Araku Vizag Tour

IRCTC no longer offers this tour from Hyderabad but I hope the below details should help you in planning your trip.

The tour is offered in two packages Standard and Comfort. The main difference is with respect to the railway berth that is allotted. In case of Comfort it is AC 3 tier while in case of standard it is Sleeper 3 tier. The tour starts from Secunderabad railway station. You will get the tickets from the IRCTC office located near the entrance from platform # side. You can make your bookings through the designated travel agents or the IRCTC offices. You can also book the seats online by going to this website.

Package Details

The website provides the details of the package inclusions and exclusions nicely and you can also refer to these on you reservation print.

You will reach Vizag in the morning and a IRCTC guide will be there to receive you at the station. Typically there are six seats reserved for the package in the Comfort format and they are likely to be in the same coupe. Assuming that the passenger count is around that number, expect a Sumo or a Qualis to be you transport vehicle for the next few days.

You will be taken to a nearby hotel where you can freshen up. For breakfast you will get Idly and Vada. The guide will arrange it for you. You may as well order something from the hotel. Once you are ready you will checkout from your hotel (along with your luggage) and will be taken to Kailasagiri.

Kailasagiri provides a breath taking view of the entire Vizag town and the beach. It has a number of other attractions as well like the Siva-Parvathi statue, a toy train and a rope way. You should take the toy train ride as it takes you around the hill top and provides 360 view of the city. The rope way is also a decent attraction specially if you have not experienced it first. You should be done in 2-3 hrs.

Araku: Next you will start for Araku by road. The alternative is to go by train and that is likely to be a different experience but that is not part of this package. Pretty soon the road will start snaking around the Araku hills and mountains. If you nauseate on such journey please keep some medicine handy. The roads are not as winding as in the North Indian hill station, nor is the elevation very high. Also, from a temperature and clothing perspective, do not worry too much and may be just carry a jacket with you particularly if are from North India. It would not be as cold as some people might make it out to be. On your way the cab will stop at the Tyda Jungle Resort for lunch. The food is decent but obviously with a South Indian touch. You will reach Araku by evening 5-6 pm. On the way be on the lookout for a few local things like spices, coffee, local chocolates to purchase if you are interested. Be prepared to put your negotiation skills to test with the street side vendors.

You will find the coffee to be cheap in this are, but one of the prime reason for the same is its composition. The coffee is a bit raw and there is something which does not dissolve when you actually prepare coffee. I am not particularly sure on the details but I guess the Chicori (a mix in coffee) proportion is higher when compared to Nescafe or Bru instant coffee. The local chocolates are nice though and you should definitely try them.

When you arrive at Araku, you will have the option to visit the tribal museum before checking into the hotel. One will like it unless one is particularly disinterested in such places. You can the check in to the hotel and are free to roam around the town if you wish to. The elevation of Araku is nothing compared to some of the Himalayan hill stations so please do not have any such notions else you will be disappointed. However, its a nice weekend get away from the hustle and bustle of the cities, has ample greenery and very pleasant weather.

Borra Caves: Next morning, the guide will arrange for breakfast. Again these will be packaged idly/vada. These might not suffice and it is advisable that you order something else as well in the hotel. You will checkout and then start for Borra caves. You will reach the caves around noon. The limestone structures are pretty amazing to watch. Also the Araku railway line passes right over the cave wall and there is a marking in the cave which indicates the same. There is a lingam as well within the caves. Once you are though with the caves you will head back for Vizag.

Vizag: You will reach Vizag but afternoon around lunch time and will be taken to a AP tourism hotel for lunch. Again the food is decent but with a local touch. Once you are through with lunch you can opt for the beach or a local park. I would suggest that you go for the beach as there is nothing special about the park.

A major attraction on the beach is the submarine museum INS Kurusura. A must see. You will get a first hand glimpse of a naval submarine from the inside. It was a memorable experience for me. Post this you can walk and roam around the beach which is relatively well maintained and clean.

You could also take a drive down the road adjoining the beach before you head for the station to board your train for Hyderabad.

I must say that the guide was a pretty nice chap and was always eager to help and very polite. Overall, its a very decent package for a weekend getaway from Hyderabad. I am not sure why IRCTC does not run this tour during the winter months as it is not that cold in Araku anyways. Not sure if it is because of the rains. The pace of the tour is also decent and there is no need to rush, however, one might complain that it does not cover all the attractions of Vizag particularly few of the temples and the Buddhist sites located in and around Vizag.

APTDC Shirdi Package Tour Review

Overall Rating: 3/5

There are a number of packages run by APTDC for Shirdi. This specific review pertains to the Sleeper Coach 3 day package, although much of points would be applicable for the other tours as well.

Bus Rating: 4/5

The Sleeper coach is nice and relatively well maintained. It is normal bus though from Veera though and not a Volvo or a Mercedes. The biggest glitch with the coach was it did not have any entertainment amenities like a personal LCD which several sleeper coaches have to offer.

Another important thing to note is that the bus has pick points from Ameerpet, KPHB(Ganesh Marbles) and somewhere in Miyapur as well although the APTDC website does not mention this. You can take the driver's contact number and coordinate the same.

On-Route Experience: 2/5

While going from HYD-Shirdi the Bus stops at Harita hotels for dinner which is a decent place when compared to what is normally available on the highway.

One of the biggest pains during the bus journey is finding a suitable place to attend to nature's call. The loo at Harita resort is by far the best one at which the bus will make a stopover.

The other place that it stops later and during the return journey leave a lot to be desired. Most of the other venues wereawfully dirty and some did not even have water available. Most of the APTDC buses from the other packages as well will make the stopver at the same venues.

On complaining the conductor says that these stop over points are designated by the APTDC management so he does not have much flexibility.

Another, minor irritant was these guys stopping the bus to pick unscheduled passengers if the bus happens to be empty. Creates some delay and undue noise.

Hotel: 2/5

They have a tie up with a hotel called Sai Ujjwal. What I will mention next is something very important in case you 4 or more members are traveling. Do not book your tickets together. If you do, you will get a single 4-bedroom room whereas the money that you end up paying does not reduce. Now this can create an awkward and unexpected situation. And if you request for two separate room the hotel guy will ask for extra money and does not entertain your request.

Instead make two separate booking of 2 people each. That way you will get multiple rooms. It avoids any awkward situations, saves money and time. Time as now you will have multiple bathroom which is the bottleneck in the race to get ready. The earlier you get ready the sooner you can get into the Q and save time therefore.

Darshan: 5/5

You will have to manage the darshan on you own and there are no tokens required. Avoid taking cellphones and bags etc. Although they did not stop people who were carrying these to our surprise but may be they start enforcing it if there is rush. You can deposit your footwear near the Entry Gate # 2.

The best part about the Darshan was, that the devotees are allowed inside the premises in batches. You will be made to sit on the floor and while the priest will perform all the rites and then the aarti. You can watch this directly or over the big LCD TV's placed in the halls. Subsequently you can seek the blessings from close quarters as you are made to leave the premises.

You can collect UDI( holy ash) from the counters outside. You can also visit the Museum where a number of Baba's personal belongings are kept.

The one's more religiously inclined should also visit the Dwarkamai Complex. This is the place where Baba used to stay and cook food.

Food: 4/5

You should be done with the darshan by 1:30 to 2 at max. You can have food at any of the nearby stalls and there is ample variety available and then headback to the hotel. The bus leaves sharp at 4:30pm for Hyderabad.