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Beckoning VALLEY
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Araku is an ideal spot for a brief interlude of chill-out between heavy work schedules.
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--Photos: K.R. Deepak
A panoramic view of the hill slopes in the valley. --Photos: K.R. Deepak
With work pressure getting the better of the city-dwellers, the urge to escape from the monotony is growing. Apart from the money factor, going to tourist destinations far from Visakhapatnam needs a lot of planning.
Araku, 120 km. from the city, and its environs, are ideal for a quick and laidback trip. Instead of rushing through, one can visit Borra caves, Anantagiri and Araku, with an overnight stay in the well-designed Punnami valley resort at Araku.
The AP Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC) has developed several facilities to attract tourists.
Even before one reaches Araku, Tyda, 75 km. from the city, offers the first opportunity to co-exist in the lap of nature.
Eco-tourism
The Jungle Bells is an eco-tourism project taken up in collaboration with the Forest Department by the APTDC.
Barring the leaves gently swaying or an occasional vehicle passing by, it is an ideal getaway, secluded, serene, far from the madding crowd. Wooden cottages, totalling 14, have been constructed without disturbing the environment. Those who really want to unwind, have an opportunity to unplug.
There is no TV at Tyda. No signals for the cell. Only intercom works. Trekking, bird-watching, camp fire, archery by tribals and Dhimsa dance are some of the programmes organised for tourists. The restaurant has a la carte menu.
On the way from Borra caves to Araku, the well-appointed APTDC restaurant at Anantagiri offers a welcome break. The restaurant with lawns in front of it and the surrounding landscape is an ideal stopover for a bite.
Before reaching Araku Valley, from the Galikondalu viewpoint is a "must stop" for the panoramic view it offers. The viewpoint is at about 3,800 ft. above mean sea level. The highest point of the Anantagiri range on the Eeastern Ghats, 4,321 ft. MSL, can be seen from the viewpoint. With the fields beneath, criss-crossing narrow roads and flowers blossoming the valley, the place is a favourite of locale shooting producers. The valley below Sunkarimetta, a vantage point, is also a preferred shooting spot.
Valley resort
A breath-taking view of Araku on a sunny morning
By the time you reach Araku, the APTDC's valley resort beckons you. Constructed after renovating an existing bungalow, the hotel is drawing more people. Several tourists, who used to rush through their trip earlier, now prefer staying back to relax. The hotel has a gym, massage parlour, swimming pool, and billiards and snooker tables and a ping-pong table. The resort has a conference hall, too.
"After the hotel came, we see that the composition of tourists is changing. Now 60 per cent are from Visakhapatnam and other areas like Rajahmundry. What is more heartening is that they are coming again," says B. Vizia Gopal, manager of the 55-room resort.
What many tourists are doing now is stay overnight at Araku after visiting Borra caves. The next morning is devoted to seeing things in and around Araku. The occupancy this year is 63 per cent, an increase of 20 per cent compared to the previous year. But during the season, it is more than 90 per cent.
At the Mayuri complex, also at Araku, there is a hill resort with cottages for tourists, offering a breathtaking view of the valley. A tribal art and crafts village is being developed to promote tribal arts. The Habitat Museum nearby with lifelike tribal figures offers an insight into their living style, musical instruments, dances, weapons and eating habits.
If the landscape in the morning at Araku turns foggy in September, one can imagine what it would be like in winter. The hills that greet one from the rooms of the hotel are hid behind the veil of fog with visibility reduced to a few feet. So pack enough woollens. Have a cosy holiday at Araku.
G.V. PRASADA SARMA
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