Things to do in Araku Valley

The coffee valley in the Eastern Ghats above Visakhapatnam, with two ways up: the whole road day with Borra Caves, or the vistadome train up and the car back.

Getting around Araku Valley

Visakhapatnam has ride-hailing, but Araku is 115 km away up a ghat road where it does not run, and the circuit (Borra Caves, Galikonda, the gardens and the museums) is spread along that road. Both days start and end in Visakhapatnam. Every experience below includes the vehicle, a local driver and the parking.

Experiences

• Araku Valley and Borra Caves by road: Up the ghat from Vizag to the coffee valley, and down through the caves
• Araku by vistadome train, back by car: The tunnels and bridges of the Kirandul line going up, the valley stops coming down

Best months

October to February, cool and clear. The monsoon, July to September, makes the ghat green and often clouded; March to May is warm.

Getting there

Start from Visakhapatnam, which has an airport and a major railway station. Araku is about 3 to 3.5 hrs up by road, or about 4 hrs on the morning train.