Araku by vistadome train, back by car
Araku Valley · 8 hrs by car, after the train · Cab included from Araku · Pickup from your stay
From ₹2990 for the whole vehicle, up to 8 people. The price is per car, not per person.
Vehicles
- Swift Dzire: Sedan. Best for a couple or a small family. ₹2990 for the vehicle.
- Tata Sumo: Rugged 8-seater. The most room for the money. ₹3490 for the vehicle.
- Innova or Ertiga: The comfortable one on a long hill day. ₹4990 for the vehicle.
The railway one way, the road the other
The railway from Visakhapatnam to Araku, part of the line to Kirandul, is one of the most spectacular in south India: dozens of tunnels and long bridges as it climbs through the Eastern Ghats. The vistadome coaches on the morning express have glass roofs and wide windows. Going up by train and coming back by road is the best way to see both.
So this day starts at Araku station. You catch the morning train in Vizag, and your driver, who has driven up the ghat while you were on it, meets you on the platform when it arrives around eleven. From there it is the valley top, then the road down with Galikonda and Borra Caves on it, and back into Vizag in the evening.
Be clear about the train. You book it yourself on IRCTC, it is paid separately and is not part of this price, and the vistadome seats sell out well ahead in season and at weekends. Timetables change and the train can run late; if it does, your driver waits and the stops are trimmed to fit Borra's closing time. The car is one flat price for the day.
Your day, stop by stop
1. The train up the Kirandul line
The morning train from Visakhapatnam climbs into the Eastern Ghats through dozens of tunnels and over long bridges, and the vistadome coaches have glass roofs for it. About four hours, and the best way up the hill there is. The ticket is yours to book.
Train ticket, booked by you on IRCTC
2. Padmapuram Gardens
Your driver meets you at Araku station and the gardens come first, before their midday break: old trees, flower beds and the treehouse cottages on stilts.
Entry ticket at the gate
3. Tribal Museum and Coffee Museum
Side by side in Araku town: the dioramas of the valley's tribal communities and the Dhimsa dance, then the history of Araku coffee with a café and beans to buy.
Entry tickets at each
4. Galikonda viewpoint
On the way down, the pull-in below one of the highest hills in Andhra Pradesh, with the ghat falling away in ridges. Ten minutes, and the view you saw in fragments from the train, all at once.
5. Borra Caves
The limestone caves the railway passes above, a long flight of steps down into chambers of stalactites lit in coloured light. The last stop before the drive back to Vizag.
Entry ticket and phone camera ticket at the gate
In your price
- Private vehicle with driver from Araku station to your stay
- Fuel, tolls, driver allowance and parking at every stop
- Waiting at the station if the train runs late
- GoExplorer support number for the day
Not included
- The train ticket
- Entry and camera tickets
- Meals
- Anything personal
What you pay on the day
- The train ticket, booked by you on IRCTC
- Entry tickets at Padmapuram Gardens, the two museums and Borra Caves
- A phone camera ticket at Borra if you want photos
- Meals and anything personal
Who this suits
Anyone who wants the train and the valley in one day, and train lovers above all. The road half is the same winding ghat as our road day, three hours of it, so bring something for travel sickness if you need it. The sedan seats four, the Sumo eight and the Innova six, each at one flat price for the car.
What to bring
Your train ticket and ID, breakfast for the train, shoes with grip for the cave steps and a light layer for the valley. Cash for the gates.
Rain, late trains and closed ghats
Rain and cloud are normal here and are not a cancellation, and a late train is not either; your driver waits. If the train is cancelled you can move the booking free or take a full refund on the car. If the ghat road is closed by landslides or an official order, you get a full refund or a free reschedule.
Cancellation
- More than 24 hrs before: Full refund
- Within 24 hrs: 50% refund, or reschedule free once
- No show: No refund
Safety and the operator
Run by a licensed local ground operator, one driver per vehicle, commercially registered and insured, and used to the Araku ghat. The steps and floors in Borra Caves are wet and slippery; use the handrails and keep children close.
Questions
Is the train ticket included?
No. The price covers the car and driver from Araku station back to Visakhapatnam. You book the train yourself on IRCTC, and the vistadome seats sell out early, so book it before you book this.
Is the price per person?
No. It is one price for the whole vehicle for the day. Four of you in the Swift Dzire pay ₹2,990 between you, not each.
What if the train is late?
Your driver waits at the station. If it is very late, the gardens or the museums are dropped so that Borra Caves is reached before it closes at five.
Which train is it?
The morning Visakhapatnam to Kirandul express, which carries the vistadome coaches as far as Araku. Timetables change, so check the current departure time on IRCTC when you book; we check it again when we confirm.