Vishakapatnam Travel Guide

Visakhapatnam or Vizag is the name of one place and is a flourishing industrial city on the east coast of India. This port city having the biggest shipbuilding yard in India and is the headquarters of the Eastern Naval Command also. The beautiful city with its twin town Waltair, forms a harmonious blend of majestic hills, valleys and golden beaches along the Bay of Bengal coastline. A major port handling high volume of cargo, it has developed oil refining, fertilizer, petro-chemical, steel plant, sugar refining and jute industries.

General Information
Area: 11,200 sq km
Population: 52,670,092

Access
Air: Airport is 16km from city centre. Visakhapatnam is air linked with Kolkata, Hyderabad and Madras, which in turn is connected by Indian Airlines with Mumbai.

Rail: Visakhapatnam is well connected with all the important cities of India. Visakhapatnam junction railway station is on the main Kolkata to Chennai line.

Road: Visakhapatnam has well organised bus terminal. National Highway No.5 (Howra to Chennai) passes through Visakhaptnam. The APS RTC has services to destinations within Andhra Pradesh and the cities in the neighboring states of Orissa and Madhya Pradesh. Also regular city bus services connect places of interest in the City with each other.

Sea: Vishakapatnam is connected by sea to Kolkata, Madras, Port Blair, Ganjam, and Kakinada among other places.

Places of Interest
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.

Bavikonda
Bavikonda is located 16 km.away from Vishakhapatnam along the beach road leading to Bheemunipatnam. The hill acquired the name Bavikonda due to the existence of wells on the hill to collect rain water for drinking purpose.Excavations on the hill-top brought to light an extensive Buddhist establishment consisting of a Mahachaitya, stupas, chaityagrihas, a congregation hall, platforms, viharas, kitchen-cum-store complex, pottery, relic caskets, tiles, stuccos, iron objects, moulded bricks, coins etc.

Bheemili or Bhimulipatanam
Bheemunipatnam popularly known as 'Bheemli' is located at a distance of 24 Kilometers North east of Visakhapatnam. Once a Dutch settlement, the 17th century ruins of a fort and cemetery built by the Dutch are seen here. The cemetery at the mouth of the river Gosthani has some tombs embossed with the skull and cross bones motif of sea pirates. The beautiful beach at Bheemli is considered to be one of the safest and calmest for swimmers. The beach and invigorating climate coupled with the pleasantness provided by the lush green palm groves makes it a popular sea side resort. There is a small shrine on the top of a hill dedicated to Lord Narasimha.

Borra Caves
The million year-old limestone Borra Caves, is situated at about 56 miles north of Vizag. The caves, at a height of 1400 mts above sea level and occupying an area of 2 square kilometers is filled with fascinating stalagmite and stalactite formations of calcium deposits. The Gosthani river flows through the caves between the formations. William King George of the Geological Survey of India discovered the caves in1807. Among the formations can be found a 'Shivalingam' and an idol of a cow (Kamadhenu), which has given a religious significance to it. The caves are beautiful and are brightly illuminated. The Train journey from Vizag to the caves(5-6 hrs) through the thick vegetation of the Eastern ghats is splendid.

Dolphin's nose
Dolphin's Nose, the rocky promontory with a cliff rising 174m above the sea is the most prominent sight in Vizag. It also shelters the harbour, from where manganese and iron ore are shipped out. The lighthouse here has a beam visible more than 60km out to sea.

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.

Kailasagiri Hill Park
Kailasagiri park is situated at an altitude of 360ft. on Mount Kailash, a charming hillock on the sea front bordering a small valley within the city. The magnificent statues of Shiva- Parvathi are illuminated at night and are worth seeing. The Shanku Chakra Naama, which symbolizes the image of Lord Vishnu in its pristine form, fully lighted at night, is visible from most parts of the city. The park gives an enchanting view of the sea, beaches, lush green forests and the bustling city. Kailasagiri is a gliders paradise with excellent gliding facilities. Situated at an altitude of 130 mts., the gliding point provides ample opportunities to test the gliding skills of the gliders.

Kondakarla Bird Sanctuary
Kondakarla Bird Sanctuary is located in lush green surroundings 40 Kms from Visakhapatnam. The sanctuary has a rich variety of bird species. The area has one of the biggest fresh water lakes in the state.

Lawson's Bay Beach
Another important beach in the city, Lawsons Bay Beach has beautiful golden sands and lush green vegetation.

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.

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.

Rama Krishna Beach
Rama Krishna Beach is located 5km from the centre of Visakhapatanam. This beach occupying the largest part of the seafront, is a great spot to spend time leisurely. The R.K. Beach was jointly developed by the Municipal Corporation of Visakhapatnam (MCV) and the VUDA. The submarine museum here is one of its kind in the country. Sri Ramakrishna mission Ashram is located nearby.

Rishikonda beach and Resort
Located 13kms. from Visakhapatnam on the Visakhapatnam- Bheemunipatnam beach road, is Rishikonda, a thickly covered hill. The lovely beach here with golden sands is the best beach in Vizag. It is ideal for water skiing, wind surfing and swimming. The tourist complex here is well equipped with a tourist lodge, individual rental cottages, a restaurant and other amenities. The 14th century Sri Sapta Rusheswara Temple surrounded by seven hills is located here.

Sankaram Buddhist Excavations
The village of Sankaram near Anakapalli, 38 km from Visakhapatnam is known for its 3C - 4C Buddhist constructions situated on two small hillocks. These constructions are believed to be made during Mahayana period. The hills, Bojjanakonda and Lingalakonda has a monastery, numerous rock- cut stupas and sanctuaries cut into the sides of the hill with Buddha images and Viharas (shelters) for the monks. The main stupa was first carved out of rock and then encased in bricks. The site, an archeologists delight have excavated several antiquities like the seals, inscribed tablets, pots, copper coins mostly of seventh century AD.

Simhachalam
Simhachalam is a major Hindu pilgrim centre located 16 km from Visakhapatnam. Located on a Hill top popularly called the 'Hill of the Lion Lord', is the 11th century temple of Lord Vishnu in his lion incarnation of Sri Varaha Narasimha. The temple built by King Sri Krishna Devaraya, attracts devotees from all over the country especially during the 'Chandanotsavam' Festival held in March- April, every year. On the Chandanotsavam day, the deity is covered with a new fresh layer of Sandalwood. The shrine has inscriptions dating back to 1098 AD on its walls.

Sri Venkateswara Konda
Sri Venkateswara Konda or hill on the south, has a temple dedicated to LordVenkateswara. It is believed to have been built by an European Captain Blackmoor, in 1866. This temple has a small steeply pyramidal entrance gopura. The port channel, the entrance of the inner harbor for ships and liners can be seen from here.

The Aruku Valley
The Aruku valley, situated 30km north from Borra caves is home to a number of tribal communities. It is a beautiful valley with pleasant climate, lush greenery, waterfalls and streams. The tribal wear colourful dresses and their songs and dances are spectacular. There are Cottages and Resorts for tourists.

The Indira Gandhi Zoological Park
The Indira Gandhi Zoological Park, 6km from the city centre spread over 425 Acres of land, has over 400 varieties of animals. This is one of the largest Zoo Park in Andhra Pradesh. The well planned layout of the zoo has different enclosures for primates, carnivores, lesser carnivores, small mammals and birds close to their natural habitats. There is mini-train to facilitate people to watch the wild life. Open on all the days except Mondays.