vishakapattanam ( Vizag )

Vishakapattanam Beach View from Kailasa Giri 

The port city in the state of Andhra Pradesh also known as the steel city is Visakhapatnam. Vizag, another popular name for the city, has the hill ranges of Eastern Ghats on its West and the magnificent beaches of the Bay of Bengal on the East; a comprehensive tourist package. The beauty of the place has given it another apt and succinct sobriquet, the Jewel of the East Coast. The city was popular during the British Raj with the name of its railway station Waltair; now the name of the area around the railway station. The city is one of the major port cities of the state of Andhra Pradesh with the highest recorded throughput in India. Vizag, with a population of close to three million is also one of the densely populated cities of the state. The city has developed into a major industrial hub with petrochemical, fertilizer, jute and sugar industries. The latest entry of giants like Satyam and Wipro has brought Visakhapatnam on the world IT Chart. Visakhapatnam though an industrial city has incomparable scenic splendor with exotic beaches like the Dolphin Nose. It has green hills and valleys lined next to the vast untouched shoreline. It has shrines dedicated to most of the religions of the world; Hindu temples, Buddhist shrines and Christian Churches can be found on the same hill range. The city is home to the prestigious Andhra University and the Eastern Naval Command Headquarters of the Indian Navy. The city has the tropical moderate climate with temperatures reaching a maximum of 39 degrees centigrade and the minimum of 18 degrees in winters. The summers with the above 90 percent humidity is not an appropriate time for enjoying the sun. The winters, December to March, can be the most enjoyable and memorable experience on the sunbathed beaches or even trekking in the hill side. The people of Visakhapatnam are friendly and good natured. Though Telgu is the language of communication but in the main market areas a heavily accented Hindi is also spoken. The people are generally educated and most of them speak English with the typical Peter Sellers accent. However if you are planning trekking in the hills, you must take a local guide. Visakhapatnam has a highly developed rail, road and air connectivity to the major cities of India. The city is on the main rail route from Chennai to Calcutta. The National Highway from Chennai to Howrah, NH 5 is a pleasure to drive especially the portion just hugging the Bay of Bengal. The airport, though a small one, located about 10 miles from the city is connected to all the four metros of India. You need to book your flights in advance as the flights are few and jam-packed. The recent government approval will add better facilities, including night flights and an International Terminal. A Singapore Airline, Silk Air will fly you to the city from Singapore by the early 2007. So pack your bags for a dream vacation, not to Hawaii but to the Dream City of Vizag.