Yagati Tours
Vasavya Yagati · Completed family road trip

Our East Andhra Family Road Tour

11–18 January 2026 · From Hyderabad to the forests and hills of the Eastern Ghats, the Visakhapatnam coast and the Krishna estuary — 8 days, 7 nights, the four of us together.

Telangana · Andhra Pradesh · Godavari · Eastern Ghats · Bay of Bengal
≈2,100 kmTotal drive
11 JanSet off at about 8:21 AM
18 JanHome at about 7:07 PM
35 placesForests, hills, temples, caves and beaches

Our route

Press play to watch our car drive the whole trip, or pick a day. The red line is the Maredumilli forest drive.

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At 1× the whole trip plays in about 2½ minutes, one day in about 45 seconds. Stops and nights are skipped quickly.

Our journey · 11–18 January 2026
StopPassed throughMaredumilli forest driveUse the layer button for satellite view

Our phones do not keep a continuous track for this trip, so the line follows the roads between the places where our photos and videos were taken. Times at stops come from the photos; the start, the end and the night after Hamsaladeevi are estimated.

Slow sections

Progress was slowest on the narrow forest and ghat roads from Rampachodavaram through Maredumilli to Lambasingi, and down the Ananthagiri ghat after dark.

SectionReason for low speed
Rampachodavaram → Maredumilli → LambasingiNarrow forest and ghat roads, few fuel stations and patchy mobile signal
Borra Caves → Ananthagiri ghatGhat road, driven down in the dark

Our family

Vasavya, Usha, Adarsh and Spurthi travelled together in our Hyundai Alcazar over the Sankranti holidays. We set off from home in Hydernagar on the morning of 11 January and were back home on the evening of 18 January.

The forest day: Maredumilli to Lambasingi

≈159 kmof forest and hill roads, 1:15–5:53 PM
Maredumillideep into the forest on the Bhadrachalam road
6:52 PMreached Lambasingi after a sunset stop

The heart of the trip. From Rampachodavaram the road climbs into the Maredumilli forest of the Eastern Ghats. We drove deep along the Bhadrachalam road to Valamuru, came back through Maredumilli, then crossed the hills via Addateegala and Koyyuru.

We stopped at Peddavalasa as the sun went down and reached Lambasingi at about 6:52 PM — and were up again at 6 the next morning for the mist.

Forest and ghat roads here are narrow, with few fuel stations and patchy mobile signal. Start early, fill up before Rampachodavaram and avoid driving the forest stretch after dark.

Trip highlights

Day 1 · NH65

Hyderabad to Vijayawada

Out through Koti, a break at Suryapet, and over the Kanaka Durga flyover into Vijayawada.

Day 2 · Godavari & forest

Maredumilli

Across the Godavari at Rajahmundry and into the Maredumilli forest, then over the hills to Lambasingi.

Day 3 · Eastern Ghats

Lambasingi to Borra

A misty sunrise at Lambasingi, Paderu, an afternoon in Araku Valley, Sunkarametta and the Borra Caves.

Day 4 · Vizianagaram

Vizianagaram and Vizag

A morning around Vizianagaram and Saripalli, then the evening on Beach Road in Visakhapatnam.

Day 5 · Visakhapatnam

Temple, hills and beaches

Simhachalam, the Rushikonda hills and beach, Kailasagiri and an evening on Beach Road.

Days 6–8 · Homeward

Annavaram to the Krishna estuary

Annavaram temple, a night in Rajahmundry, Palakayathippa Beach and Hamsaladeevi, and home on NH65.

Eight days on the road

Distances are by road between the places in our photos, so they are approximate.

Trip dayRouteApprox. km
Day 1Sun 11 JanHyderabad → Suryapet → Kodad → Nandigama → Vijayawada296
Day 2Mon 12 JanVijayawada → Eluru → Rajahmundry → Gokavaram → Rampachodavaram → Maredumilli → Addateegala → Koyyuru → Lambasingi419
Day 3Tue 13 JanLambasingi → Paderu → Hukumpeta → Araku Valley → Ananthagiri → Borra Caves → Vizianagaram215
Day 4Wed 14 JanVizianagaram → Nellimarla → Visakhapatnam137
Day 5Thu 15 JanVisakhapatnam: Simhachalam → Rushikonda → Kailasagiri → Beach Road77
Day 6Fri 16 JanVisakhapatnam → Anakapalli → Tuni → Annavaram → Jaggampeta → Rajahmundry201
Day 7Sat 17 JanRajahmundry → Eluru → Vijayawada → Machilipatnam → Palakayathippa → Hamsaladeevi → Vijayawada372
Day 8Sun 18 JanVijayawada → Nandigama → Jaggayyapeta → Kodad → Suryapet → Narketpally → Chityal → Hyderabad322
Total≈2,100 km

