them. As we later found out there are 2 prices for 2 different boats. 1 price is for the more popular and frequent boats, the other cheaper price is for the “single decker” ferry that goes to the same place, but perhaps not as frequent. These tickets are just for the boat and not for the caves themselves. Once you get there you arrive at the docking bay which is a fair distance from the actual island itself but you can walk it for approx. 30mins or more, or take the small train. We got there at 11am and it was already baking hot, walking was not an option.
Contrary to the tickets we bought online from the india.gov website, looks like they were a bit useless because no one actually checked them. You do also have to pay 10rupees per person as tax for the island – again not included in the ticket. Then there’s the climb to the caves – it’s a good few hundred steps but plenty of stopping spaces and stalls along the way. The top is a good view. If you want a day to walk around etc there’s a good circular walking where I’m sure other reviews/blogs mention how long it takes. We just did caves 1,2 and 4 which had the most detail, things to look at. Security guards are very helpful and took some pics for us too. Be respectful of the place. You can’t sit wherever you like, there are shrines and temples still in use but there are plenty of benches outside and in shade. Plenty of wildlife too around you. Careful of the monkeys if you have snacks on you. Overall good day out, you leave the same way you came and on a clear day it’s a great view of the gate of india.