New Delhi Slum Walking Tour

A very well worthwhile experience. Walking tour for my birthday to experience the community in a very thorough in depth walking tour. Whilst as upsetting as some of it may have been it was really encouraging to see how positive many of the people were and whilst they may not have much money many of them with smiles on their faces. In rough times a lovely smile goes a very long way. Would very much recommend. Santan was amazing.

We really enjoyed the experience of this tour and it was something we will never forget. Thank you Santan

Thank you Santan for an experience we will never forget.

I really enjoyed this tour because it felt incredibly authentic and far from a typical tourist experience. The guide Santan was very familiar with the area and took the time to show me the community at a relaxed pace rather than simply rushing from one place to another. I had the opportunity to speak with local people and get an impression of their everyday lives — from seeing how people make their living and bake bread to learning more about the community and how people live there. Being able to interact with people and observe everyday life made the experience particularly memorable and gave me a much deeper understanding of the area. I found the tour very respectful and insightful, and I really appreciated the guide’s calm and genuine approach. Definitely a tour I would recommend to anyone looking for an authentic experience and a different perspective on the city.

Santan was a very friendly and excellent tour guide, he knows everyone at the slum so expect people to come up to you and shake your hand. It gave a different perspective of India without being intrusive or disrespectful to the people, Santan knows how to keep it respectful. Highly recommended tour :)

Santan gives you directly a good and safe feeling. He goes at very easy pace through the area and answers all your questions. You learn a lot of the daily life and see things from another perspective.

It was a very wonderful experience. Everyone I met was kind. I'm grateful to the polite guide.

Santan, who speaks excellent English, hosted a facinating tour. Friendly people. Cute kids. Really GREAT experience. DO NOT MISS IT!!!

Santan was kind and is well-known in the community so it didn’t feel as intrusive as it could have. He gives back to the community which makes it better as well. I recommend this tour to see how this community lives.

Santan was our guide yesterday for the Zakhira tour. There were only three of us, including Santan, so it felt almost like a private experience—likely because the summer season is approaching and there are fewer tourists. I wholeheartedly recommend Santan. He made the tour feel like a true journey: we met people, exchanged with them, and experienced moments of their daily lives in a genuine and respectful way. Throughout, we felt completely safe and welcomed. This tour may not be for everyone, but if your intention is to embrace a more authentic side of Delhi - and India as a whole - I highly recommend it. Santan’s connection with the community, his knowledge of the area’s history, and his openness in sharing all of it make him an exceptional guide. Santan, my warmest gratitude for this meaningful experience.

Santan was our guide yesterday for the Zakhira tour. There were only three of us, including Santan, so it felt almost like a private experience—likely because the summer season is approaching and there are fewer tourists. I wholeheartedly recommend Santan. He made the tour feel like a true journey: we met people, exchanged with them, and experienced moments of their daily lives in a genuine and respectful way. Throughout, we felt completely safe and welcomed. This tour may not be for everyone, but if your intention is to embrace a more authentic side of Delhi - and India as a whole - I highly recommend it. Santan’s connection with the community, his knowledge of the area’s history, and his openness in sharing all of it make him an exceptional guide. Santan, my warmest gratitude for this meaningful experience.

Santan and the families of this community provided us with an experience we will never forget. Entering this neighborhood and seeing these homes and businesses was really special and we would recommend anyone in Delhi to do this tour to see a unique side of the city. Thank you very much, Santan!

Very humbling experience. I saw things I wouldn’t see anywhere else, the children were incredibly sweet and polite

Santan is a very knowledgeable and informative guy who knows and is respected by the local community. Santan’s relationship with the community is one of respect on both sides and this breaks down the barriers between the residents and visitors alike, making us feel accepted and not intrusive. This was a very good and informative experience even though some aspects were quite tough to us westerners. Santan has an excellent education programme going on for the residents which needs support so he can continue to make a difference. Don’t feel uncomfortable about going!

A very interesting tour that shows life in a slum in Delhi. Santan, our guide, provided a very respectful insight into local life. The people were all very respectful and friendly and were happy to see us. The children in particular were very curious.

