Places to Visit Near Katikavanikunta

Morning we reached Hyderabad and headed back home. It was a great feeling to have experienced such a trek. I have done many explorations previously but this one was a bit scary but enjoyable.

Day 1 - January 12th, 2017Completed our offices before time and rushed to the meeting point (friend's place) at Gachibowli around 10 in the night. We did our part of prayers, boosted ourselves, played songs, hugged each other, smiled & began the journey. I was scared, my first motorcycle ride where I would cover 700 Kms at a stretch. It was going to be a hell of a ride.

Sunday was the last day we had at Hyderabad. Though we had the entire day to ourselves, we did not plan much for the last day. Early in the morning we visited the famous Birla temple. And to wrap up an almost perfect trip we visited the Buddha statue in Hussain Sagar lake. It is the world's tallest monolith of Gautam Buddha and stands at a serious 58 feet. Interestingly it was the Dalai Lama who consecrated the statue some 10 years back.Of course a trip to Karachi Bakery was kept for last. Although one can now find Karachi Biscuits online, one has to visit the store to know the sheer variety of the biscuits on offer. Needless to say, we all packed heavy.We had a quick lunch at a nearby restaurant and went back to the hotel to pack for the return journey. The trip to Hyderabad is one of my most cherished trips in recent times. While my only qualm was not being able to stick completely to my itinerary, it is only a small sore point at that. Perhaps my planning and the complete itinerary should help you plan your own trip.Happy travelling!

We had an exhaustive schedule (literally!) for Friday but as it is with groups we managed to cover only in part. Despite having planned the Nehru Zoological Park and the Falaknuma Palace in the first half of the day, we awoke only by 10, courtesy the late night partying and staying up routine.Let me take you through our itinerary anyway. We had planned on going to the Nehru Zoological park first thing in the morning. The park has a large collection of indigenous specie of animals and birds. I was more interested in the animals (specifically the white tiger) than the birds since we were going to visit a specialised bird park inside Ramoji the following day. We were to follow it up with the Palace, now the Taj Falaknuma palace, a palace hotel. A pity that we didn't make it though.

We arrived in Hyderabad on Thursday. We stayed at a hotel near Nampally Railway station as it was centrally located and in close proximity to many of the places we wanted to visit. After having a filling lunch at Cafe Bahar Restaurant, we set out as per our itinerary for the first day.

The flight back home was interesting too. We had a three-hour long layover scheduled in Hyderabad, where we bumped into one of my cousins and his family. Coincidentally they were booked on the same flight as us, just ten rows ahead. We chatted for a while, discussing about our experiences since the last time we met (on Diwali last year), and how my cousin Yash seems to grow a couple of inches every time I meet him! Our trip to Ooty has certainly been one of the best memories of this year yet. From last minute bookings to weird Google Maps experiences, we had it all. A special thanks to the staff at Club Mahindra for making our experience amazing.Well, for those who intend to plan a similar trip, here are some pointers that might help -If you plan to go from Coimbatore to Ooty, I would highly recommend renting a vehicle if you don't have one. We found Zoomcars to be a very good deal for approximately ₹6,500- A Hyundai i20 Elite for 70 hours and 350km (over which we would be charged ₹12/km). The fuel was included in the package as well. BTW the airport pick-up and drop service is availableSpeaking of renting a car, ensure that you take photos of the car from all sides to make a note of any prior damage the car has withstood and share the photos with the representative.Although we loved visiting the Adiyogi, it would be best if one visits the place after approximately a year or two. A lot of landscaping is going on at present, and once complete, the experience will be something different altogether.Do research about the bandhs well in advance. We travelled through a number of towns, and not a single restaurant or shop was open until 5 in the evening. Carry enough food just in case.Plan in advance, especially for Club Mahindra (unless you are a Violet Card holder). We were really fortunate to find a place at such short notice. The food there is just amazing, albeit slightly expensive.Carry adequate warm clothes. It is always cool there. We experienced that summer afternoons in Ooty have weather comparable to Mumbai evenings in winters. Preferably carry umbrellas for the sudden untimely rain.The Derby Green property of Club Mahindra overlooks the Race Course and has a number of activities for the guests. Make sure you experience at least a few of them. Avoid visiting the property in winters - it is really cold. The staff there mentioned that the guests hardly ever come out of their rooms during winter.The Tibetan Market in Ooty has great fruits, if you are interested. Chocolates are also available nearby. And if you haven't already, do give Ibaco ice-creams a try. I just love the experience.Google Maps is not highly accurate in the hilly regions. Asking the local people for directions could be more helpful. We had at least three occasions where the Maps pointed us to inexistent roads.On a lighter note, if you are a mangovore like us, avoid having mangoes before a road trip on an empty stomach.

We started from Hyderabad on last but 1 day to Humpi(World's Heritage Site). We reached Hospet around 8 in the morning on 31st,2016..last day of the year.It was a trip of 2 years(last day of 2016 and 1st day of 2017).We took a room in Hospet,there will more no.of autos instead of cabs in Hospet for tourism,they show us all places in Humpi.We started at Hospet and travelled to Hampi around 20 min..First we went to virupaksha temple.

Day 1 was all about arriving, checking-in and visiting a few places nearby our hotel like Hussain Sagar lake, Lumbini park etc. And, not to forget, the yummy Paradise Biriyani !!

This day was all about visiting monuments of Hyderabad.

Vacations again! And we were eager to go to a new place. Dalai Lama once said,”Once a year, go some place where you’ve never been before”. It’s my favourite quote. I do believe there is nothing more interesting and exciting than visiting a new place . Our destination this time was the city of Nizams. It may not be a great idea for many to spend holidays in a highly populated city the fourth most populous city of India) but the historical charm – (the stories of Nizams, the acoustic wonders of Golconda, the legendary Hyderabadi Biryani tales and the Salar Jung Museum pulled us to Hyderabad. From Pune, the Shatabdi Express took only eight hours to reach Secunderabad station. When Pune was shivering in cold for the last one month, we landed in a somewhat warmer city in the end of December.In the last two years, we have visited two famous forts, the Daulatabad Fort in Aurangabad, Maharashtra and the Kangra Fort in Himachal Pradesh. Exploring forts though is a bit tiring, but still, the feel you get in the surroundings, in the ruins, in the dark passages, staircases or in front of a majestic architecture and listening to the unbelievable stories of the kings and emperors who once ruled from these bastions, are matchless.