The trip to Araku Valley can be done either be hiring a taxi or taking a train. And depending upon your choice of transport, the sights change. The train ride to Araku is one of the best I have seen. It's very scenic like a poetic masterpiece, including loads of tunnels and the gradual gradient through the rich flora will leave you amazed.
Araku is like a mini Switzerland in India, the road and railway track in between and mountains on both sides. Colourful textures of plants scattered all along the tracks, paddy fields all different shades strewn in between are massive relief to all the concrete you see in cities. The waterfalls along the way are great to see and bathe in too.
You can see the following places in Araku and en route:
Borra caves (a million-year-old natural cave) lie 40 km before Araku Valley. You have to descend about 400 steps to reach the caves' dead end. Fully lighted in different colours, it provides a colourful aura of the million years of its existence. It is also got a feat by the Indian railways that they have built the railway line at exactly the top of the cave without damaging anything.
Katki falls (8 kms from from Borra caves): You will experience the roughest ride of you life in a hired jeep (Rs 65-100 per head) and it will take about 30 minutes to cover the distance and then 1 km of trekking. The fall is a three-step fall and it's nice to stand in the cold water and enjoy the relaxing pressure of the water on your head and shoulders. (The journey is strenous and will take a considerable amount of your time).
In Araku Valley there are the following places to see:
1. Tribal villages
2. Chaprai Falls (a flat waterfall, good for photographs)
3. Padmapuram Gardens
4. Coffee plantations
One thing to note: There are only two mobile services Araku -- BSNL and Airtel. So be prepared to be out of touch for a while.
Eats: Food is no problem here. There are lot of restaurants and cafeterias which provide good food. We tried the Hotel Rajdhani cafeteria.
Shopping: Shopping is of no consequence here. Remember this place is cut off from the rest of civilisation. What can be bought is coffee directly from the sellers at the coffee plantations site en route to Araku (Rs 20, Rs 30 and Rs 40 packets).
How to get there: Araku Valley is in Andhra Pradesh, about 110 kms from Vishakhapatnam (which itself is a nice place to visit). Take a train from Vishakhapatnam and it will take three-four hours to reach Araku. Take a hired taxi and it will take the same time, but both routes are very different.
Note: In case you are travelling by train, sit on the side with only two seats, one side is always facing the rocks, the other side the landscape.
Accomodations: Many lodges and hotels line the streets of Araku. Many are good, however we tried the Rajdhani Hotel and it is value for money. For a two-bed room it's Rs 500, for the dormitory it's Rs 150 per bed.
The rates change in the peak season which is from October-end till the start of February.
