IRCTC has stopped the tour package from Hyderabad however you can book via the Telangana tourism website listed below.
IRCTC Papikondalu Package Tour
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 can get
the tickets from the IRCTC office located near the entrance from
platform # 1 side or their office near the clock tower. 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 (Telangana tourism)
Note: The IRCTC people will ask you to come and collect the tickets in person which may be a hassle. Become adamant that you cannot come down in person. Since they have started booking e-tickets it is possible for them to email along with the scanned copies of other documents.
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.
Day 1: Rajamundry
Compared to Hyderabad,
Rajamundry it is a very small town. Also while they write it as "mundry" the actual pronunciation is as 'mandry'. You will reach Rajamundry in the morning. There is
no guide on this tour and everything has been completely outsourced by IRCTC to the local travel agents. They will call you while you are still on the train and inform you about your pickup vehicle which will be parked in the parking towards the exit from platform #1 side. The driver will take you to the hotel where your accommodation has been booked. In our case it was a different hotel than what is mentioned on the IRCTC website. The hotel staff is not very sophisticated and you will have to ask them for everything. However, since you would only be using the room to freshen up and sleep it should be manageable.
Accommodation Rating: 2/5
Expect serious language problem if you do not know Telugu right from the time you set foot in Rajamundry.
On a positive note you will get to experience rural Andhra first hand for the next two days.
Papikondalu
As soon as you get ready you and your co-passengers will be taken by the same vehicle to the office of the tour operator managing the tour. If your train was late(which it usually will be) you may have to rush a bit.
Carry all your reservation documents along with you. They will issue you a ticket for the Boat cruise and from there you will be taken on a bus to the pick-up point at the river bank. You may carry one bag of essential stuff that might be required. In the evening you may feel a bit cold due to the breeze over the river so some warm clothing can be carried along. Although some of might find the weather to be pleasant as well. Note down the bus number as in the evening/night it might get dark and we will have locate our bus. Given the language problem and the interior location we might be in for some adventure if we are lost.
The road and the bus both are not very good and if possible try to get a front seat unless you enjoy rural Indian roads. However, you will enjoy the greenery and the scenery. The place is the most fertile region of Andhra Pradesh and gives a very different feeling when compared to the hustle and bustle of Hyderabad or any other big city.
Some of the pick points are not very good and have steep slopes so if possible wear appropriate shoes and clothing. If not, do not worry it is still manageable in a saree/chappal just be a tad more careful.The lower deck is air-conditioned but they do not run the AC during the onward journey. The upper deck will provide a better view but is also exposed to the Sun directly. Also there will be few folks who will dance to the Telugu numbers on the upper deck, make you and the co-passengers dance, play tambola during the return journey. So you can choose your spot accordingly. You can also choose to move up and down the decks and that is not a problem in any way. However, from an experience perspective the boat and the music is way too noisy and if your plans were to enjoy the scenic beauty in peace and tranquility you will be disappointed.
You will be served breakfast once you are in the boat and it has set off for its day long journey. It might be 1100 hrs and the side pick shows what you will be having by then so prepare accordingly.
The first stop-over point is this pink colored building, a police station with some history as per the guide. The station witnessed some action during the British era when it was attacked by some of the freedom fighters.
The journey after that will continue non-stop till the dropping point where the co-passengers for Bhadrachalam tour have to be dropped. You will reach this venue at around 1500 hrs. There is Shiva temple and the religiously inclined can get down for the darshan. The boat will stop at this venue for around 30 mins. You can also buy some beautifully local handicrafts made out of bamboo here.
On a different note if you have plans to opt for the IRCTC Bhadrachalam tour, be considerate that there is a steep slope that needs to be navigated from the river bank to the road with all your luggage and the condition of the stairs is very bad. You will have to hire porters if you are carrying some luggage. The IRCTC folks have mentioned this upfront on their site but just to re-iterate. It might be a bit difficult for the elderly. I would suggest that you check out the APTDC road tour if you are keen on Bhadrachalam in that case.
