Diwali destinations: Serene lakes and ancient caves

Diwali is just round the corner and chances are you're already making plans to make the most of the holidays. To help you discover new holiday spots to relax and rejuvenate, we asked readers to send in their favourite vacation desitinations. Here we present two responses we received:

Here, student Nishit Mehta sends in his vacation destination:

Getaway: Bhandardara

Description: It was with my closest friends and we had an amazing adventure.

Sights:

• The beautiful valley.
• Two dams at Bhandardhara. Out of which one is viewed at a very good height and is a great scene. The dam is open for public to view till a certain limit. You are allowed to sit on the dam wall where it is safe and very pleasant. The best time to be there is just when it starts raining. Too much rain is also not too good. And winter is also a good option.
• Ratangadh fort trekking (full day). It was the best part of the trip and very adventurous. For this you will have to hire a local guide for around Rs 600 for a trek for a group. Carry a good amount of water and a light lunch such as theplas or ready-made bhel.
• There's one more trekking track but the one we went on is the better one.
• Jain temple located at the market.

Eats: MTDC resort's food is not very good, but it's bearable for breakfast.

• There is a market and two small restaurants that serve good food. They are situated in local houses and an accomodate two-three groups of 10-12 people.
• Swapnil Shah (91-9420343021) for Jain and veg food (He provides Gujarati food and two-three Punjabi veg dishes). It's as good as home-cooked food.
• There are stalls that offer delicious non-veg food and the famous vada pav.

Shopping: No shopping.
 
How to get there: It is around 180 km from Mumbai. Catch the national highway to Nashik; there is an exit for Ghoti village which is around 45 kms before Igatpuri. After entering Ghoti, it is a 30-45 minute drive to Bhandardara.

By train buy a ticket for Igatpuri station which is before Nashik. Hire a taxi from the station to Ghoti and then again from Ghoti to Bhandardara.

Travelling by car is recommended as no local travel is available for interesting destination at Bhandardara.

Accomodations: There are only two hotels there.
1. MTDC which is very cheap and really nice to stay at.
Phone: +91-242-4257032/ 2424257171

For booking from Mumbai: Vartaman Travels: +91-22-26153191 (Vile Parle (east)

2. Sundarvan: It's a kind of 3-star hotel, very expensive but a good hotel

Tariff: Rs 800 for a couple for a night on weekends. Rs 600 on weekdays.

To share your favourite holiday destinations, click here!

Next, engineer Rahul Gaur shares his favourite holiday spot:

Getaway: Araku Valley/ Borra caves (Andhra Pradesh)

Sights: 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.

To share your favourite holiday destinations, click here!