Bhadrachalam to Rajahmundry by River Steamer

pgautham

Thanks Steve, Nick and Jorge

Thanks for the grand welcome.
it's indeed heartening to see such motivating responses on one's first post!
Also thanks Steve for the info on the Konassema House boats thread.

I never thought I had any poetry in me !! Wow!

"Oh, natural darkness and moonlight on water: both exquisite"

Nick, this is very very poetic indeed!

Jorge, November is a good time to visit Inida in general; any personal reason for choosing november?

Couldn't resist putting in some more info, tips and generalla, so here I go:
( I guess this is going to end up as an encyclopodia !)

Decide before hand whether you want to go by Launch or Cruise boat.
You can ask for my tailor made, customised, free consultancy on this!
However as a general tip, use cruise if you have soft bones :-)
or if u need to start and be back the same day.

If you are a hardy traveller with no time constraints, then without doubt, steamers
aRE YOUR CHOICE.

Most of the tips given below are valid if you are going by Steamer only.

There is a way to go all the way through to Bhadrachalam..
Hire the boat! its 7 to 8K or so..may be a bit more with the rise in Diesel.

A bit of re-learning, the steamers that I have mentioned is actually called Launch. Launche to be more vernacular.

The Steamer starts at 1.30 or 2.00 am. The night journey is as good(and different) as the day journey. Something you dont get with the cruise. Its cold on the river at this time. Its better if the moon is in the sky during the later part of the night; 2am to 5 am.(from a day or two before full moon upto a week or so after full moon)

Steamers don't normally halt at Pattiseema or Parentapply. they just make brief stops., unless u make an agreement with the Captian before hand to halt. You will have to pay him extra for this. Both are places worth visiting. Patiisema is 1000 years plus old.
The Cruise boats halt at these places..

Take some light snacks to get you going till the early Lunch.
Vendors do board the Steamer on the way..you could easliy eat a dozen of bananas they bring with them.

The ghats start once you cross Pollavaram. and goes on untill almost Kunnavaram.

The river water is pure once you cross Pollavaram. Don't hesitate to drink directly from the mother Godavari from this point onwards. During the monsoons the river is realy red with fury but the water is pottable.

About 20 or 30 years back there used to be tigers drinking water from the banks.
There used to be crocodiles too.
Today, I don't see either of them. I'am not sure about the tigers, but I'am real glad there are no crocs! You can see lots of village urchins having fun in the river, especially when its hot. I dont want(myself or others) to be swallowed up by a Croc just as I'am(we are) enjoying a good swim!
SO don't worry and let thoughts of crocs spoil ur swim!

SOme folklore:

Road transport to Bhadrachalam(and other places along the way) from Rajahmundry became possible only recently. Before that the river was the only way to get there(and the streamers were doing roaring business and going all the way to Bhadrachalam).

Lots of people used to make the piligrimage to Bhadrachalam.
The river flows though the papikondalu(papi = sinner; kodalu= mountain) in the ghats on the way. This is a natural gorge and the river is real real deep here. Hence the name papi kondalu, which means sinners will be filtered out at this point!
In the old days people use to chant the name of Lord Rama while crossing this. Telling lies etc were stirctly forbidden.
Interstingly even now, some times when mordern toursits gamble(play cards) the crew of the steamers, advice them not to do so when passing through the Papi kondalu!

A good history about Parentapalli:

http://www.bhadrachalarama.org/nature.htm

So there's some bit of history for you!

If you are planning to stay overnight on the roof:
============================== ====================

its not normal to do this.
I think I'am the only person to have stayed overnight.(I didn't go alone though; I went with my brother in law). So tell the captain(Sarangi) that you will be staying back and returning on the same boat the following day.

It's good to stay overnight on the steamer ONLY when it anchors in the mountains(Koydha) in summer (March and April only).
Other times it goes all the way to Kunnavaram which is a reguler town.
You could take some vegetables or eggs etc to have a better dinner.

Be fore-warned that the roof top is made of corrugulated aluminium. its not flat and its rather like asbestos sheets. Hence be sure to pack some light mattress to get a good nights rest. In the night ,it can get cold and dewy(even in summer) so carry a bedsheet/rug to cover yourself. Luckily there are NO mosquitoes;
You can always sleep inside the boat too, though that's something I cant imagine unless there's rain.

If you venture out into the village:
- its about 3 -5 kms walk from where the Launch anchors.
- Inform the captain that you are going there.
- If you come back late(after dark) you will find the boat missing! Its anchored away from the shore.
- The boat fella will come and guide you after you shout at him; and he hopefully hears.
They have an amazing knack of finding shallow waters just by looking at the ripples on the surface.
- Inform them to cook dinner for you too and that you will pay for it after having it.
- on the safer side come back before its dark; and before they have eaten :-)

There is good temple in Koydha built by the TTDC and run by the tribals themselves.

The tribals live in good houses built by the Govt.

