ELEPHANTA ISLAND — WILDERONES

Elephanta Island is an island full of ancient cave temples in Mumbai, India. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The caves have been carved out of rock. There are actually around 1,200 inhabitants of this island within three villages - Shentbandar, Morabandar and Rajbandar. You will not visit the villages on this trip. They are very private.

To get to Elephanta Island, you need to go to the Gateway of India. From there, you’ll find ticket booths for the ferry to the island. You can only get to Elephanta Island by way of ferry or boat. The boats leave every 15 minutes or so between 9am and 2pm. Ferry rides are about $3 USD per person, and the entrance to the island is about $9 USD per person. We spent about four hours total from the ferry ride there, visiting the island, and the ferry ride back. This is a temple, so while you will see some people wearing tank tops or shorts, out of respect, I suggest covering your shoulders and wearing pants/skirts/dresses that at least go down to your knees.

Things you may want to bring with you or keep in mind :

Sunglasses
Sunscreen
Backpack (there are A LOT of monkeys)
Don’t have any food or drinks in your pockets
Wear close-toed shoes or strong sandals (like Chacos)
No tripods are allowed
Always bring extra money just in case
It costs extra money to sit on the top of the ferry
(I can’t remember how much.. less than $1 per person I believe)

When you first get off the ferry, you’ll start the journey to the island. Some websites describe this as a long walk with treacherous stairs. It really isn’t bad. Just take your time. On this walk, you’ll see many cows, dogs, and monkeys. Stay out of their way, and they will leave you alone. I know… it’s tempting to pet the puppies, but try to refrain. It hurt my heart, too.

Once you make it to the top of the stairs, there will be a booth to pay the entrance fee, and you can begin exploring! The most interesting cave is the first one you will come upon. It has the most intricate carvings. The others are definitely worth exploring as well, if you have the time!

Once you’re done exploring, you’ll head back down the stairs to the ferries. We were lucky enough to ride toward an amazing sunset on the way back to shore across the Arabian Sea. It was absolutely beautiful!