| Tourist Locations in AP> Visakhapatnam |
This land of the Golden Beaches was just over half a century ago a small fishing village. One would be amazed at the manner in which this port city with a natural harbour developed into one of the fastest growing cities in Asia. Vast stretches of beaches right next to the city on one side and undulating green hills on the other side has made Vizag, as it is endearingly called, a Tourist Haven. An ideal destination, it caters to the religious - minded, the Buddhist pilgrim, the fun-lovers and adventure-seekers. A number of beaches and a long stretch of road along the seashore up to Bheemunipatnam town, the second oldest municipality in the country, are pleasure to experience.
No trip to Vizag is complete without a sojourn at Araku, 110 kilometers away; a lovely valley nestled amidst the high Eastern Ghats. Simhachalam temple, Rushikonda beach, the Dolphin's Nose hillock projecting into the sea... enchantment unlimited - that is Visakhapatnam. |
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| What to see |
"Kailasagiri Park " VUDA Park " Ramakrishna Mission Beach " Lawson's Bay " Dolphin's Nose " Indira Gandhi Zoological Park "Mudasarlova " Etikoppaka " Rushikonda Beach " Bheemunipatnam Beach "Simhachalam "Appikonda "Panchadharala "Borra Caves "Anantagiri "Araku Valley "Tyda " Kondakarla "Balighattam "Annavaram "Buddist Sites |
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| Places of interest |
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| Kailasagiri Park |
| A picturesque hill overlooking the sea, Kailasa Hill is nature's gift. Of the 100 acres available on the hilltop, 50 acres on the seaside have been developed into a beautiful park. This lush green park has a panoramic sea view, and a serene atmosphere, making it an outstanding tourist spot. |
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| VUDA Park |
| With a Musical Fountain, Boating facility and a Skating Rink, the VUDA (Visakhapatnam Urban Development Authority) Park also has facilities like pleasure rides on horses and camels and a well-equipped gymnasium.
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| Ramakrishna Mission Beach |
| A place for leisure and relaxation, Ramakrishna Mission Beach is a natural beauty. There is an imposing Kali Temple near this beach. The aquarium here is an added attraction. Plans are on to upgrade this into an Oceanarium. Giving historic insights of the past is the Visakha Museum. |
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| Lawson' s Bay |
| Visakhapatnam City boasts of several beaches and Lawson's Bay is an ideal spot for swimming and surfing. The shallow waters of the Bay are crystal clear and proven to be the safest areas to bathe. |
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| Dolphin's Nose |
| A conspicuous landmark in Vizag, Dolphin's Nose is a huge rocky headland 174 meters high and 358 meters above sea level, jutting out into the sea, resembling the shape of dolphin. The powerful beacon of the lighthouse set on a rock at sea directs ships 65 Kilometers away. |
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| Indira Gandhi Zoological Park |
| This is the second Zoo Park in the state after Hyderabad. This Zoo is the largest in terms of area with an encompassing 450 acres full of exotic species of animals and birds amidst rolling landscapes of natural habitat. Half of this has been allotted for a deer park. The other 300 types of specimens are allowed to move freely in a natural environment and a huge enclosure forms the Crocodile Park. |
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| Mudasarlova |
A valley framed by hills, Mudasarlova is situated 10 kilometers from the city. It has a lake that supplies drinking water to the city and also makes a good picnic spot. |
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| Etikoppaka |
| Situated on the left bank of river Varaha 20 kilometers to the south of Yellamanchili, Etikoppaka is famous for the toys made with the light Ankudu wood. |
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| Rushikonda Beach |
| Eight kilometers from Visakhapatnam with clean golden beaches; Rushikonda makes an ideal place for swimming, water skiing and wind surfing, in picturesque settings. To provide comfortable accommodation facilities to tourists, APTDC's ‘Punnami' Beach Resort has elegant cottages with a conference hall overlooking the beach, which is also catered by a bar & restaurant. (Click to View) |
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| Bheemunipatnam Beach |
| 24 kilometers from Visakhapatnam at the mouth of River Gosthani, Bheemunipatnam beach forms an ideal spot for swimming and water sports. The remains of a Dutch settlement with a ruined fort, armoury and Dutch cemetery dating back to the 17th Century are preserved here. |
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| Simhachalam |
Simhachalam ('Hill of the Lion') is a well-known place of pilgrimage. Situated on a range of hills, 16 kilometers from Visakhapatnam, Sri Varaha Lakshminarasimha temple at Simhachalam is one of the best-sculpted shrines in Andhra Pradesh. |
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| Appikonda |
| 18 kilometers from Visakhapatnam, Appikonda is also known as Kapilakonda. It has a Siva temple with a life size bull carved out of black stone. The temple contains inscriptions of the 12th Century AD, with a mention that this village was granted by a commander-in-chief of the Cholas for the maintenance of worship in the temple. |
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| Panchadharala |
Situated at a distance of 24 kilometers from Anakapalli, Panchadharala derived its name from the five jets of water coming out of five fountains from a natural perennial spring. There is a Lingam on which are carved other lingams in 12 rows of 85 each and thus also known as the 'Kotilingam' (crore Lingams). There are several inscriptions found on the pillars of the mandapam in the temple. |