We had an amazing tour with Santan in the slums of Delhi. He did a great job, we could ask anything we want and he was patiently answering! We met a lot of locals there, everyone want to say „hi“ and they were really lovely. I recommend this tour a 10 out of 10!

Thank you so much for this authentic immersion. It open our eyes in a way we can’t forget.

Initially my wife was hesitant about doing this tour, as she didn't think it was right. But it's clear that Santan has a very close connection to this community and is helping them a lot. We understand that he is only one of two people not part of the community showing there way of life. It was very, very humbling. We would have no hesitation in recommending that you experience this whilst in Delhi. We wish Santan all the luck in the world as he continues his support for this community and the setting up of educational programmes for the children. All our sincere love.

The tour offered by Santan is deeply respectful of the residents of Jakira (the slum). We walked through the streets accompanied by locals who came and went, curious and welcoming. The residents have managed to create a “city” that functions entirely independently. The children, all smiles, asked us where we were from — it’s also a way for them to keep practicing their English. We shared a masala chai and a small snack with some of the residents. Santan’s initiative truly comes from the heart. Part of the money paid for the tour also helps provide children in Jakira with access to education. We were welcomed very warmly, with heartfelt smiles. It was a powerful way to put our own perspective on life into context. Their wealth is cultivated within themselves. Thank you for what you do for them, and for this visit, Santan.

This tour was such an amazing experience. Our guide, Santan showed us around with the utmost respect for the people living there, having grown up very close by and contributing the proceeds from his tours to plough back into the community by providing classes for the kids living there to attend in the afternoons. It’s a city (50,000) within a big city (Delhi), and Santan did a great job informing us and answering all our questions of how they lived and worked. People are all incredibly happy and welcoming, and the kids were delighted with the small gifts we brought to give them as a thank you for allowing us to visit their community. We got a small chai to enjoy and given the chance to try our hand at making bread. Coming to India in order to see how their lives differ from our own is definitely experienced walking around the slums, and seeing their happy faces just goes to show that the more materialistic we are, doesn’t necessarily make us happier people. A great and humbling experience, and I never once felt unsafe, and didn’t get sick from the chai either. Highly recommended tour, and for a good cause too.

This tour was one of the most humbling, fascinating, and unexpectedly enchanting experiences of my time in India. While often labelled a “slum,” this is a western term.... in reality it is a dense, working neighbourhood with strong social ties, skills, and resilience. That distinction matters, and this tour handles it with genuine respect. Our guide, Santan, was outstanding. Compassionate, deeply knowledgeable, and clearly trusted by the people who live and work here. It never felt voyeuristic or intrusive; instead, it felt like being welcomed into daily life. Santan knows the community personally and explains the social and economic realities with nuance and care. What stays with you is the contrast: challenging conditions alongside extraordinary ingenuity, entrepreneurship, and humanity. It’s confronting, eye-opening, and deeply grounding. Highly recommended, especially with Santan as your guide.

Santan was a knowledgeable and passionate guide who did not sugar coat the suffering of the slum dwellers but highlighted their diligence and cheerful nature. He was clearly deeply interested in helping visitors understand what it is like to live under these conditions, and is doing his best to improve the slum. Every visitor to Delhi should take this tour. It humanized the people and showed the challenges they face every day, but also showed an intimate portrait of life and work here. It certainly changed our perspective, and made us hopeful for a brighter future for these people.

This tour was incredible!! I real eye opening experience for me and one I’ll never forget in a lifetime. I could not have asked for a better guide, Santan was amazing start to finish. Very friendly, and knows everyone in the community so if you are hesitant about doing a slum tour, just do it. You’ll be glad you did. I’d just like to thank Santan and everyone I met in the community for being so welcoming with me during my visit.

I’d highly recommend this experience! We had initial questions about how ethical something like this felt, and didn’t want to fall into the “western trap” of what could possibly just feel like spectating or entering a community without consent or desire to be visited. Santan explained that this community welcomes and enjoys visitors, and we quickly realized that this was far less of a tour and more of a relational experience. Instead of “looking”, most of our time was spend engaging and sitting with the people from this community- who were all curious, warm, and welcoming. Santan managed to avoid all of the pitfalls of a tour set up to venture into this area. If you are interested in engaging with and learning from folks from a different walk of life, this experience is a great gateway.

