Araku Valley lies in the eastern ghats of India. It connects to the east coast of India in Andhra Pradesh.
Araku can be reached from Visakhapatnam by a morning train that takes you through a series of tunnels. You travel through the valley on one side and hillocks on the other.
Everyone starts with an attempt to count the number of tunnels. Alas, you soon lose count as they get lost in the views of the landscape and small stations that come on the way.
Thankfully en route to the valley, the tunnels are numbered and you can start again. There are 52 tunnels on the route. The longest one is 896 meters and the shortest one is only 26 meters, with an average length of about 400 meters.
Landscape views during Train Ride to Araku Valley
Watch out for some beautiful landscapes of the hills and the valley.
Keep an eye out for Tunnel No 10 where the train enters at a right curve. You can actually see the train entering the tunnel from the window.
This East Coast rail link was built in 1958 by HCC through an Indo-Japan collaboration. Its primary purpose was to transport Iron Ore from the state of Chhattisgarh to the port at Visakhapatnam.
The Araku Valley train ride takes you from a height of 5.6 meters above mean sea level to a height of 996 meters at Shimliguda. Shimliguda station on this route is said to be the second-highest rail station in India after Udhampur station near Jammu.
Just before Borra Guhalu station, the train runs above the famous Borra caves. You would see a sign of it inside the caves when you visit the caves.
APTDC Rail Road Package
APTDC runs a Rail cum Road package that takes you on the Araku Valley train and brings you back by bus after covering major tourist attractions. They even serve you breakfast and tea on the train. A guide gives you the titbits about the train and the Araku region. You have the option to come back the next day too…
As and when the train halts for the passage of goods trains carrying coal, the Samosa vendors make some brisk business.
To get a glimpse of the landscape, watch our video of the Train ride at the beginning of this post. Do not miss the below-listed attractions in and around Visakhapatnam. Plan your travel accordingly & make the most of it.
Katiki Waterfall & Dumbriguda Waterfall
Watch our video to find seasonal beautiful waterfalls en route, by the Borra Caves, and near the town to explore. Katiki Waterfall by River Gosthani is near Borra Caves and the Dumbriguda Waterfall is near the town.
Some of the things that you can do here include
- Watch the making of Bamboo Chicken
- Try Coffee Chocolates right in the middle of coffee plantations
- Honey-Making in the fields.
- Borra Caves are the top tourist attractions with stories of Ramayana as well as railway engineering marvels.
- Tribal Museum documents and showcases the lives of tribals of Andhra Pradesh.
You can also explore these lovely Places to Visit at Visakhapatnam.
Thank you for the lovely journey Anuradha.
Your travelogue evoked memories on my trip to Araku on this very train 24 years ago, in 1989.
Regards
The shadows and lights inside the tunnel very interesting to watch.
Thanks for sharing.
Lovely click!
Regards,
Jahid
As a child when I travelled from Madras to Jabalpur my brothers and I almost trembled with excitement as we went through the tunnels one after the other. The train would slow down at some points and I would feel petrified at the steep drop in some places. Great fun:)
good trip
fantastic post on araku valley…i discovered your blog today…have to go through all your posts…please keep up the good work…..
also loved the way your blog is designed….kudos.
Thanks for sharing. This is one part of Andhra Pradesh I am yet to explore. Will need your tips before I plan a trip
Really it is very true that this is popular travel blog.
Nice weekend joy ride & escape to greener pastures
Wonderful and inspiring..!!!
When I went to Bastar in 2012, I took this train from Vizag to Araku. I really enjoyed both (train and Araku). This part of India is really my favourite one…
For me this train ride was a pleasant discovery…
i want to know abt d booking and d journey and budget ..is der any contact no through i could knw more abt
This train ride is very cheap. For the latest details, check out the Andhra Pradesh tourism website.You can book this ride at any APTDC counter across the state or online.
Anuradha, looks like you had an awesome time in Araku Valley…
I am visiting on the pre Christmas week and since no train from Vizag to Araku is available so we are planning to take a rental car(OLA/Uber) and return from Araku by 2pm special train.
So, can anyone here tell me that the train from Araku to Vizag returns from the same tunnel route or not?
Also, do the rental cars face any problem in going till the resorts or Tribal Museum?