Day 1 · Sun 11 Jan

Hyderabad → Suryapet → Kodad → Nandigama → Vijayawada

≈296 kmby road
TimePlaceAbout this stop
≈8:21 AMGoogle Maps ↗Set off in the morning (time estimated from the drive to our first photo).
8:48 AMGoogle Maps ↗Our first photos of the trip, on the way out of the city.
12:18 PM – 12:33 PMGoogle Maps ↗A break on NH65 at Suryapet.
1:20 PM passed throughGoogle Maps ↗Passed through.
1:52 PM passed throughGoogle Maps ↗Passed through.
2:08 PM passed throughGoogle Maps ↗Passed through.
2:16 PM passed throughGoogle Maps ↗Into Vijayawada past Kondapalli and Ibrahimpatnam.
2:42 PM passed throughGoogle Maps ↗Over the flyover beside Indrakeeladri and the Krishna.
11 Jan 6:29 PM
→ 12 Jan 8:10 AM
Google Maps ↗First night, in Vijayawada.

Day 2 · Mon 12 Jan

Vijayawada → Eluru → Rajahmundry → Gokavaram → Rampachodavaram → Maredumilli → Addateegala → Koyyuru → Lambasingi

≈419 kmby road
TimePlaceAbout this stop
8:44 AM passed throughGoogle Maps ↗Passed through.
9:10 AM passed throughGoogle Maps ↗Passed through.
9:38 AM passed throughGoogle Maps ↗Passed through.
10:35 AM passed throughGoogle Maps ↗Passed through.
11:04 AM passed throughGoogle Maps ↗Across the Godavari to Rajahmundry.
11:46 AM passed throughGoogle Maps ↗Passed through.
12:11 PM – 12:22 PMGoogle Maps ↗Short stop on the way to the hills.
12:49 PM – 1:15 PMGoogle Maps ↗Gateway to the Maredumilli forest.
1:15 PM: into the Maredumilli forest and across the hills to Lambasingi — read the story
1:41 PM – 2:04 PMGoogle Maps ↗Into the forest of the Eastern Ghats.
2:35 PM – 2:54 PMGoogle Maps ↗The deepest point of our forest drive, on the Maredumilli–Bhadrachalam road.
3:35 PM passed throughGoogle Maps ↗Back through Maredumilli.
4:45 PM passed throughGoogle Maps ↗Passed through.
5:31 PM passed throughGoogle Maps ↗Passed through.
5:51 PMGoogle Maps ↗A stop in the hills as the sun went down.
12 Jan 6:52 PM
→ 13 Jan 6:06 AM
Google Maps ↗Night in the hills at Lambasingi, the coldest corner of Andhra.

Day 3 · Tue 13 Jan

Lambasingi → Paderu → Hukumpeta → Araku Valley → Ananthagiri → Borra Caves → Vizianagaram

≈215 kmby road
TimePlaceAbout this stop
6:16 AM – 8:09 AMGoogle Maps ↗Up early for the mist and the sunrise over the hills.
8:28 AM passed throughGoogle Maps ↗Passed through.
9:45 AM passed throughGoogle Maps ↗Through the hill town of Paderu.
10:22 AMGoogle Maps ↗Short stop.
11:13 AM passed throughGoogle Maps ↗Passed through.
11:42 AM – 12:15 PMGoogle Maps ↗A stop on the road to Araku.
12:45 PM – 2:24 PMGoogle Maps ↗The afternoon in Araku town and the valley.
3:10 PM – 3:22 PMGoogle Maps ↗A stop on the ghat road through the coffee country.
3:53 PM passed throughGoogle Maps ↗Passed through.
4:38 PM – 5:18 PMGoogle Maps ↗The limestone caves at Borra.
6:30 PM passed throughGoogle Maps ↗Down the ghat in the dark.
13 Jan 8:12 PM
→ 14 Jan 8:53 AM
Google Maps ↗Night in Vizianagaram.

