As of 2011, the population was recorded as 20.91 lakhs. It is the administrative headquarters of Visakhapatnam district. It is the largest city and a commercial hub of Andhra Pradesh, with a GDP of over ![INR]()
26 billion (US$430 million).
It is situated in the Eastern Ghats and on the coast of Bay of Bengal on the east. The city is known for heavy industries, steel plant, largest seaport of India and oldest shipyard. It has the only natural harbour of India and headquarters of the Eastern Naval Command of the Indian Navy.
Although considered to be an industrial city, Vizag has a rich and vibrant culture and heritage. The city was part of the ancient Kalinga Empire and was ruled by renowned kings, such as Ashoka and Krishnadeva Raya. During the 18th century, the city was a Dutch colony. Today, Vizag embraces its past and present seamlessly, making it an interesting and attractive city to spend holidays.
Vizag is blessed with natural beauty, with hill ranges, pristine beaches along its coastline and lush, natural valleys. The city is surrounded by three hills, Sri Venkateswara Konda, Ross Hill and Dargah Konda. Each hill is home to a shrine, dedicated to three different religions. The Venkateshswara Konda is home to the Vekateswara Temple, which is dedicated to Lord Shiva; Ross Hill houses the Church of Virgin Mary; and the Dargah Konda is home to the tomb of a Muslim saint called Baba Ishaq Madina Dargah.
Accommodation
Haritha Hotel, Visakhapatnam
Located on Beach Road, the hotel has air-conditioned suites, air-conditioned rooms and standard rooms, which are located on the ground floor. This hotel is perfect to enjoy the wonders and attractions that the city has to offer.
Haritha Beach Resort, Visakahapatnam
Located on Bhimli Road, Rushikonda, this beautiful beach resort has a presidential suite, 10 luxury rooms, air-conditioned executive and deluxe rooms and standard air-conditioned rooms. Guests can enjoy the beautiful waters of the Bay of Bengal and the pristine sandy beach while staying at this resort.
Haritha Jungle Bells
This unique and idyllic resort has wooden cottages, with and without air-conditioning and wooden log huts. It has a wonderful restaurant and a fabulous view tower. It is the perfect place for trekking on trails in the forests, bird watching, and enjoying tribal dances and sports. It is the resort for a rural holiday in Andhra Pradesh.
Araku Valley
Located at a height of 3,200 feet in the midst of the hills of Anantagiri, Araku Valley is a beautiful and enchanting hill station. The salubrious climate, musically gurgling streams, the rainbow-creating waterfalls and lush green landscape can offer a memorable escape from the city life.
The valley is located about 112 kilometres from Visakhapatnam. Araku Valley is home to 19 indigenous tribes and offers a wonderful opportunity to get insights into the lifestyle of these tribes and their culture and traditions.
Dhimsa dance, a kind of folk dance, is a major attraction for its rhythmic beats and colourful costumes. Itika Pongal is a popular festival that is celebrated in the region and is worth experiencing.
Accommodation
Valley Resort, Araku
Located amidst lush greenery of Araku Valley, this resort is a yatri nivas that offers air-conditioned suites, non-air-conditioned suites and non-air-conditioned deluxe rooms. It is tranquil and peaceful and has well-landscaped gardens to relax, rest and rejuvenate.
Haritha Mayuri, Araku
Enjoy the natural beauty of Araku Valley and its hidden treasures while staying at the Haritha Mayuri. It has suites, deluxe rooms and standard rooms, all air-conditioned. It also has deluxe rooms without air-conditioning. The resort has a wonderful craft centre that is worth exploring.
Borra Caves
These caves are located 1,400 metres above sea level in Visakhapatnam's Anantagiri area. The caves are famous for their beautiful stalagmite and stalactite formations. Borra Caves have both religious and historical significance. The locals flock to the caves to worship a Shivalinga and an idol of Kamadenu, the divine bovine goddess of Hindu mythology. This idol is located deep inside caves. The rock formations inside the caves look like udders of a cow and hence, these caves also are called Gosthani William King George belonging to the Geological Survey of India was instrumental in discovering Paleolithic implements in 1807. It is believed that these implements were about 1 million years old.
Kailasagiri Hill
he hill station of Kailash Giri is a popular tourist destination and getaway. It offers an awe-inspiring view of the Bay of Bengal and is home to the beautiful Rushikonda Beach and RK Beach. The surrounding hills are lush and green and offer a wonderful respite from the concrete jungle of Visakhapatnam. One of the attractions of Kailash Giri is its huge park called the Floral Watch. This park is shared like a watch and covered with grass.
However, the main attraction is undoubtedly the massive statues of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati made from white marble. These statues are located on the hill, on a platform. As the base of Lord Shiva's statue, there is a stream that flows all the way to the foot of the hill. There is a ropeway service that allows visitors to access the hill and offers stunning view of the city and the Bay. There even is a scenic and panoramic road leading to the top of the hill.
RamaKrishna Beach
Located along the coast of Vizag, Rama Krishna Beach is known for its pristine sands and crystal clear waters of the Bay of Bengal. It is adjoining the Lawson's Bay Beach and offers awe-inspiring natural views and vistas. The beach is perfect for catching mesmerising sunsets and sunrises.
The beach is home to the Kali Temple, VUDA Park, a submarine museum and several roadside eateries and restaurants. While the Rama Krishna Beach is not safe for swimming, there are many attractions and activities to keep visitors busy. There is a poignant war memorial on the beach called the Victory at Sea. This memorial is dedicated to the memory of brave soldiers, who laid down their lives during the 1971 Indo-Park War.
