Maredumilli - a weekend getaway from Hyderabad

 

At Rajahmundry Railway Station at 4:45 AM on November 30, Saturday.

Maredumilli is a hidden gem about 80 km and less than 2 hours drive from Rajahmundry railway station, that is about 10 hours away by train from Hyderabad.

I traveled at 5 am to Gokavaram in a 13 person autorickshaw. The fare was about Rs.50 for the 30 km journey, and fellow passengers were fast asleep crammed together at the front, back and middle of the autorickshaw. "Ladies" are given seats in the auto, while men have to generally sit on wooden planks.

Buses depart from Gokavaram to Maredumilli every hour. This is the entrance of the bus station.

A bus at Gokavaram Bus station. I travelled by the Gupta Travels private bus that was right outside this bus station.

Wandering around Maredumilli. In 1922, the region saw the Rampa Rebellion led by Alluri Sitaramaraju against British colonial oppression of the tribals.

This is Manyam viewpoint, on the way to Amruthadhara Waterfalls.

Maredumilli is "Agency Area" since the British era. It has a "collector" assisted by tribal leaders that govern it. The dominant tribes are Konda Reddis, Koya and Gonds, while these ancient cultures are vanishing. The forests and rivers are the lifeline of the region being displaced by the Polavaram project.

Amruthadhara Waterfalls isn't a real waterfall. It is just a stream of water gushing down rocks.

About 4 tourists had been swept away and died during the monsoon a few months before. The goverment clampred down and installed safety railings all over at Amruthadhara waterfalls. I failed to see how four people had been swept away - the waterfall must really be torrential during the monsoon rains.

Amruthadhara Waterfalls was closed to tourist when I went. The driver, who was a local Lambada tribal, talked to the guards and ushered me in through the barred wooden gate!

Mussala Vagu ("Crocodile Brook"). Dangerous to swim in here for obvious reasons.

Another view of Mussala Vagu, also called Pamulera Vagu due to its nearby village, Pamuluru.

Near Jalatharangini Waterfalls. I did not take even a single pic of Jalatharangini waterfalls which was another stream flowing down rocks barred by handrails.

Millipede

At a coffee plantation in Maredumilli

Farmer often grow these silver oak trees that provide canopy cover to the coffee shrubs. Silver oak trees, while lucrative, are non-native and dangerous for coffee trees because of pests like coffee berry borer.

Silver oak trees are also a great companion tree for the cultivation of black pepper creepers.

Gudisa Hill Station is about 80 km from Maredumilli town. The view is phenomenal. I went there overnight and camped in a tent for this view of the sunrise.

Sunrise at Gudisa Hill Station.

There are hundreds of tourists on a weekend all brazening it out in tents pitched on the road, who came in a hundred jeeps! It is great as a source of tourist income.

At Gudisa Hill Station -1

At Gudisa Hill Station -2

At Gudisa Hill Station - 3

On the way back from Gudisa Hill Station

Dumpavalsa Waterfalls. The trickle of water felt like a private shower, but nothing more.

Kallu (Palm toddy wine w/5% alcohol) drunk out of a traditional dried gourd with a filter fitted in! You take a mouthful of it, and then lick the Gongura pickle in your right hand to complete the taste! Kallu can be very smelly though - the sweetish smell lingers for several hours on your clothes. My shirt that I took off shortly later, smelt right until the next day.

Rajinder Yadav, Shiva, myself, Rajashekhar and Manohar who made me feel right at home in a few hours. All four were supervisors since 8 months in Singareni Colleries, and had become thick friends in that time.

Water, green leaves, fallen leaves, blue skies, billowing clouds. All these together make me sing.

"The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep."

There are infinite symmetries, colors and beauty at every level if you just stop to see.

Bhupatipalem Reservoir near Rampachodavaram, about 50 km from Rajahmundry.

Rampachodavaram waterfalls. The waterfalls had dozens of people that I had to edit out. It was a little more than a good shower at this time of the year in December.

At Ramapachodavaram waterfalls. Left to right are Shiva, Rajendar, Manohar, myself and Rajashekhar. What friendships are formed in a single day!

This was a place where we stopped for a final view of satisfying water! All my four new friends swam for a while. I came away from the trip completely mesmerized by Maredumilli. The whole trip had cost me about Rs.7,500 including transport, food and stay. 

Overall, I would definitely recommend Maredumilli - but try it in the monsoon.