We had a 1st class experience with Santan, he was born and raised in this area, so knows the people and the district well. He does these tours to help raise money to fund learning and practical help for the people of this area. The tour is very well structured and we didn’t feel like we were imposing on the local people- many were happy to see us, smiling and waving. Excellent experience and insight into the hard existence led by these lovely people. (Fascinating to see the small Chappati factory too!) 100% recommend this tour and respect to Santan for the work he does.

Santan was a superb guide as we toured the slum area for 2 hours . Santan has a great rapport with people there and I felt very comfortable. I was lucky as there were only 2 of us. Really makes you feel grateful for what we have. Santan also tries to educate the children , so I gave him a donation for supplies and I hope others will. He made sure I got my uber back and I appreciated that. Highly recommend this tour.

I enjoyed meeting Santan’s friends. The children were so inquisitive and happy. They played marbles and there were no screens.

Vijay and his wife gave us a very informative tour of the slums. His knowledge of Sanjay Colony was impressive and he showed us parts of city we would never had seen on our own. I highly recommend this tour

I had the privilege of doing this tour with a phenomenal local guide named Santan. He did a great job at helping other travelers and I gain an understanding of how the local residents live and work as a community, and connect with them on a personal level. If you are hoping to get a glimpse of this side of India, please do this tour with Santan.

Our guide Santan was excellent he had a very personal connection to the people living in the slum community. We found it extremely interesting but quite sad as well to realise that the people living in these conditions although happy externally live a very hard life with little to no basic comforts. I was moved to contribute to Santans cause to supply a community kitchen, blankets and clothing as well as education for the children.

Travelling with my son from London. Building self awareness in a child to better understand some of the complexities of the real world. A wonderful community to go and visit. A very self satisfied community. Strongly recommend

I highly recommend this tour for those who want to see another side of Delhi. Santan cares about this community and you can tell people also care about him. Everything is done with respect towards them so that they don't feel as if someone is intruding into their home. People are respectful and kind and they show interest in your presence there. Sharing a chai and getting to know more about the community and Santan's work was a very enriching experience. Furthermore, it's also nice to know that you're contributing a bit by participating in this tour. I'd also like to add that he was extra kind with me by allowing me to take part in the tour even though I arrived late since I was lost in the traffic of Delhi

This tour was truly eye-opening and deeply meaningful. The experience felt real and human, far more insightful than any standard tourist spot. Santan is clearly well integrated into the community. He explained the history and daily life of the slum with sensitivity and respect. If you get the chance, don’t miss this experience.

We joined a guided tour of a local Delhi slum, and it was a deeply eye-opening experience. The tour was conducted with great respect for the community, focusing on understanding the residents' daily lives and the challenges they face. It’s not a 'touristy' experience, but rather an educational and humbling one. Photography was limited out of respect for the residents, which we appreciated, as it helped maintain the dignity and privacy of the community. We did find the tour quite expensive, and we hope that a portion of the cost goes towards supporting the community or local initiatives. Perhaps the price also helps limit the number of visitors and ensures the experience remains respectful for the residents. Additionally, for anyone who is particularly sensitive to the sight of animals being slaughtered or is vegetarian, it’s worth noting that you may encounter some raw and unfiltered scenes of daily life. We’d like to extend a special thanks to Santan for his time and for guiding us so thoughtfully. Overall, we left with a lot to think about and a greater appreciation for the resilience of the people we met.

What a humbling, grounding experience away from the chaos of Delhi traffic. There is a real community spirit here that shines bright through the industrious residents and small business owners. Santan was an amazing tour guide with an abundance of knowledge on the area. He was greeted kindly by so many of the residents. Santan is part of an educational initiative teaching a small group of children 2 hours a day. My partner and I visited the small classroom and met a lot of these students...what a fantastic initiative! Awesome contribution Santan, we will be making a donation to help keep this initiative running. Thanks for sharing your community with us today.