Submarine Museum
The city of Vizag offers so many creative and unique attractions that visitors will often be overwhelmed by them. One of the innovative attractions of the city is the submarine museum. Located on the Ram Krishna Beach, this museum is housed inside a real submarine. INS Kurusura is a Soviet-built submarine which was decommissioned on February 28, 2001 after serving the nation for 21 glorious years. The submarine with all its weaponry and fittings was hauled on to the beach and placed on a concrete foundation at the Gajapathi Raju Marg on the beachfront.
Dolphin's Nose & the Port
Dolphin's Nose is a huge rocky headland, around 174 metres in height. It is located in the southern part of Vizag. The rock gets its name because of its resemblance to a dolphin's nose and is located 358 metres above sea level. It projects majestically out into the Bay of Bengal and is a natural formation that attracts many visitors.On top of rock formation is a huge lighthouse, which is renowned for its powerful beam. The light beam can be seen far out in the sea, about 64 kilometres from land. This is the oldest lighthouse in the city and offers stunning and panoramic view of the Bay and the city.
Tyda
The AP Tourism Development Corporation joined hands with the State Forests Department to create an eco-tourism project and the result was Tyda. Located on the Visakhapatnam-Araku Ghat Road, Tyda is home to an extremely attractive forest resort called Jungle Bells, which is located at a height 2,000 feet above sea level. The road leading to this beautiful eco-tourism project is equally enchanting and alluring. The lush green fields, plantations and farms are breathtakingly beautiful.
There is even a train ride that visitors can take to reach the forest resort. This ride is captivating and enthralling as the train meanders through dense forests, tunnels and hillocks. Jungle Bells is spread over an area of five acres and boasts of 18 beautifully furnished cottages. The surrounding forest is teeming with a wide array of wildlife. Visitors also can enjoy hiking, trekking, bird watching and visiting tribal hamlets located within the forest.
Rushikonda
Located just 8 kilometres from the port city of Visakhapatnam, Rushikonda Beach is known as the Jewel of the East Coast. The unspoiled beauty of the beach is its main attraction and offers a unique opportunity to relax and enjoy the golden sands and gentle ocean currents. The beach is a haven for watersports lovers and is popular among windsurfers and jet skiers. However, it is the scenic beauty of the beach that lures visitors throughout the year, who come to enjoy spending time amidst greenery, golden sands and azure waters. The day the city celebrates the festival of colours, Holi, the beach gets transformed to a hue of vibrant colours, with people splashing color and water on each other.Accommodation
Haritha Beach Resort, Visakahapatnam
Located on Bhimli Road, Rushikonda, this beautiful beach resort has a presidential suite, 10 luxury rooms, air-conditioned executive and deluxe rooms and standard air-conditioned rooms. Guests can enjoy the beautiful waters of the Bay of Bengal and the pristine sandy beach while staying at this resort.
Lawson's Bay
Also known as the Pedawaltair Beach, Lawson's Bay is a picturesque beach in Visakhapatnam. It is located close to Ramakrishna Beach (RK Beach), on the road leading to Kailasgiri. The golden sands and the lush green surroundings are tranquil and serene. The Bay boasts of crystal clear and shallow water, making it is the perfect beach for swimming, surfing and sunbathing. Visitors also can enjoy other activities here, such as sailing and boating. The beautiful surroundings and the peaceful ambience makes Lawson's Bay an ideal picnic area. The beach is extremely popular amongst the locals, but even visitors to Visakhapatnam should make it a point to enjoy the breathtaking beach.
VUDA Park
Spread over an area of 55 acres, the VUDA Park is renowned for its well-landscaped lawns and an array of plants. The Park has a variety of flowering plants, 2,500 trees and hedge plants. This urban park is located at the beachfront and is a popular destination in the city for leisure activities.
The Park is extremely well-equipped and boasts of playpens, a boating club, yoga centre, multi-gymnasium, pagodas, musical fountain and Kala Vedika. In addition, the Park is home to the MGM Dizzy World. One of the main attractions in the Park is its roller skating ring, which was one of the venues for the 32nd National Games. Sports lovers can enjoy expert guidance in skating at the Park from 9 am until 8 pm.
Indira Gandhi Zoological Park
The Indira Gandhi Zoological Park in Visakhapatnam is located on the national highway and covers an area of 250 hectares. This is the second largest zoological park in the state, after Hyderabad Zoo. It boasts of a rich collection of flora and fauna, including some exotic species of animals from Australia. The Park has more than 400 varieties of fauna.
The Park opened its doors to the public in 1972 and today offers deer safari, has five enclosures for monkeys and primates, special dens for lions and tigers, six enclosures for deer and eight specially designed enclosures for small mammals. The main attraction of Indira Gandhi Zoological Park is undoubtedly the big cats, in particular the white tiger.
Simhachalam
Also known as Simhadri, the suburb of Simhachalam is located close to Visakhapatnam, about 16 kilometres away. It is home to a Hindu temple, which is dedicated to an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. The temple shows a synthesis of Oriya and Dravidian styles of architecture. It is considered as one of the eighteen shrines of Lord Narasimha. The main deity housed in the sanctum sanctorum gives holy appearance in its true form just for 12 hours in the year. The remaining time, the deity is covered with sandalwood paste. The temple is known for its exquisite sculptures.
Bheemunipatnam
Bheemunipatnam is a town located close to Vijayawada and is known for its historical heritage. Local legend claims that the town was established during the days of the Hindu Epic, Mahabharatha, and was named after Bheema. However, archaeological evidence discovered in the region puts the origins of the tow to about 3rd century BCE and shows that the town was closely associated to early Buddhism.
The town is home to the beautiful and tranquil Bheemunipatnam Beach, which is located at the confluence of Gosthani River and the Bay of Bengal. Visitors can visit the remains of a 17th century fort and cemetery which were constructed by the early Dutch settlers. Visitors can find remains of the Dutch East India Company here, in particular a port, which is not in ruins.
