THE 10 CLOSEST Hotels to Elephanta Caves

Very much worth the effort, the caves are truly magnificent. Go on the trip early in the morning to avoid crowds in Mumbai harbor area and crowds on the island. Having a guide adds value since you then get to hear the story behind the statues and learn about the religion as well. I recommend a local guide, born on the island.

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.

Travelled over to Elephante island with my family. Was a really nice experience 1 hour ferry ride in both directions and about 2 1/2 hours on the island. Very impressive caves and stone carvings. Well worth the trip. We hired a guide for the trip to help understand and appreciate the importance and meaning behind all the monuments. We found Avanish on this site + 919869316041 and very happy we did. He is an excellent tour guide and made the experience so much better. His family is 2nd generation from the island so it is his own backyard and knows everything. He was also very professional and caring to keep unwanted cameras from the locals who were trying to photograph my daughter. Highly recommend Avanish if you are interested in going to this island

Give that this is one of the 3 local world heritage sites we decided to make it a priority when visiting. I did my homework by reading up on the Wikipedia listing. We did not take a tour opting instead for the flexibility and spontenaity of a self guided visit. Took an Uber to the Gateway to India ( currently surrounded by scaffolding and hoardings) and walked around the back of the gate to the water where a ticket seller took our 290 rp and gave us our ferry tickets (hang on to them you will need them for the return) and boarded our ferry. The ferry does not run to schedule so we had to wait 30+!min for it to fill up and cast off. The crossing took the better part of an hour water was calm but the hazy day did not afford clear views. At the island the jetty extends for several hundred yards into the bay. On disembarking there is a tiny train that bypasses the long walk to the entrance to the steps. If it is running I suggest taking it. It was being repaired when we arrived so not an option for us. At the base of the steps there is a small entrance fee. The hike up the hill is fairly long and steep in parts but well paved with stone steps. The whole way is lined with trinket stalls an tiny eateries. The local merchants have strung tarps over the whole walkway shading it. The shade is welcome but blocks the water views. At the top is the official entrance to the caves. Tickets are 600rp for foreigners. The actual caves are splendid especially the principal ones. The distant ones were significantly more deteriorated and only worthwhile if you have lots of time. Each significant carving has a detailed explanation. The views from the top are also worthwhile. Beware the small monkeys looking to shakedown visitors careless enough to be snacking in their presence. Take your time on the way down and if possible take the train to the end of the jetty we saw the repaired train pull away so walked back in the hot sun. The ferry back leaves when dull and gets you back to the gate. We then repaired to the nearby Taj for a well earned cold beer and snacks. A good day out but with no fixed schedules you need to stay flexible. Take plenty of water and/or replenish from the island vendors. It is hot and the climb is doable but takes time.

Elephanta Caves on Gharapuri Island is accessible by a 1:15 hr ferry ride from a cloudy, smoky Mumbai harbour. Access the site through a steep hill. You can take guided tours and there’s food and beverage available. Elephanta Caves are home to rock-cut cave temples built between the 5th and 8th C, listed as an UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987. A train shuttle is available at a cost, but I walked the kilometre uphill to the entrance. There are seven caves, the first 5 Hindu and the last 2 Buddhist, located further away (which were unattainable this day). Main Cave 1 has beautiful, ornate carvings of Lord Shiva in 10 avatars, with the most impressive a 7m Trimurti—a three-faced Shiva in his role of the destroyer, creator and preserver of the universe. Not much to see in caves 2 -5 but climb to the hill to see two large cannons and scenic views of the island. If you have time, visit the neighbouring villages to get an understanding of the culture of the Agri and Koli fishing communities there. I thoroughly enjoyed this opportunity even if I didn't get to see everything I wanted to.

