Brilliantly planned. The leader for the visit-Mohit, is quite passionate about the upliftment of the locals. And the locals are great and enthusiastic too. Highly recommended.

Myself and 2 other mates did a personal tour to the Elephanta caves and then a village visit with lunch included. We were met at the Gateway of India by our guide Siddhant who organised our boat tickets and rode with us to the island. He was very informative on the way over and told us we would be having breakfast at his restaurant when we got there. That turned out to be a wonderful local breakfast that we all thoroughly enjoyed. We were then passed on to our local island guide Milind who looked after us for the rest of our tour. He led us to the caves and displayed excellent knowledge of the entire area and was happy to answer our many many questions. Once we had completed that part of the tour we headed off to Milind's own village while he told us about the village and what life was like for the occupants. Once again his knowledge is excellent and he again answered our many questions. On arrival at the village we spent some time walking through the area discussing various topics before we arrived at his house and were treated to an excellent lunch arrange by his lovely wife. We left his house totally satisfied both with our appetite for food and the friendly way we were welcomed by Milind and his wife. he then led us back to the port where we set sail back to Mumbai. An excellent day made all the better by meeting Milind, I would recommend his services to anyone who is fortunate enough to get him as their guide.

The experience was great and the same was organised well by the Swadesee & Padel Thirst team. Got a chance to meet wonderful people and eat/drink delectable local food/drinks throughout the experience. I would definitely recommend anyone who is 'genuinely interested' in knowing more about various cultures and traditions in the country (as Mohit, the Founder of Swadesee, seemed to know a lot about the history of the place and the people residing in the villages), and to someone like me who is searching for new experiences on a frequent basis.

Hi I am Neha ,India's leading social craft entrepreneur based in mumbai. I work in rural India with authentic ,fair trade crafts ,live a organic and very simple life and i love to travel,meet new people and cultures. I wanted to gift myself something very unique, adventurous, on my birthday this year 2020 which falls on 16th Feb and was looking for something which would cover my interests and not to far just a bit outskirts of Mumbai. I have traveled with Swadesse for Ahupe trek and The Alibaug Museum Trail, so i immediately checked with Mohit the founder of Swadesse a young chirpy passionate entrpruener for local experinces which is what i love and the Korlai bycycling trip was the only option. I am not a regular cyclist but after speaking to Mohit he assured me i could do it so i booked myself for the 15-16th week end 2020 Korlai trip The trip was interesting with 16 of us from Alibaug to Korlai .I t was an beautiful experince to cycle and enagage in nature,i was supported by Sai and Omkar since i could not race like others. However with their support i completed 50 kms in total. I swam at an untouched beach, discovered a beautiful portuegese culture,ate local food, the korlai fort, temples ,sunrise,sunsets just touched my heart and it was great to be with 16 like minded positive enthusiasts people Moreover my birthday was celebrated with rural women team who are micro entrepreneurs and getting trained by Swadesse to rum the entire local experiences independently. If you are in India give me a shout to travel as i have many craft stories and places to share we can travel together and I recommend each one of you to join Swadesse for local authentic experiences in Rural Maharashtra. I am joining them for the Vasai and Sindhudurg experince next come over . Stay Connected with Swadesse and wid me Neha matsyacrafts/instagram

This wasn't the usual Lonavala trip. What it was, was 2 days of great hospitality, fun activities, jovial company, stimulating conversations, stunning views & super delicious authentic food. Thank you Swadesee!!!!!!!!

This trek experience was very well organised by swadesee. I went with my sister who was trekking for the first time and she absolutely enjoyed it and is looking forward to more such excursions. The guide was very knowledgeable and helpful. He took us through the devraais - forests preserved by the villagers and more than 800 years old. The homestay was clean and we felt welcomed. Tai specially made puranpolis for us on request. It was lovely to sit under the stars for a bonfire. Overall this experience was high in culture, nature and positive energy.

The trip to Warli village was simply amazing! We had the opportunity to understand the local Warli community and experience their way of life through their food , dance , village tour and painting workshop. The workshop by Mr Sanjay was a treat as it was a way to learn the art directly for the award winner .He made it so simple for us that even a person not an artist could enjoy! The breakfast and lunch served in the trip was tasty healthy and organic! The tribal dance along with the local instrument gave us an insight into their life . We just couldn’t stop ourselves from joining them .Their enthusiasm was super ! Great trip !

A wonderfully organised trip. Right from ease of payment, to communication, to facilitation till Elephanta caves, to the knowledge of the partner at the caves and right upto the hospitality extended by the partner. The food was homemade and excellent. It was a wonderful experience and will definitely like to take my elder parents next time.

Informative and fun walk which was very well organised by Swadesee. It is a must do for history lovers and those looking to see a different side of Bombay. Sunil and his team explained the significance of all the old buildings and ruins in detail and the tunnel crawl to end the walk adds to the adventure. Must-try experience, especially when the weather is cool.

Had a wonderful experience with Swadessi group. It was a knowledgeable worlikoliwada walk. Was nt aware that there is village still in existence in crowded city like Mumbai.But this Swadessi group give every information about the worli koliwada village. Would like to visit other places also with swadessi. Thank you Swadessi group.

Amazing experience, our guide Anita Yewale was very knowledgeable of the place and the locals living there. If you to experience the city like a local i would recommend Swadesee.

I went on the Worli Koliwada walk on Sunday afternoon (Mar 31) and it was riveting. I've lived in the city all my life and I didn't know there was so much to learn about this ancient village. Also, I like the fact that the content was perfect for someone who knew the city very well as well as for people new to Mumbai. The pace of the walk, conducted marvellously by Anita Yewale, was leisurely and yet not too slow. It meandered through the village. We went into some of the homes, spoke to the families. Saw a large, ancient house with wooden pillars holding up the porch. Saw a more average house that had three kitchens and an attic. Ended with sunset by the sea. Overall, a marvellous experience and a lesson in the many hidden worlds within Mumbai. Would definitely recommend.

Great, authentic experience. We were traveling with a group of friends. The trip was well organized and our stay in Velas was lovely

With a group of friend we visited Velas, a beautiful village few hours from Mumbai. It was awesome, beautiful beaches and lush nature. We stayed in a small village, ate local specialties. It was truly an authentic and enriching experience!

Spent 2 days in Velas. It was amazing. Mohit, our tour guide, is a pleasant company and very knowledgeable of the place and local habits. He took us to the beach (one of the most amazing natural landscapes I've ever seen in my life), we hiked in the jungle and had a sailboat tour on a fishing boat with local fishermen. We slept at a farmer's place (a guy who rents out some rooms and cooks for you). It was interesting to see what local people do for living, how they approach life and the work they do. Everything we did was amazing. If you want to experience real India, you should try Swadesee.