Dec 192012
 

7 New Year Escapes from Hyderabad

With the New Year around the corner, I have compiled a list of beautiful places where you can reach overnight to celebrate your new year. I have not included Goa in this list as it features on every single list. I have compiled places where I have gone personally except for Tadoba, and Horsley Hill where I have taken inputs from my friends who have visited it some time back, but both are on my to visit list in near future. So here is my list of 7 new year escapes from Hyderabad. All APTDC hotels can be booked online.

  1. Vizag or Vishakhapatnam: Only an overnight journey by train or a short flight from Hyderabad Vizag is the favorite beach destination for the Hyderabadis.  The beaches are beautiful if you go out of town towards Rushikonda. There is an APTDC Haritha in Rushikonda where you can try your luck to get a booking as it is right on the beach on top of a small hill with excellent view of the beach and you can actually walk from your hotel to the beach. Plan a day trip to Araku valley and Borra cave and enjoy some freshly brewed coffee on way from coffee grown in Eastern Ghats of Andhra Pradesh. You will pass through some tribal Haats and can buy some herbal products from there. Smart travel tip for the foodies: Try the Bamboo Chicken a tribal specialty from Araku Valley.

    araku valley tribal market

    A Tribal woman in Local market in Araku Valley

  2. Srisailam: Only about 210 KM from Hyderabad and for the religiously minded Srisailam is a leisurely drive in the hills. Not much action but if you are looking for a peaceful bonfire on the New Years Eve look no further. You don’t have many choices in accommodation so try and book APTDC Haritha. During the day you can visit the reservoir and take breathtaking pictures from the rope-way.

    view from Srisailam Ropeway

    View From Srisailam Rope-way

  3. Nagarjuna Sagar: Less than 200  KM from Hyderabad, Sagar as it is popularly called is the favorite outstation destination of the techies in Hyderabad. The drive is smooth and though you can return the same day, but why not spend the New Year overlooking the vast Nagarjuna Sagar which is the largest man-made masonry dam. Enjoy a boat ride to the island in the middle of the reservoir where ancient Buddhist relics were found.
    Nagarjuna Sagar Road Trip from Hyderabad

    Coracles in Nagarjuna Sagar

    Smart travel tip: Do not miss the Ethipothala Falls close by which should be in decent shape considering the good rains this year. You have a few options to stay near Nagarjuna Sagar again the best view is from the Haritha Hotel hotel right on the bank of the dam. ( The hotel is just OK, but the views are good )

  4. Tadoba National Park: For the wildlife enthusiastic one of the best option is Tadoba National Park close to the Chandrapur, it is about 400 KM from Hyderabad and you will be able to reach between 6-8 hours depending on the traffic and route you take. There are many hotels to suit all budgets near the sanctuary. Please make sure you do not blare music when close to the sanctuary as animals don’t enjoy the loud sounds. If you don’t want to drive you can take a train to Nagpur and increasing your option to visit Pench if Tadoba does not have hotels available. Pench and Tadoba are practically in the continuation and the part in MP is called Pench while in Maharastra is called Tadoba. For both Pench and Tadoba, you can take a train to Nagpur or Chandrapur.

    tiger resting in shade in pench national park in India

    A Tigress in Pench National Park 

  5. Hampi: About 400 Km from Hyderabad it is a good drive or you can take overnight Volvo to reach there. It is a backpacker’s delight and once in Hampi you can soak in the history of a place that has some of the most magnificent ruins of the Vijayanagar empire.  The sacred center of Virupaksha temple is one of the oldest continuously worshiped temples in the country. Enjoy traditional food overlooking the Tungabhadra River at Under The mango tree. Climb to the birthplace of Hanuman to welcome a sunrise.

    tourist at the sacred center of hampi temple blessed by elephant

    Elephant of Hampi Temple

  6. Horsley hills: I would recommend you take a train to Horsley hills unless you have more than 1 driver as it is almost 550 KM from Hyderabad and more suited for people from Chennai and Bangalore. It is a peaceful hill station with a beautiful view and wonderful walks in the woods. You would enjoy the sound of wind rustling the leaves of the magnificent trees, some of which are more than hundred years old.
  7. Ananthagiri hills:  Less than 3 hrs from IT hub of Hyderabad Ananthagiri hills offer a peaceful destination close to the city. You have options to stay on top of the valley with APTD hotel with a nice pool and bonfires arranged on request.  During the day visit the Anantha Padmanabha Swamy temple and the Nagasamudram Lake and in evening enjoy the bonfire gazing the clear sky.

 Amardeep a GHAC volunteer in Nagasamudram lake in Vikarabad

The Nagasamudram Lake in Ananthagiri Hills

But if you are not planning to go out of the town try the various Resorts around Hyderabad: There are N numbers of resorts around Hyderabad that will be organizing new year bash like every year. If you are the partying type book in advance at any one of them. They are all within I-1.5hrs from the city still gives you a feeling of visiting outstation. Some of the famous resorts around Hyderabad are Golconda, Leonia, Pragathi, Lahiri, the Novotel airport and hotel in Shamshabad and the Ramoji film city with its hotels Tara and Sitara.

So what are your plans for new year my friends from Hyderabad? Did I miss your favorite destination please write it in a comment for the benefit of our other readers? The idea for this post came from Pattu Raj when she pinged me on Facebook to check some places to visit around Hyderabad, she blogs at Gardner at 60.

sunset in ruins of hampi i

Sunset In Hampi


For more travel options within and around Hyderabad check this post: Places to visit Hyderabad


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  24 Responses to “7 New Year Escapes from Hyderabad”

Comments (24)
  1. Hi, i will be in hyderabad from 9-14 dec 2016, must visit to srisailam, can you please suggest me an itinerary for the 5 day trip
    my id catchneelu@gmail.com

  2. The picture of Hampi at Sunset is simply gorgeous. Amazed!!

    You have plenty of good articles. Looks like I have added one more to-do for myself to read at least some of those 🙂

    Mallik Kovuri
    http://mkovuri.wordpress.com

  3. Hi Desi Traveler,

    Please suggest a plan for Pondicherry. What is the best way to go there as there is no direct rain from Hyderabad.?

    • From Hyderabad you need to go to Chennai from their you can take a train or a bus/cab…I normally take a Cab as the East Cost Highway is very scenic and you can also stop at Alamparai Fort and Mahabalipuram….

  4. oh that elephant is adorable! 🙂
    i wanna go to Hampi!!

  5. Wonderful resource for travellers!

  6. that’s a nice compilation of places to visit around Hyderabad!! will definitely check out some of these places you have recommended if i get a chance.

    there are many posts on your blog which i would love to read. will come back later and go through them.

  7. Those also serve who ask questions on facebook!!:-)

    Thanks for mentioning my humble blog. Considering the time and distance Sagar is a good bet for our plan, but before or after New Year.Meanwhile Bhongir also is a good site for our guests, during this winter.

  8. All places sound exciting. Wonderfully compiled list!

    http://rajniranjandas.blogspot.in

  9. That looks like a good list for people looking for travel ideas. That picture of the Hampi sunset is splendid!!

  10. Have been to Sri Sailam, Nagarjun Sagar and Hampi..I really love Hampi very much and also i enjoyed boating in Krishna River at Sri Sailam..

  11. Hampi is out of the world. I’ve been there. I’ve heard Vizag is very beautiful. Rest places – not yet.. but soon!

    http://www.anucreations.blogspot.in

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