 | « Back to article | Print this article |
Horsley Hills, Patnitop and other monsoon getaways
We invited readers to tell us all about the places they head to -- be it an idyllic beach or a breathtaking hill station -- when the heavens open up.
Kiran Thota from Hyderabad tells us all about Horsley Hills.
Getaway: Horsley Hills
Distance between your town and the getaway: 500 km
Nearest railhead: Madanapalle Road
Nearest airport: Tirupati
How to get there by road: Buses run from Tirupati, Anantpur and Bangalore
Where to stay: AP Tourism Resorts. Visit: www.aptourism.org
Room tariff: Rs 900 to 2,500 depending on the type of the room
Where to eat: AP Tourism Resort and couple of roadside stalls
What to see: Horsley hills is a hill station and there are some points to see on the hill. Rishi Valley school is a must visit place.
What to shop for: Hand-made pottery in villages near Horsley hills.
Describe your experience: Horsley Hills is a good place to visit during monsoons and also during winters. The crowd during this period is very little and so is an ideal place for monsoons.
Click here to recommend your favourite monsoon weekend getaway to our readers. Tell us where you go, how you go, how far it is from your city, where accommodation is available, what there is to do -- the works.Feel free to upload your own photographs and videos too!All entries that make the cut will be published right here on rediff.com (Note: email addresses will not be disclosed).
Bastar, Chhattisgarh
Paramita Mohanti from Bhilai in Chhattisgarh tells us about Bastar:
Getaway: Bastar
Distance between your town and the getaway: 320km
Nearest railhead: Jagdalpur (though with limited trains)
Nearest airport: Raipur
How to get there by road: Taxis / buses available from Raipur
Where to stay: Naman Bastar Resort, Village Pali, Jagdalpur
Room tariff: Starting from Rs 2,500 per night
Where to eat: Naman Bastar
What to see: Chitrakote Falls, Tirathgarh Falls, Kotamsar Caves, Keshkal Ghat, Kanger Valley National Park
What to shop for: Bell metal artefacts, Bastar woodwork, Kosa silk material and Sarees
Describe your experience: I had been to Bastar twice, once during the monsoons. We enjoyed the lovely green surroundings, heavy waterfalls and beautiful green Keshkal Ghats.
The rains welcomed us. We loved the hot bhajiya and tea near the Tirathgarh falls. We bathed in the waterfall here.
Chitrakote, the horseshoe-shape waterfall, looks like mini Niagara. It was roaring in its full fury. One misses one's heartbeat seeing it's force.
The Kotamsar caves have beautiful stalactite formations inside it. However during rains, one can't enter the jungle nor these caves.
Bastar is a perfect getaway for people in Central India.
More about Bastar from our archives
Tyda, Araku Valley
Nimish Nerlekar from Hyderabad shares with us his favourite monsoon getaway. Hear from him about Tyda, Araku Valley
Getaway: Tyda, Araku Valley
Distance between your town and the getaway: 670 Km
Nearest railhead: Aruku
Nearest airport: Visakhapatnam
How to get there by road: (Follow this route) Hyderabad-Suryapet-Khammam-Rajahmundry-Anakapalli-Tyda
Where to stay: Jungle Bells, Tyda Village, Visakhapatnam District, Tel: +91 891 271 3135, 274 6446
Room tariff: Up to Rs 1,800 + taxes
Where to eat: There isn't much of a choice. Stick to the resort's food, which is decent.
What to see: Aruku Valley, Borra Caves, Botanical gardens, trek into the jungle.
What to shop for: Coffee and Wild Honey sold on the roadside!
Describe your experience: We drove down to Tyda/Aruku at the end of monsoon last year wishing there will be no rain. However, as luck may have it, the rains were at the peak when we reached the foothills of Aurku.
The drive was simply amazing with the winding road, wet and full of excitement (read scary!). Tyda's Jungle Bells is a place where there are no televisions, no mobile signals and absolutely no entertainment.
The cottages were placed with a good distance from each other so that gave the place an amazing privacy in the wilderness. An odd monkey would land on your roof and any slightest of sounds can make you wonder which wild animal will pass by.
Watching the rain and sip coffee (or whatever you wish) in the verandah was all we did the whole day. They do take you for trek early in the morning and I would definitely recommend anyone with a decent amount of stamina to do it.
More pictures from Nimish's album
Patnitop, Jammu & Kashmir
Gurpreet Singh from Jammu tells us all about Patnitop and how to get there!
Getaway: Patnitop
Distance between your town and the getaway: 115 km
Nearest railhead: Udhampur, Jammu
Nearest airport: Jammu
How to get there by road: Car, Taxi, Motorbike
Where to stay: J&K Tourism Huts and lot of Hotels
Room tariff: Rs.500 - Rs 3,000 per day
Where to eat: Dhabas provide simple and tasty food and some fast food outlets.
What to see: Several meadows enveloped by thick forests of Deodar (Cedar) and Kail (Blue Pine) trees, and affords peaceful walks amidst conifer groves, beautiful spots for enjoyable picnics and breath taking views of the Chenab basin and the Pir Panjal range beyond. For solace one can visit the beautifully located Nag Mandir at Karlah village.
What to shop for: Kud, small town 10 km from patnitop has a market, which has dhabas, general stores and pharmacy. Go for the famous Patisa and Kalakand by Prem Sweets at kud and lot of fresh vegetables on the way.
Describe your experience: The experience has always been wonderful. Lot of good scenery, cool fresh air, pure water springs, and adding spice to the trip are on the way spot of Jhajjar Kotli and neighbouring Patnitop, the spot called Sanasar.