Day 4 · Wed 14 Jan

Vizianagaram → Nellimarla → Visakhapatnam

≈137 kmby road
TimePlaceAbout this stop
9:05 AMGoogle Maps ↗Morning in Vizianagaram.
9:26 AM – 9:50 AMGoogle Maps ↗Morning in Vizianagaram.
12:14 PM – 2:38 PMGoogle Maps ↗Early afternoon at Saripalli.
6:02 PM – 6:35 PMGoogle Maps ↗Our base for Visakhapatnam.
8:59 PM – 9:22 PMGoogle Maps ↗Evening by the sea on Beach Road.
14 Jan 9:39 PM
→ 15 Jan 10:19 AM
Google Maps ↗Night in Visakhapatnam.

Day 5 · Thu 15 Jan

Visakhapatnam: Simhachalam → Rushikonda → Kailasagiri → Beach Road

≈77 kmby road
TimePlaceAbout this stop
12:41 PMGoogle Maps ↗Up the ghat road to Simhachalam, the hill of the Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha temple.
1:19 PM passed throughGoogle Maps ↗Back down from the hill.
2:05 PM – 2:36 PMGoogle Maps ↗Up on the Rushikonda hills by the Ramanaidu Studios road.
3:07 PM – 3:25 PMGoogle Maps ↗The golden beach at Rushikonda.
5:09 PM – 5:30 PMGoogle Maps ↗The hilltop park above the city and the sea.
6:52 PM – 7:27 PMGoogle Maps ↗Evening on Beach Road.
15 Jan 7:45 PM
→ 16 Jan 9:24 AM
Google Maps ↗Second night in Visakhapatnam.

Day 6 · Fri 16 Jan

Visakhapatnam → Anakapalli → Tuni → Annavaram → Jaggampeta → Rajahmundry

≈201 kmby road
TimePlaceAbout this stop
10:26 AM passed throughGoogle Maps ↗Passed through.
12:27 PM passed throughGoogle Maps ↗Passed through.
1:07 PM – 3:17 PMGoogle Maps ↗Two hours at the hilltop temple of Annavaram.
5:05 PM passed throughGoogle Maps ↗Passed through.
16 Jan 6:25 PM
→ 17 Jan 11:27 AM
Google Maps ↗Night by the Godavari in Rajahmundry.

Day 7 · Sat 17 Jan

Rajahmundry → Eluru → Vijayawada → Machilipatnam → Palakayathippa → Hamsaladeevi → Vijayawada

≈372 kmby road
TimePlaceAbout this stop
12:54 PM passed throughGoogle Maps ↗Passed through.
1:14 PM passed throughGoogle Maps ↗Passed through.
1:49 PMGoogle Maps ↗Back in Vijayawada for lunch.
2:36 PM passed throughGoogle Maps ↗Out on the Machilipatnam road.
3:56 PM passed throughGoogle Maps ↗Passed through.
4:28 PM passed throughGoogle Maps ↗Passed through.
5:00 PM – 5:45 PMGoogle Maps ↗The beach near where the Krishna meets the Bay of Bengal.
6:10 PM passed throughGoogle Maps ↗Through Hamsaladeevi at sunset on the way back.
17 Jan ≈7:49 PM
→ 18 Jan 1:10 PM
Google Maps ↗Back in Vijayawada for the night (no photos; estimated).

Day 8 · Sun 18 Jan

Vijayawada → Nandigama → Jaggayyapeta → Kodad → Suryapet → Narketpally → Chityal → Hyderabad

≈322 kmby road
TimePlaceAbout this stop
2:00 PM passed throughGoogle Maps ↗Passed through.
2:26 PM passed throughGoogle Maps ↗Passed through on NH65.
2:46 PM passed throughGoogle Maps ↗Passed through.
3:33 PM passed throughGoogle Maps ↗Passed through.
4:28 PM passed throughGoogle Maps ↗Passed through.
5:20 PMGoogle Maps ↗A last break before Hyderabad.
≈7:07 PMGoogle Maps ↗Home in the evening (time estimated from the drive after our last photo).

Each day in Google Maps

Open any day’s drive in Google Maps.

Our travel film

Photos from the trip

All our photos and videos from the trip — the map above was drawn from their locations. Travellers and family sign in with their Google account to open the full album; everyone else can see the public album.

Open the photo album ↗

From the forest roads of Maredumilli and the misty mornings of Lambasingi to the caves at Borra and the beaches of Visakhapatnam, this was a Sankranti week on the road together — eight days, remarkable landscapes and one long road back home.