Konaseema

KONASEEMA…beyond horizon

Living in a concrete jungle for too long kills all the five senses - the scents of nature, the hearing sense of chirping birds, the feel of freshness and the blindness to green as a color..................

To somewhat revive the senses, one needs to fly away from the suffocation of a city and get lost in nature..........surrender to the most overpowering Power.........

We decided to do just that. A drive of 450 kms from Hyderabad towards East Godavari district is a stretch at either side of the river Godavari, the densest population of coconut forest in the world. The place is called Konaseema - the heart of the Godavari delta.

We reached our destination of a small village called Dhindi on the banks of the mighty Godavari after an 8-hour drive. This is the very place where you hop on to the houseboats of AP tourism for a 24hr ride and stay on it. AP tourism also has cottages and hotel rooms to provide hospitality to tourists wanting to feel the fresh air around and see the color green in its purest form. The houseboat has two neat bedrooms and a deck to relax and enjoy the serenity. The tourism people on the boat itself provide food.

The cruise on the river with the dense vegetation around, the pure air and the wonderful light breeze lightens the body and mind from all worldly complications. The cruise happens two times in the day and we were taken up and downstream the river. We ventured to Shivakotilanka, one of the small islands in the middle of the river where we were treated to freshly cut coconuts, which tasted heavenly. As the dusk settles in with all its varied colors making patterns on the water and sky, we felt like kings and queens straight out of history books at leisure on a river cruise sipping on sweet coconut water.

The most difficult part was coming out of the magical trance of the cruise experience next day and starting back for the city. With a heavy heart, we started our journey back home. However, the green surroundings and the thought of adventure propelled us to think otherwise. We spotted on our road map a place called Papikondalu – the hill range that overlooks the course of the Godavari. We ventured towards Papikondalu – a 150 kms drive from Dhindi. The route proceeds to Papikondalu via Rajahmundry, the largest town and headquarters of East Godavari district. We met some locals on the way to Rajmundhry and took directions to our destination. The aim was to reach a small hamlet of 20 odd families called Koraturu. The road was rough and rocky but worth all the pain – the highest point seemed like near to heaven. We were looking down upon the river winding its way through the hills and jungles around through a narrow gorge. We all felt like ‘we were at the top of the world…..’’

Places: Konaseema – AP tourism houseboats
Papikondalu: One cottage but no provision of food
Road: 450 kms from Hyderabad by car
Train: To Rajmundhry and then by road
Best Time to visit is September to March