It was a Good Friday and a long 3-day weekend. So we decided to get out of this routine life and visit some places. Since Vizag is a nearby tourist spot from Hyderabad, we booked train tickets for Thursday. It was Friday, 7.30 in the morning when we reached Vizag. We had reserved a hotel on the beach road beforehand and we directly reached our hotel. It was a lovely hotel with a beautiful sea facing room and I instantly came to like it. The view of Ramakrishna Beach and Dolphin’s Nose from our room was marvelous.
First thing which we did was to book a cab for 4 of us from the travel desk. We decided to start at 10.30AM. After having a light breakfast, we set out for the day.
1st Day - Vizag City Tour:
We started our trip with a visit to Kali Mata Mandir which is situated alongside the beach road. The next place was Vishakha Museum, located on the Beach road. Vishakha Museum has some finest collection of artefacts, life-size portraits and several weapons. Then we stopped at some nearby restaurant to have lunch. After lunch, we set out for Kailashgiri hills, one of the main attractions in Vizag. The place is rejuvenating with cold breeze blowing incessantly. I loved the panoramic view of the Bay of Bengal from Titanic view point. Indeed, the sight of Rushikonda and Ramakrishna shorelines from an altitude of 360ft is spectacular. Kailashgiri is also known for the grand 40ft statue of Shiv-Parvati and the Floral-Watch. Our next stop was the hill temple, Simhachalam, where Narasimha, the incarnation of Lord Vishnu, is worshipped. The temple is an example of architectural splendor with its intricately sculpted structures. By the time we came back to Vizag, it was dusk and we decided to stop by the Rushikonda beach. After a refreshing walk on the beach, we moved on to visit the famous Submarine Museum – Kursura. INS Kursura is a Russian built submarine and turned into a museum on Feb 27th, 2001 after it was decommissioned from use. Since then it has remained as one of the most interesting tourist spots in Vizag. We finally put an end to our city tour with a visit to the Matsyadarshini Aquarium. This aquarium has one of the finest collections of marine species, some of which are of a rare variety.
2nd Day - Trip to Araku Valley:
Next morning we started for Araku valley, located on the Eastern Ghats and is at a distance of 112kms from Vizag. On the way to Araku, we saw TYDA, an eco-tourism project and a nature camp which is an apt place for bird-watching, trekking and rock-climbing. The scenic beauty of Araku valley was enthralling. We first went towards the botanical garden at Padmapuram. A beautiful rose garden and some exotic variety of flowers and trees will mesmerize you. You will also find some stone sculptures and tree houses over there. A short drive from this horticultural garden took us to the Tribal Museum. The museum puts on view scenes from the daily lifestyle of the local inhabitants. As we entered, we found all delicately crafted handicraft items on a show. Then there was a view of Dhimsa, a famous tribal dance. I felt as if these wooden figures of men and women can come into life anytime..!! After this, we went towards the famous Borra Caves. On the way we found the whole valley covered with coffee plantation, known as Ananthagiri Coffee Plantations. It was really a pleasing sight. Next spot was Borra Caves, a human brain shaped cave, with million year old formations of stalactites and stalagmites. It was breathtaking to see nature’s grandeur. The whole cave was illuminated in yellow and green lights. It was interesting to find some of the limestone structure taking the shape of some mythological figures. It is really a must see place. We stopped at Haritha, an APTDC hotel, to have our lunch. On our way back, we stopped by a viewpoint called Galikonda viewpoint, the highest point of Vizag which is at a height of 3700ft above sea level. This place offers a magnificent view of hills and the valley around. We concluded our trip with this.
3rd and the Final Day – Few other places:
We got up very early and went to Rushikonda beach to take a bath. The dawn at Rushikonda beach was so stimulating. We splashed water, played it in till we were full. After that, we went to hotel to freshen up. Since few hours were left, we planned to go to the Vizag harbor and Dolphin’s Nose point before we leave. Dolphin’s Nose is located in the southern part of Vizag and is known for its Light House. It is a rock with a height of 174mtrs and is situated at an altitude of 358mtrs above sea level. This wonderful place marked the end of our trip.
First thing which we did was to book a cab for 4 of us from the travel desk. We decided to start at 10.30AM. After having a light breakfast, we set out for the day.
1st Day - Vizag City Tour:
We started our trip with a visit to Kali Mata Mandir which is situated alongside the beach road. The next place was Vishakha Museum, located on the Beach road. Vishakha Museum has some finest collection of artefacts, life-size portraits and several weapons. Then we stopped at some nearby restaurant to have lunch. After lunch, we set out for Kailashgiri hills, one of the main attractions in Vizag. The place is rejuvenating with cold breeze blowing incessantly. I loved the panoramic view of the Bay of Bengal from Titanic view point. Indeed, the sight of Rushikonda and Ramakrishna shorelines from an altitude of 360ft is spectacular. Kailashgiri is also known for the grand 40ft statue of Shiv-Parvati and the Floral-Watch. Our next stop was the hill temple, Simhachalam, where Narasimha, the incarnation of Lord Vishnu, is worshipped. The temple is an example of architectural splendor with its intricately sculpted structures. By the time we came back to Vizag, it was dusk and we decided to stop by the Rushikonda beach. After a refreshing walk on the beach, we moved on to visit the famous Submarine Museum – Kursura. INS Kursura is a Russian built submarine and turned into a museum on Feb 27th, 2001 after it was decommissioned from use. Since then it has remained as one of the most interesting tourist spots in Vizag. We finally put an end to our city tour with a visit to the Matsyadarshini Aquarium. This aquarium has one of the finest collections of marine species, some of which are of a rare variety.
2nd Day - Trip to Araku Valley:
Next morning we started for Araku valley, located on the Eastern Ghats and is at a distance of 112kms from Vizag. On the way to Araku, we saw TYDA, an eco-tourism project and a nature camp which is an apt place for bird-watching, trekking and rock-climbing. The scenic beauty of Araku valley was enthralling. We first went towards the botanical garden at Padmapuram. A beautiful rose garden and some exotic variety of flowers and trees will mesmerize you. You will also find some stone sculptures and tree houses over there. A short drive from this horticultural garden took us to the Tribal Museum. The museum puts on view scenes from the daily lifestyle of the local inhabitants. As we entered, we found all delicately crafted handicraft items on a show. Then there was a view of Dhimsa, a famous tribal dance. I felt as if these wooden figures of men and women can come into life anytime..!! After this, we went towards the famous Borra Caves. On the way we found the whole valley covered with coffee plantation, known as Ananthagiri Coffee Plantations. It was really a pleasing sight. Next spot was Borra Caves, a human brain shaped cave, with million year old formations of stalactites and stalagmites. It was breathtaking to see nature’s grandeur. The whole cave was illuminated in yellow and green lights. It was interesting to find some of the limestone structure taking the shape of some mythological figures. It is really a must see place. We stopped at Haritha, an APTDC hotel, to have our lunch. On our way back, we stopped by a viewpoint called Galikonda viewpoint, the highest point of Vizag which is at a height of 3700ft above sea level. This place offers a magnificent view of hills and the valley around. We concluded our trip with this.
3rd and the Final Day – Few other places:
We got up very early and went to Rushikonda beach to take a bath. The dawn at Rushikonda beach was so stimulating. We splashed water, played it in till we were full. After that, we went to hotel to freshen up. Since few hours were left, we planned to go to the Vizag harbor and Dolphin’s Nose point before we leave. Dolphin’s Nose is located in the southern part of Vizag and is known for its Light House. It is a rock with a height of 174mtrs and is situated at an altitude of 358mtrs above sea level. This wonderful place marked the end of our trip.
