Patalpani Heritage Train

Patalpani Heritage Train

If you are a train and a nature enthusiast you must take the Patalpani Heritage train which leaves from Dr. Ambedkar Nagar (Mhow) at around 11am and takes you to the Patalpani waterfalls and then to Kalakund where you can spend good time having lunch at railway canteen serving delicious local cuisine and on the banks of the Choral river.

The Struggle: The problematic part is getting the tickets to the train as there is no online booking option and the booking counters open only 3 hrs in advance and apparently a queue starts at mid-night. The train has 6 coaches. 4 of them G1 to G4 are general coaches with no assigned seats and wooden benches. There are two reserved chair cars with assigned seats C1 and C2. 

In case you are unable to get the tickets on the counter talk to the Chief Ticket inspector and they should be able to help out.

Pit Stops:

Patalpani Waterfalls:

Patalpani Waterfalls

The stream before it plunges down the cliff

Patalpani Bridge: 

Second Pit Stop: Patalpani Bridge

Kalakund Heritage Station: This is the last stop before where we will have lunch before heading back to Mhow. The train stops here for around 2 hours. If you had ordered your lunch you can savour the local cuisines from the railway canteen. Alternatively, you could also buy some food from the local villagers or have your own lunch.

Kalakund Heritage Station

There is small railway museum (Interpretation Center) which has a number of vintage artifacts from the railways on display.

From the station you could descend to the river bed of the Choral river and drench your feet. Depending on the season the water levels may be quite different. Also exercise caution as the water levels in the falls and rivers can change at a very short notice (few minutes).

Luxembourg

The city has a number of historical, religious and artistic attractions. A lot of these can be covered on foot. In fact you should seriously consider covering them on foot if you have sometime and do not mind walking.

Grand Duke Jean Museum of Modern Art

Fortress Museum

Udaipur

Udaipur is the Land of Maharana Pratap. The capital of the erstwhile kingdom of Mewar. Often called the 'Venice of the East', although the title sounds a big exaggeration, the city can definitely be called 'City of Lakes'. There are 7 lakes in and around the city and you will not realize that you are in Thar Desert region of India.

Getting There By Train:

The city is well connected via rail. You could check out your options here.
The city has two railway stations: Rana Pratapnagar and Udaipur City. We got down at Udaipur City.

Things to keep in mind:

It's a small city and station and if you are arriving late then do not relax on the platform for long. You will not find Auto's immediately and will have to get to the main road.

If you are a budget traveler, try to book the rooms on the Platform itself in advance via irctc.com. They will be almost 50% less costlier then the hotels.

There is hotel within walking distance of the station exit as well and it's actually not a bad option.

In and Around the City:

Udaipole (Pole in the local language means Gate) is around 3 KM from this place. The major attractions: City Palace, Gulab Bagh, Vintage Car Museum of the City are at a walking (within a 2 KM radius) distance from Udaipole.

The Auto-wallah would show you around 9 points in the city and will charge anywhere between 400 to 500. Not all these points are worth watching in my opinion. My recommendation is the City Palace and Pratap Smarak only. City palace is walkable from Udaipole, Pratap Smarak is a bit far.

Attractions:

City Palace:

Surya: Emblem of the Clan

 

Main Entry to the Palace

Pratap Smarak

Pratap Smarak

Shopping:

Rajasthan has quite a few Zinc mines and Hindustan Zinc has a production facility in Udaipur. You will get a lot of decorative items and women's accessories made out of zinc mixed with other metals in the city and these are the areas specialty.

As Moradabad is famous for it brass-work, one can say that Udaipur is famous for Zinc work.

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.