My recent trip to Araku Valley

It is time to head to the Araku Valley. Though the valley enjoys the moderate weather throughout the year, the best time to visit Araku is in between October and February.  The weather during this season is very pleasant – there is a chill in the air and a dense fog in the mornings. The fields around can be slowly visible into a yellow blanket once the fog settles down.

Araku valley is a hill station located at a distance of 120 KM from Visakhapatnam. It’s a beautiful valley nestled in the Eastern Ghats, which has numerous waterfalls and breathtaking views.

The journey to the Araku valley is most enjoyable. We went by our new XUV500 along with our friend’s family. They joined us in Guntur. We started from Guntur at around 11 AM and reached Vizag by 7:30 in the evening that includes various  stoppages. It was a pleasure to drive on NH – 16. We stopped at Tanuku for lunch. I called up one of my friends and he recommended JK Restaurant in Tanuku, which is 1 KM off the high way. The food was reasonably good. We checked into the APTDC’s Yatri Nivas on Beach Road, MVP colony, Vizag at around 8:30 PM. After having a quick shower, we all left for a dinner at my friend’s house, which is around 20 min drive from our hotel. I met Rajeshwarai after 16 years! She prepared a lavish dinner, which was no less than the dinner I had at Fortune, Vizag last year. Ashok (Rajeshwari’s husband) is a kind of person with whom the strangers can also feel comfortable within no time. Frankly speaking, we did not realize that it was 11:30 in the night. We left the place and tried for some coffee near the beach at that time, but in vain.

We woke up early the next day. I went to the beach to see the sun rise and I was lucky! I saw people coming in their 2 or 4-wheelers ,  parking them near the beach and then taking the bicycles from there. The vehicles were not allowed beyond a point during certain hours in the morning as a measure to encourage people do cycling. I like that initiative by GVMC. After having a quick breakfast, we checked out the hotel at 9 AM and started our journey to Araku at around 9:30 AM.  The drive through the winding ghat roads was terrific. One can smell the aroma of coffee from the plantations across the valley. We reached APTDC’s Hill Resort at around 12:30 after noon. I strongly recommend Hill resort over the Valley resort, both operated by AP Tourism. We checked into the rooms that were well kept .We quickly planned for the rest of the day. Though there were not many options for lunch, it was good.

Dumbriguda Chaaparai

We started with Chaaparai, which is around 15 KM from Araku on the way to Paderu. Chaparai is scenic with water falls surrounded with forest.One can experience the beauty of water gushing through natural rocks.

As soon as we reached the place, we saw a young man running and shouting for help. Just then one of his friends drowned into the water. Several people rushed to the spot but no one dared to jump into the water. We felt really sad for the one who drowned. Another friend in their group was managed to come back. It looks very dangerous and locals told that there are quite a few whirlpools. It is better not to enter into water flow area during rainy season as the water current will be high and dangerous.

You have to take your own vehicle or hire a taxi from Araku to see this place. 

Padmapuram gardens

We went to Padmapuram gardens, which is famous for its tree top cottages. We enjoyed the toy train in the garden. Probably, this was my 3^rd time in that garden and it is sad to see that the garden is not being maintained well. We did not take any pictures here as the light was already failed. It is better to plan to be here in the morning or wrap up by 4:30 PM in the winters. The garden usually closes by 5:30 PM.

We came back to the hill resort. After having dinner, we went for a walk, but the valley was already sleeping. There is not much to do shopping in Araku, but you can enjoy the panoramic views of the valley and if you are a nature lover, there are a plenty of activities for you.

Dhimsa and Dinner

We had a private Dhimsa dance with camp fire followed by a dinner. It was a nice experience. There was a small crowd around the camp fire. The temperatures were as low as 5C.

 

 

Galikonda View Point

We started our day 3 with some group pictures followed by a nice breakfast. Later on, we went to Galikonda view point. It is a picture taking spot with some stunning views of the valley in the background.  From there, we went to Borra Caves.

Borra Caves

These are million year old caves. The cave is the biggest in India in terms of the area it has spread. The entry fee for adults is INR 40 and for kids it is INR 30. For still and video camera, you have to pay a little extra. If you have the external flash, you can try taking some pictures inside the caves, but they don’t come as good as you might expect. There is a APTDC restaurant in front of the caves, but literally there are not many options except plain rice, a curry and rasam.

Katiki Waterfalls

You will be stopped by several jeep drivers on your way to the Borra caves. They offer you a trip to Katiki water falls. We parked our vehicle and took a commander jeep to go to the Katiki water falls. They typically charge 150 rupees per person on a shared basis. But, we hired a jeep for our own and we paid 1000 rupees for round trip. It was an 8 – KM drive on a muddy and a bumpy road. The road will pass through a forest alongside of the Gosthani river. Jeep will take you near to the railway track and from there, you have to trek about a kilometer to reach the spectacular waterfalls.  There are some local shops on the way, where you can find corn and bamboo chicken. You need to be extra careful while trekking to the waterfall.

We came back to our hill resort and had some tea. In the evening, we went for some shopping. It was very chilling and we enjoyed that weather.

Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed our trip. It was one of the most memorable trips that I had in the recent times. The GPS in XUV500 helped us a lot and I should write at least a couple of words about that vehicle. It is very powerful and one cannot feel tired even after driving several hours. I covered about 2500 kilometers in less than a week.

Thanks for reading and I wish you all many memorable drives.

You can see more pictures at:
https://picasaweb.google.com/109037157987225477677/DiwaliVacation?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCMKnhrzpheH2uwE&feat=directlink

Written and Camera by Sasi Adiraju
saadiraju@yahoo.com
facebook.com/saadiraju