Elephanta Caves
25 people recommend, 10 warn against itvia r/mumbai, r/indiatravel, r/travel·30 comments quoted below
The comments quoted below are a sample of the full tally across 27 threads.
What people say, in short
Elephanta Caves is an ancient cave temple on an island reached by ferry from the Gateway of India, and many locals include it among Mumbai's worthwhile sights, with one calling it fascinating. The main caveat is time: commenters say the boat ride and visit eat up most of a day, a few suggest skipping it on short trips, and one says go only if historical monuments genuinely interest you. One visitor also found the island's aggressive monkeys frightening.
Address
Elephanta Caves, Gharapuri, Maharashtra 400021, India
At a glance
- Best for
- History
- Opinions divided
- Yes
- Known for
- Ferry ride, Ancient cave temples
- Time needed
- Full day
The evidence
Every point below is paraphrased from a real public comment, ordered by how much the community engaged with it. Caveats and negatives are kept in — follow any link to read the original for yourself.
Includes it on a list of places to visit.
Suggests exploring Colaba on the day they return from Elephanta Caves.
Advises skipping Elephanta for Sanjay Gandhi National Park, since the journey there is long and Kanheri's caves are better.
Visitor found everything sold above MRP and multiple small charges before reaching the caves, plus overpriced ferry tickets.
Advises buying ferry tickets only at the official counter or online, as touts outside target tourists.
Recommends going to the Elephanta temples as a low-cost visit.
Worth it if you really want to see the caves, but takes at least half a day and feels rushed.
Suggests planning Elephanta Caves from Gateway, taking about four hours.
Says doing Elephanta and Gateway in a single day would be hard.
Treats Elephanta as a full-day outing that can be dropped when you only have 24 hours in the city.
Lists it among places to visit.
Recommends reaching the caves by ferry.
Suggests spending a day seeing the caves while based in Bombay.
Recommends a short trip to Elephanta Island during a 2-3 day stay.
Suggests exploring South Mumbai including Elephanta Caves over 2-3 days before driving to Pune.
Ferry option includes a visit to Elephanta Caves, which needs a full day
Calls it a nice day out where you can see monkeys.
Toured the caves on their Mumbai stop and found them fascinating.
Worth it only with a full spare day and if you don't mind the ferry.
Recommends it.
Lists the caves among the best nature-driven options to visit after the concert
Suggests fitting in Elephanta Caves, with ferries available from Gateway of India.
Describes the caves as an ancient, beautiful temple and a must-visit for tourists.
Caves are beautiful but too many aggressive monkeys made the visit scary.
Found it really great.
Says the caves are not worth it and can be skipped
Ferry may not run in rough seas; heat and many stairs make June visits unpleasant, recommends skipping.
Found the heat, humidity and hundreds of stairs exhausting, and the caves average at best.
Flatly says no to visiting the caves on a short trip.
Warns monkeys will grab bags and food, so avoid carrying snacks outside.
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Freshness
Last verified 21/10/2026. Recommendations reflect what people said at the time; confirm current details before you go.