Our tour guide was Santan, he was absolutely brilliant! We really enjoyed spending some time with the community living in the slum. This was by far our favourite tour in Delhi. We would definitely recommend. Santan will take great care of you from start to finish. Thank you Santan!

Santan’s Delhi walking tour gave us a genuine look into the community’s daily life. His eight years of guiding really showed in the way he explained everything with clarity and respect. Nothing felt staged or intrusive. We wandered through the laneways, visited the market, and met locals who were warm and welcoming. The experience was real, human, and far more insightful than anything you’ll find in the standard tourist spots. A tour that’s done right and absolutely worth doing.

This morning’s slum tour in Delhi ended up being one of the most meaningful things we’ve done. Our guide, Santan, has spent eight years walking these lanes and you can feel how much he cares. Everything was done with respect and never felt intrusive. We shared Masala chai with a family who’ve lived in one of the original buildings for generations, wandered through narrow laneways and the local meat market, and got a glimpse into the real rhythms of the community. It challenged every preconception we had and left us with a much deeper appreciation for Delhi and the people who call it home.

Santan was great! He answered any questions I had and was very knowledgeable! It was great to meet locals too!

A really insightful and immersive experience. Our small group guide Santan was highly knowledgeable and was welcomed by the locals as he had grown up nearby and had spent his life in the area. His friendship and acceptance gave us the impression that we were being welcomed by the community rather then being tourists we were also lucky that our fellow tour group members were from all over the world and were all great! A glimpse into the history and real life of the slums. Thank you Santan!

This was the This was the greatest tour I've taken. Felt real safe and cared for by all the people in the community. I seriously would do this tour again. Im truly impressed by all viator tours now. The tour guide santan is extremely nice..he cares for everybody in that community. Thank you santan for showing us all that did that tour that day a great memorable day. The kids of the community made it awesome. Each kid had their own personality. The community people made us all feel welcome. Especially when we had masal tea and a donut. Another great scene was the workers working on the tortilla things..simply amazing amazing

It was an amazing experience to do this community tour. Santan was a perfect guide, was providing helpful explanations and we had a very good time overall. Thanks again 🙏🏼

India has many sides, beautiful and more beautiful. On the tour you will discover the beauty and power in the more complex parts of Delhi. The Slams tour is recommended.

Santan is an incredible guide — warm, insightful and deeply respectful of the community. The tour felt very pure and authentic, not touristy at all. It gives you space to reflect on what truly matters, what you value in life, and how you can contribute to change in your own way. One small thing I personally regretted was not bringing sweets for the children — they are so curious, open and joyful. It would have been a simple gesture that I think they would have appreciated. I highly recommend this tour to anyone who wants a meaningful experience rather than just sightseeing. Santan makes it special.

It was a fabulous tour with Santan- he was very respectful of the community and is obviously well loved. An interesting delve into the way people live their different lives in different environments. Fabulous.

Unforgettable experience - Santan is as a brilliant guide throughout this trip if you want to see another side of Delhi up close and personal!

This tour was beyond incredible. The guide was nothing but welcoming and knowledgeable, but most importantly made everyone involved and welcome. The experience I gained from this was incredible, and I genuinely couldn’t recommend it enough to anyone interested.

This tour was beyond incredible. The guide was nothing but welcoming and knowledgeable, but most importantly made everyone involved and welcome. The experience I gained from this was incredible, and I genuinely couldn’t recommend it enough to anyone interested.

I feel truly honored to have joined this slum walking tour—it was an experience unlike anything I’ve ever had before. Throughout the entire walk, I felt completely safe, as Santan seemed to know almost everyone in the community. What impressed me most was learning that he donates the majority of the tour income back to the community, helping children go to school and supporting teachers’ salaries. His generosity is truly admirable, and I have great respect for him. 我很荣幸能参加这次的贫民窟徒步之旅，这是一段我前所未有的体验。在整个行程中，我都感到十分安全，因为Santan几乎认识社区里的每一个人。最让我震撼的是，Santan会把大部分的导览收入捐献给社区，用来支持孩子们上学和支付老师的费用。他的善举令人钦佩，我对他怀有由衷的敬意。