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| Borra Caves |
| On the road to Araku Valley, located about 90 kms from Visakhapatnam, Borra Caves house million-year- old stalactite and stalagmite formations, presenting a breathtaking display of naturally sculpted splendor. People throng these caves to make offerings to Lord Shiva seen in the form of natural stone lingas. The crystal white calcium stones are also seen in various forms like a hooded serpent, different human shapes, Narada with his Tambura, Lord Brahma, Radha Krishna and a Nandi. The caves are illuminated by APTDC. |
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| Anantagiri |
| Situated on the way to Araku Valley, Anantagiri is a spot with enchanting beauty. Extensive coffee plantations, numerous waterfalls, of which Tadimada Waterfalls are most famous, and a rivulet add beauty to the place. It is also considered as a health resort. |
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| Araku Valley |
| 112 kilometers from Visakhapatnam, Araku Valley is green and pleasant. The journey to the valley either on the ghat road or by train passing through several tunnels is a pleasure. APTDC conducts a Rail-cum-Road package tour to Araku from Visakhapatnam. The major attractions in Araku are a tribal habitat museum, a tribal village and traditional folk dances including the famous tribal dance called "Dhimsa" (arranged by A.PTDC on request). Comfortable accommodation is provided by APTDC with bar-cum-restaurant at its Punnami Valley Resort |
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| Tyda |
Located 75 kms from Visakhapatnam on the Araku road, Tyda is being developed with camping facilities at Jungle Bells to provide an enchanting experience in the wilderness to the tourists. Home to a variety of wild mammals and avifauna, Tyda is ideal for viewing wildlife and bird watching.
Other attractions are rock climbing, trekking and target shooting with bow & arrows. They can also learn the language of the jungle viz., identification of calls, marks etc. And understand interesting features of various flora and fauna of the Eastern Ghats with the help of naturalists/guides. Tourists can enjoy their stay in log huts and tents set in tribal environs at APTDC's Jungle Bells Nature Camp here |
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| Kondakarla |
| Situated in Achyutapuram mandal, 48 kms. from Visakhapatnam, Kondakarla is famous for its natural lake attracting migratory birds in summer. |
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| Balighattam |
| 3 kms from Narsipatnam, on the banks of river Varahanandi is Balighattam. Brahmalingeswara temple, said to have been built by Lord Brahma, at the foot of a small hill on the western bank is famous. It is believed that Lord Vishnu created the river during his incarnation as boar (Varaha). The deposits of white clay in the riverbed are supposed to be the ashes of a sacrifice performed here by Bali. Thus came the name Balighattam. The river flows from north to south for a short distance. |
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| Annavaram |
| Annavaram in East Godavari is at a distance of 124 kms. from Visakhapatnam and is a sacred pilgrim centre on a hill top known as Ratnagiri. The presiding deity of Annavaram is Veera Venkata Satyanarayana Swamy. It is believed that when a 'Vratha' is performed in the name of deity, the wishes of the devotees come true. It is estimated that an average of about one lakh 'Vrathas' are performed here every year, largely by couples. It is situated on the banks of the river Pampa. |
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Major Buddhist sites in Visakhapatnam (Vizag) District Sankaram Unique Buddhist monuments are found on the two hillocks near the village called Sankaram near Anakapalli. There are three chaityas at three different places carved out on the rocks in the hills. On the eastern side of the hills is a rock cut temple with numerous Buddhist sculptures and a life-size statue of Buddha. These historic monuments are of great interest to tourists. Bavikonda Situated 20 kilometers from Visakhapatnam city, Bavikonda is a site found a decade back on a hill. Religious structures, stupas, chaityagrihas, the congregation hall, platforms, viharas and kitchen-cum- store complexes are found here. The entire complex comprises 26 structures belonging to three phases. The
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recovered here include Roman coins and Satavahana coins apart from pottery dating back to 3rd century BC to 2nd century AD. Thotlakonda Thotlakonda lies about 15 kilometers from Visakhapatnam on the way to Bheemunipatnam. Located 128 m above sea level, this Buddhist site came to light during an aerial survey undertaken by the Indian Navy for locating suitable places to set up a naval base on the Northeastern seacoast. The habitation area over the hill covers 350 x 250 mts. and is dotted with a number of mounds presumably indicating the existence of stupas, votive stupas, viharas, chaityagrihas, pillared hall etc. A similarity found between Bavikonda and Thotlakonda is the provision made for collecting rainwater to cater to the needs of Buddhist monks. Pavuralakonda Pavuralakonda (the Hill of Pigeons) is a local name of the hillock lying to the west of Bhimli. It is located about 24 kilometers from Visakhapatnam. This Buddhist settlement was noticed by the Department of Archaeology, Government of Andhra Pradesh, in the year 1991. Basing on pottery and Brahmi inscription encountered at the site, they have assigned the settlements from 1st century B.C. to 2nd century A.D. Situated at a height of 168 m above sea level, it covers an area of 10 to 12 acres in extent. It is situated at a very imposing position and commands a panoramic view of the curved coastline with a crescent shaped valley and is flanked by a chain of hills on the Southwest and Northwest. Nearly 16 rock cut cisterns for impounding rainwater are noticed over the hillock. |
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