By bus and train Srisailam is about 212 km from Hyderabad, the capital of Telangana State, and there are buses connecting the town with Hyderabad, Vijayawada, Guntur and Kurnool. For service from Hyderabad to Srisailam, tickets and reservations can be made at the Central Bus station Hyderabad. The approximate travel time from Hyderabad to Srisailam is 4 hours. From Kurnool it will take around 5 hours via Atmakur and Doranala. You can get Express buses every one hour from 5.00 am to 11.30 pm from Kurnool. For those who are planning from Chennai you can either go from Kurnool, Nellore or Tirupathi. From Kurnool there are many buses to Srisailam. You can reach Kurnool by Kachiguda express which starts from Chennai Egmore railway station. There is no railway station in Srisailam. There are frequent buses from Tirupathi as well and they pass through Nellore. So you can always catch a bus to Srisailam from Nellore too. By private vehicle/taxi If hiring a private taxi, ensure that the driver has experience driving in ghat sections and doesn't have the habit of drinking alcohol. Mannanur, which is around 120 km from Hyderabad, is the place where the Nallamala hills start. After 60-70 km of drive through the forest you'll reach Eegalapenta. From there, it becomes difficult to drive as there are numerous hairpin bends and a kilometer of the stretch has lot of potholes. You can have a good look at the Srisailam Dam from there. You can also book a cab from Markapur, as this is the place where most of the visitors to Srisailam coming by train opt. Get around For nature lovers Srisailam trip leaves immense pleasure as you travel through deep forests. From Dornala to Srisailam you will find excellent view and the road is full of curves and U turns. Don't miss Ista Kameswari Temple: from Srisailam you need to travel 16 km into deep forest which is very adventurous. Don't try to go in your own vehicle because the way is sprinkled with huge rocks and water. Engage a jeep from Srisailam. If you have a team of 10 they will charge 1200 Rupees.Or else you can share with other in which case you will be charged 300 Rs. Bargain the amount with the drivers. After reaching the temple try to cross the temple and you will find very good place with water falls and valleys.(Temple timings are from 8AM to 2PM only. Start early if this is a part of your trip) Akkamahadevi Caves:This is the most interesting part of the journey in Srisailam.To reach the caves you need to go to Patala Ganga.You can reach Patala Ganga by rope way and ride a boat from there to reach the caves. After travelling 16 kms (for more than an hour) on the Krishna river with high mountains on either sides and walking for some distance,you will reach the caves.There will be a guide with you in the boat who will lead into the caves.You need to take a candle with you as the caves are 80 feet deep and very dark.(Due to AP & TN bifurcation, as of now tour to these caves are held. Please wait for latest news and plan your trip accordingly). Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development boats need to be reserved in advance in the early hours on the date of journey. The ticket cost is 180 rupees. Minimum of 18 members are to be there for the boats to be started. You can also engage a private boat.

• published: 16 Nov 2015
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