rollapadoo+belum caves

A weekend gateway – localities in AP would instantly tell you Nagarjuna Sagar. How about Kurnool?

No idea, right? Keeping Kurnool as a base one can do two very interesting places – Belum Caves and Rollapadoo Bird Sanctuary and that also both in a distance not more than 100 kms here and there.

Belum Caves

The thought of our ancestors living 100 feet below ground level in caves is in itself an eerie feeling. Belum Caves are natural caves with stalactites and stalagmite formations. The cave is about 3 km in different levels with few paths narrow enough for people to squeeze in.
Six of us started for Kurnool early Saturday morning and reached the APTDC resort in Kurnool by 4 hrs. After grabbing some breakfast, we started for the cave that was an hr drive. Weather was pretty hot and inside the caves it was a bit suffocating at few places socially few points where one had to crawl. The arrangement of lights and ventilation was good enough to sustain for an hr inside. We winded our way through the caves and every moment reminded us of our humble past sans any kind of luxury. There were meditation regions and shapes and sizes of rocks, which had natural artistic formations.
We had lunch in the APTDC restaurant on the way back from the caves. The all round experience was truly thrilling.


Rollapado Sanctuary

Vast expanse of grasslands, cool breeze blowing the dried grass over 614 sq kms and the quietness being punctuated by the hoof sounds of black bucks.

An hour’s drive is Rollapadu Bird Sanctuary that is made famous by the Great Indian Bustard. Rollapadu is also a home to other different species of birds and animals like Horned Owl, Bee Eaters, Open Billed Storks, Black Bucks, and Wolves etc.
When we reached the sanctuary, there were hardly any forest officials around, few locals showed us the way inside. The beauty of the place struck our eyes at the first sight and the wide grassland expanse welcomed us to explore the nooks and corners of the sanctuary.
We spotted Bee Eaters and Shrikes perched on shrubs, which formed the major parts of the contour. There were few tall trees where we spotted Eagle nests. The most amazing sight were the herds of Black Bucks hopping and prancing to bring the grassland to life.

All round the place we came across the sign of new life in the form of Wolf puppies, Owl and Eagle hatchlings. Every corner reminded us of hope amidst destruction, human intervention in the form of canal constructions, tree and shrub felling.

The main attraction of the region was conspicuously missing – the Great Indian Bustard. On probing we found that those are like history now with a maximum of 3 to 4 of them still left around.
With regards to tourism, Rollapado is not equipped at all. The sanctuary has a few rooms with basic amenities (food can be arranged from a village 9 kms away). The only other way is to stay is either in Kurnool or Nandikotkur village that is around 20 kms away.


Kurnool:

Train: From Hyderabad
Road: About 210 km from Hyderabad
Hotel: APTDC resort. There are few other hotels in Kurnool too.