We visited the Elephanta caves and one nearby village with our guide Avinash (+91 9869316041) Avinash arranged everything: the pick up from Mumbai, the boat tickets, the train ride and the entry to the caves. Avinash is a local: he is one of the 1200 island inhabitants! In the caves he told us lots of interesting things about the Hindu god Shiva. Avinash was able to answer every question that we had about the caves and the Indian culture. As the caves were pretty dark, it was really handy that Avinash used a flashlight to highlight interesting aspects of the statues. Furthermore, he made sure we weren’t bothered by rude men who tried to take our photo. A very nice extra is that Avinash had some great photo ideas. A point of improvement would be the communication with the driver (not Avinash), because he barely spoke English and didn’t know at which boat to drop us off (so walked all around the harbour for 10 minutes in the burning sun). Something else that really bothered us was all the trash on the island. Unfortunately that is often the case in India… Elephanta, even though being UNESCO heritage, is not an exception to this. Other than that we had a great day and found that Avinash is a friendly guy with a sense of humor. We recommend him as a tourguide!

You will love this place if you love history and ancient architecture. You have to take a boat from Gateway of India. Try to take a seat in the upper deck to enjoy the views (you will be charged extra for the upper deck). It took quite sometime to reach the island. The island itself is beautiful with the green hills, blue sea and the beautiful view of the sea link. There is toy train to take people from the ferry ghat to the entrance. But we enjoyed walking. Numerous shops selling street food are present in the island and one can enjoy some nice dabeli or pav bhaji or others before the steep climb to the caves. The climb is not long but a little steep and in hot weather can be tiring. Numerous shops sold souvenier around the steps and we too got some fridge magnets. After climbing up we got our tickets and entered the beautiful cave complex. We found mainly two main caves with beautiful Buddha, Shiva and Vishnu carved into the walls. Even water was dripping down from some cave ceilings and a cool breeze was prevailing inside (not sure why as outside we could not feel any breeze). The caves felt very soothing and cool and we sat inside for almost 30/40 minutes to relax before returning. I would highly advise people interested in history and architecture for this half-day trip from Mumbai. But if you find these topics boring then chances are you might not enjoy this trip that much. Also try to visit the place in the cooler months. We also found numerous malnourished dogs in the island and fed them some food. Would request others to please give them some food whenever you are in the island for a visit.

Took a ‘door to door’ group tour and do recommend. Boat trip is long but it did not bother me as sightseeing requires rest at times. The carvings are impressive and the information provided by the local guides is just right (not too much or too little) . There is a bit of ‘push’ to pay to be carried up in a chair (like a ‘king’) up the stairs to support local families, however the walk is more interesting. The same with the train tickets; the walk is super short and we got at the end point before the train arrived.

I booked through Get your Guide, a half day tour. They sent me whatsapp the day before requesting a start time change from 8:45 to 10:30, to which I reluctantly agreed. Of course it took much longer to reach the meeting point by Uber at that hour, and I was late - everyone was waiting for me - oops. It was a larger group than I expected, about 17 people, and our guide was Kruship. There was no patter or explanation during the long (1 hr) ferry trip to the island. Tip: There are faster smaller launches available - used mostly by private tours I think. Upon arrival at Elephanta Island, we took a "toy train" to save 20 minutes of walking - the hawkers had an opportunity to catch us again after that. There is then a climb of about 120 steps to the entrance to the national park. All fees, tramsport etc and entrance tickets are included. Because we were a large group, Krupesh hired a local giude on the island, and we split into two groups of about 8 people each. The cave is magnificent, and Krupeshj was very familiar with the Hindu mythology surrounding each of the carved images. I felt that there could have been more "color" in the descriptions of the carvings - which were limited to a static description of the different images and manifestations of the Hindu Gods. I know there are myths and stories behind each set of images which we didn't hear. Perhaps the audience doesn't have the patience? He did answer questions, was polite throughout and helpful - I also appreciated him splitting the group.

Great boat ride over to the elephant island. On landing met a tour guide from the island who was very helpful and kind, helped to understand the island and the carvings as well as the culture of India and the religions. The guide also helped navigate the stalls Avinash +9198969316041 call him before to arrange a tour