The moon should be in the early part of the night. Nothing better if its a full/near full moon or a few days(upto 5 days before) or a couple of days(max) after.

Note: When the moon is reaching the full moon phase it's raising earlier then sunset time..So it sets earlier...
Each day it rises an hour or so late .
at full moon it more or less rises as the sun sets. so u see the moon through out the night..
After fullmoon the moon rises after twilight and sets after dawn..going an hour later by the day....

Finally a request:

I hesitated a bit in putting a post on this fantastic, little known river way, because I was afraid that tourism will spoil this virgin place. However I see that tourism is any way growing.

Hence two apeals:

1) DOnt dump plastic items in to river. Other items are ok since they either will be eaten up by the fish or end up as manure on the banks.

2) Please avoid playing filmy music. These places are so quite that any music played is carried miles and miles inside the hills and really upsets the peace and serenity of this region.

P.S: The Steamers I know for sure are bi-weekly from Rajamundry(Monday and Thursday nights). I will try to get the phone numbers of the Launch members association if any one is interested.
A few also start from Pollavaram but I have no info on them.

The Cruise defintely run on sundays. Other days it may depend on the number of bookings. You may call them up to confirm.
Now a days there are also cruise boats(from Pattiseema) run by self employed groups.

Inanus mentioned about overnight cruise boats.. need to check this up.. looks exciting.

If any one has first hand info on coorangi mangroves/Kolleru lake, please let me know.


Namaste, Gautham

Bigzero

Excellent post, gautham!

great input for me as i am planning a trip though not exactly finalized which places to touch.

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rajkumar

Hats off pgautham !! This trip has been on my mind for the last 10 years or so. But it did n't materialize. Now I am all charged up.

Thanks for sharing the information. If you have any photos of the river cruise, can you please post them?

vsp27759

Dear Goutham,

The APTTDC is operating a River Cruise from Pattiseema to Papikondalu and back to Pattiseema. Pattiseema has to be reached by Road from Rajamundry (30 Kms.)

Duration/10 Hours
Starting Time/8.30 hrs.
Fare/Rs.400 per Adult.

Currently, this service is suspended. Might be restored soon after the flood water recedes.

Contact Number: 98486-29341
============================== ==
V.Srinivasa Prasad
Hyderabad/21.8.2006/16.10 hrs.

pgautham

Thanks Bigzero and Rajkumar for the praise!!
I'll be most glad if people find the post usefull.

I did not log on for a long time and hence the late acknowledgement. Sorry!

Mahaguru, yes APSTDC and other private opearators run from Pattiseema. I have some upto date info..
Will update when I manage to get some time. Perhaps in 2nd week of Oct.

Talk of the devil and ...
Steve was talking of floods, and yes there was one BIG BIG one about a month back. It seems the last such one was decades back.
I had been there for a wedding. Each day the river was rising by the meteres.
I just went on the river, just a day before services were suspended and all launches/steamers were sent off to Bhadrachalam for flood relief! The river was flowing just about 2-3 feet below the Rail cum road bridge. It was a sight, that will stay in my mind for a long long time; for ever I should say.

Steve you had planned for a trip in Sept. Howz it goin?

Rajkumar, I will most happy to post some pics. Can u tell me how to do so? and to keep the pics to which size etc. (I'am still new to this you see !)

steven_ber

Had a change to the original plan, I'll now arrive in Bhadrachalam on 30th October.

I look forward to your updated info.

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Train information.


RAC & Waitlists explained.

pgautham

ok, good luck. So how do you plan to go to Bhadrachalam? From Rajamundry? If yes, then remember, the steamers start on Monday Nights and Thursday nights.

For all, here is the updated info I got last time:

The regular Cruises go only upto Parentapalli..
There are both APSTDC as well as private operators.
The APSTDC guy will also try to guide you to either;
Since they run only if there a minimum number of bookings; 20 for the APSTDC cruise.
More for the private.

The private operators run some dance and music show;
Some like this. The peace/nature lovers will not.

I misplaced the phone number of the APSTDC contact.
However the booking agent will have it. Tell the booking agent
your preference clearly and the reason for the same;
APSTDC or Private(No music/Music).

The Phone number of the Launch/Steamers union is : (0883) 5576424
0883 is the STD code for Rajahmundry. 91 is the code for India.

The phone number of the booking agent in Rajahmundry is 9346459151.
This is a mobile so add requisite zeros while calling outside of AP/India.


Here is a good link I found:
And quiet flows the Godavari
A Rural Electrification Picture Story

http://www.renewingindia.org/picstory.html

rangss

That was a good link Gautham. Apart from the Godavari at Kunavaram, it also dealt with my pet topic...renewable energy

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machadinha

Hey Steven, long time no see Are you taking the kid on boat trip then? Sounds like a nice trip alright!

I'm not sure about this dam but was reminded of Narmada Dam which I assume you're familiar with. Anyway a bit of googling on either +"narmada dam" +godavari or "godavari dam" gives a bunch of hits that looks just manageable enough to work through it. If they're related I'll leave up to you to figure out, maybe they just spawned similar protests.

