South India Temple Tours

Location	Visakhapatnam district, Andhra Pradesh
Significance	Eastern Naval Command of Indian Navy, Renowned Port City
Must Visit	Beaches, Araku Valley & Borra Caves, Simhachalam Temple, Thotlakonda & Bavikonda
Best Time To Go	November to February
Climate	Tropical climate; Summer: 34 – 45°C, and Winter: 18 – 39°C

Abundance of natural beauty, wide ranges of pretty hills, enchanting golden beaches along the Bay of Bengal coastline and marvellous valleys – welcome to Visakhapatnam, the renowned port city. According to the Hindu mythology, the city is named after the God Vaishaka. Renowned for its biggest ship building yard in the country, Visakhapatnam earlier served as an industrial city.

Actual Beauty Of The City
The city, apart from being the head quarters of the Eastern Naval Command, has a rich cultural and historical heritage. Being ruled by eminent kings such as Ashoka and Krishnadeva Raya, the city has a totally distinctive type of lifestyle, art forms, architectural patterns etc. When it comes to the natural factors, the beaches in Visakhapatnam lie alongside the low ranges of scenic hills and lush greenery spotted with quiet coves and creeks. Rivers like Godavari and Indravati flow across the city. Three amazing hills – Sri Venkateswara Konda, Ross hill and Dargakonda – are the most fascinating features of this lovely place.

Prime Attractions

Kailasagiri Hill Park
Located on a hilltop, Kailasagiri is worth a visit on Visakhapatnam tour. The breathtaking scenic view offered by this site is simply incomparable.

Beaches
Rishikonda Beach and Ramakrishna Beach are among the best golden and unspoilt beaches of south India. These lovely sun-warmed beaches serve as the favorite sites among the tourists visiting Visakhapatnam.

Indira Gandhi Zoological Park
Located amidst the scenic eastern ghats of India, the park is flanked by hills on either sides and Bay of Bengal on the east. It provides a home to several rare bird and mammal species.

Apart from these, Venkateswara Temple (dedicated to Lord Shiva), Church of the Virgin Mary, Baba Ishaq Madina Dargah, VUDA Park, Simhachalam Temple, etc. are some other highly frequented places in Visakhapatnam. Dolphin's Nose, a rocky promontory in the port (358 m high), is another famous landmark at Visakhapatnam.

Excursions

Araku Valley
About 115 km from Visakhapatnam, the valley offers lovely orchards, Ananthagiri Ghats, and the best of relaxing environment.

Borra Caves
Located at a distance of about 90-95 km from Visakhapatnam, these caves are very important from historical and religious point of view.

Besides this, Ananthagiri Hills, Simhachalam (16 km;  famous for the temple of Sri Varaha Lakshminarasimha) and Bheemunipatnam (25 km, beautiful beach) also form popular excursion sites for the tourists visiting Visakhapatnam.

Economy
Visakhapatnam is a leading player in export of textiles, ivory, tobacco, indigo etc. Agriculture is a key feature of its economy, and it also deals in Ship Building, Oil Refinery, Fertilizers, Petro Chemicals, Steel Mills etc.

Shopping
This industrial city is known for various shopping attractions also. People can buy good quality gold and silver jewellery and a few handicrafts from Visakhapatnam.

How To Get There

By Air: Visakhapatnam has an airport. Indian Airlines operates daily flights to Visakhapatnam from Mumbai, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Chennai.

By Rail: Visakhapatnam is the centre point for the trains running between Chennai and Howra and Howrah and Secunderabad.

By Road: National Highway 5 (Howrah to Chennai) passes through the city. APSRTC buses and private buses connect major cities of the state and the neighboring areas with Visakhapatnam.