The boat will stop mid-way once to pick up your lunch which is prepared by the locals living on the banks of the river. En-route you will also get to see the Bamboo huts on the beach alongside the river where tourists can stay over-night. This is again not part of any of the IRCTC packages. It is included in the APTDC package and can be availed from the tour operators directly if you are planning the tour your self. The sun would be setting by the time we reach the dropping point and there will be some beautiful scenes for our viewing pleasure.
Overall, we felt that dedicating the whole day on boat cruise was a bit too much. The only reason for planning the tour in this manner are logistical as they have to drop off the Bhadrachalam passengers at a certain point. Instead, it would be better if the journey is shortened with a longer stopover at one of the beaches. Irrespective of this it could a new experience and may not be there for the taking once the
Polavaram project is complete as most of the area will submerge underwater.
We get down very near to the tour operators office and they will request you to fill a feedback form for day one and also ask for our option for day 2 between Konaseema or Annavaram.
Kadiam: area is famous for its plant nurseries. On the face of it does not sound that exciting but you will be amazed at the size and the number of these.
Antervedi: Is a coastal village which is confluence of the river Godavari (the largest river of peninsular India and the incarnation of Ganga in the South). There is temple of Lord Narsingh( one of the avatar of Vishu). There is a giant chariot located near the temple as well which would be 2 storey tall.
All the other locations are famous for their temples. Since the Konaseema has a mix of temples and the beach we opted for Konaseema.
Papikondalu Rating: 2.5/5
Day 2:
The cab will arrive sharp at 7 am although the tour operator will ask you to be ready by 0600. Plan accordingly and try not be late than 0700 as you will find traffic if you start late. They do not serve breakfast today although it is part of the package. Feel free to decide your course of action. Either ways it would be a Idly/Vada. Incidentally, food at Rajamundry is a lot less expensive compared to Hyderabad. Also, we need to check-out while we leave. We can leave the luggage at the hotel cloak room/the tour operators office or carry it in the vehicle which ever is convenient. Our hotel did have a cloak room although because of the language problem initially the receptionist said it was not there. Only when our co-passengers who were conversant in Telugu asked him he said yes.
Also avoid wearing shoes today as taking them off at the temples and the beach will be inconvenient.
Kadiam: The pictures from one of the Kadiam nursery should be self-explanatory about the venue.
Ryali temple is the next stop over point. From here we will start for Antervedi, the largest stretch of the journey. The amount of greenery was breath taking to watch and it should be mentioned that some of this area was destroyed during the cyclone. The sheer number of the coconut trees is daunting. We will reach the Antervedi beach at around 1100 hrs. If you plan to stay at the beach for long time first visit the nearby temple as it will close at 1230 and then only reopen at 0300. There is a langar at the temple in case one would like to have the lunch there.
The beach is pristine and not many people are around. Not more than 20. The river Godavari joins the Bay of Bengal from our right if we stand facing the ocean. The exact confluence point though is not visible. For that you can hire a local fisherman boat and they will take you to the exact confluence point. If the plan is to stay longer, they can even take one to the island which is located in the middle of the river. Plan to bargain nicely with these folks and they will agree at Rs 50 per person if it is a more than 10 member group else at around Rs 500 for 7-8 people. Once we are done with the beach we can start for Inavilli and have lunch en-route.
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| The confluence of River Godavari and Bay of Bengal as per the local fishermen. |
We will reach Rajamundry by around 1830 to 1900. You can ask the driver to stop over at the ISKON temple and attend the aarti there. Collect your luggage and then the cab driver will drop us at the station. There are AC and SL waiting room with decent facilities at the Rajamundry station and the train generally departs from the first platform itself although it departs late.
Day 2 Rating: 3/5
Overall we found the experience to be average for this tour from IRCTC and they can do a better job on this one.
For some of you who might be interested to take the trip via road may refer this
link