Good luck, happy travels.

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pgautham

Hi Ranggs,
yes thanks, I'am glad u liked the link which also speaks of renewable energy. I hope that soon we will be able to harvest solar energy more than we will need.
Though the link(and several more articles) write about the lack of modern facilities/utilities, I can tell for sure and depth that they enjoy much more happiness than us.
Better off if they remain cut off from civilization and modernization as long as they have enough to eat, which fortunaltely the forest provides them with.

koyyalagudem

Hi,
I want to travel by boat from Rajamundry to Bhadrachalam between 22nd and 26th November.
Can anyone tell me where I can get the information, how I can travel, what is the time duration and charges per head???
regards,
surendar

pgautham

After all the pages, I have put in, some ones asks "how to go to ...."
Its like the old addage:
" After listening to Ramayanana whole night, he asks, who is Sita?"

Surendra, if you can please PgUP , you will find all that you need.

rangss

Pgautham/anyone

I am off to a trip to Konaseema. Will bring back a lot of info. But currently I need some. My intention is to do a rail trip from Vijaywada to Rajamundhry via Gudivada and Bhimavaram. From there to Kakinada where I shall take a train to Kotipalli on the newly laid line. From Kotipalli, I can either come back to RJY or go till Palakollu, Razole and Narsapur.
I heard that there is a ferry from Narsapur/Sakhinetipally to Antarvedi. Could you confirm? Also any other ideas what to do or visit? From Narsapur I go to Bhimavaram and then to Machilipatnam. I am looking forward to enjoy the canals and boats...Kolleru might be difficult to do considering that I have just three days of Christmas week to contend with.

pgautham

Hi Rangss,
Great to know that you are off to Konaseema. I'am sure you will have a good time there.
Many years back I planned to go to Antarvedi and reached Narsapur(2 of us), late at about 4 pm. There was a launch ready to go to Antarvedi. It was not for tourists mind you.
We reached there in about an hour.

As the river nears Antarvedi the river becomes rough with lots of waves. A branch of the river Godavari meets the sea here.

The launch was returning back in about 20 mins or sooner. So we just rambled about near the shore and got back into the launch. We were the only two tourists aboard. Rest were local folk and fisher folk.

Soon it was dark. Pitch dark and no lights at all and the shore invisible. We were on the roof enjoying the ride. There was a good sized moon too, making the river shine like silver.
It was a thoroughly enjoyable ride.

Some years later I went back. I wanted to actually see the famous Antarvedi Narasimha temple and go by Launch. Alas, the Launch ran no more. It runs only on contract. That is, you book the whole launch. I crossed the river by ferry and went to Antarvedi by auto/bus.

So I think I have answered your question. I dont think there is any ferry from Narsapur to Antarvedi.

However, if you can shell out a couple of thousand rupees, there is a house boat that runs through the godavari,starting from a place near Narsapur. You can stay overnight too, in which case the boat anchors in an island. Google for konaseema houseboat for more info. If you want to make a booking, there is a booking agent in Rajahmundry. He will give you more details.
His number is 9346459151.

On the railway line from Vijaywada towards Rajamundry via the Bimavaram route(note the main line route runs through Eluru),
there are 2 stations(Akividu and Kaikaluru), where u can get down and go to see the Kolleru. Kolleru has been largely reclaimed from land grabbers and should be a good place to go. There is Peddintlamma vari temple there. You can also reach there from Eluru, which may be a better thing to do for the better transport facilities available there. Half a day should be enough.

Or you can go up the river from Rajahmundry(one day)

This is all I know.

Do let me know your plans; I'll try to get you more info depending on what you decide.

rangss

Gautham, Many Many thanks for the info. I was hoping you would read my query before I leave on my trip

I was looking for a ferry opportunity. I guess there is still a ferry between Narsapur and Sakhinetipalli. Is there a ferry to any other place...you see most of my journey would be by rail and bus. Would like to add another mode of transport.

Question 2: We are bussing it to Narsapur from Kotipalle. Might terminate it till Palakollu. Do u think the trip to Antarvedi is worth doing for a gang of five of us. Like we are not so keen on temples unless there is an architectural or visual value. What else to do at Antarvedi is the question. We are not likely to spend more than a couple of hours.

Kolleru...I have changed my mind and decided to do it. Might get off at Kaikaluru and bus it. Or do you suggest Akividu? Can you guide me better? We are 5 of us. I was thinking of a taxi or something...at least one of those micro mini buses. Which particular point/village to visit to hire a boat into Kolleru?

Are there any other interesting nooks and crannies that we can visit?

We might move to Machilipatnam from Narsapur (and check out Kolleru enroute).

A big question is food! some of us are veggies. And I know this area well...getting a good veggy fare is difficult. Veg or non-veg...what would be your suggestion? Any super food? I heard that there are good countryside restaurants near Amalapuram?