If you are a chicken lover just like me, hang on for a moment as I will tell you about a place where your senses are put to a test with a variety of chicken that can make you smack your fingers. Fortunately for all those animal lovers out there, I promise you this place is rich in greenery, cultures and diversified vegetation which could be a perfect get-away from daily life.
Araku valley, which is 110 km from the coastal city of Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh is a part of Aravali ranges is a perfect hill-station for a weekend get-away. Even the journey to this is exciting and adventurous. This is connected by rail and by road. There will be only one train from Visakhapatnam to this place but the scenic beauty it provides en-route is mesmerizing with deep valleys, rivers and caves. The road route is not less exciting with steep ghat roads and sharp blind turns will put your skills to test and the view is spectacular.
There are many more attractions hiding on those hills such as naturally formed deepest limestone caves, Borra Caves and coolest place in south India, Lambasingi which is often referred to Andhra Kashmir with temperatures dropping to negative scales and many more picturesque places. This place is famous for film shootings too. But in this post, I am focusing on something which is more important "Food".
Araku valley is least explored. This place is introduced to coffee vegetation during the times of British and this place now produces a good quality of coffee whose aroma and taste will refresh the souls from within. This place is also famous for rich spices and dry fruits. Above all the main cuisine is Bamboo Chicken, yes you heard it right, bamboo and chicken. This Exquisite, exclusive native dish prepared by local tribals with a rich blend of spices and chicken which will be cooked inside a bamboo spool directly with flames scorching the bamboo from outside and cooking chicken from within.
Chicken is cleaned and made into pieces and is blended with rich spices and stuffed into a bamboo stick. This bamboo is then put directly on the fire and let it cook for 30-40 minutes. This is a real classic and barbarous style of making chicken. The chicken gets steamed, smoked and fried inside the bamboo imparting those spices and smoky flavours to chicken inside. With each bit, you can taste that perfectly cooked and smoked with soaring spices all over it.
So, when you happen to visit Visakhapatnam by any chance make sure to add 2 extra days in your itinerary for this place to explore this relatively unexplored natural beauty with your friends and family. I will try to make another post explaining more about the places in detail. This trip would cost you mostly between 3000-4000 based upon your preferences. One can find locals offering a complete tour package from the railway station of Araku.