Sailing above Araku Valley in Andhra Pradesh

Famous for the Borra Caves a popular spot with intrepid tourists Araku Valley is a pristine hill station located 150 km from the city of Visakhapatnam in Andhra PradeshIts in this verdant stretch of land that a small group of journalist arrived one cold January evening to be part of the second edition of the Balloon Festival The temperature was a pleasant 8degCelsius and a thin layer of fog had just started rolling in when we entered the campsite The camp was equipped with luxury tents with two beds each and a washroom with hot running waterThe hot air balloons being inflated for the flight at NTR Ground PicsSuresh KarkeraBefore retiring that night we were briefed about the balloon flight scheduled early the following day Around 20 balloonists from 15 countries were going to be flying in this littleknown tribal outpostThe next morning after a quick breakfast we were taken to NTR Ground named after former AP chief minister NT Rama Rao which is around 8 km from the campsite While on our way we saw many vehicles from the nearby towns rushing towards the location of the event Hundreds of tribals had gathered to watch the spectacleBelgian pilot Johan Vander Meiren seen preparing for take offHowever the fog an attraction until the previous evening played spoilsport and delayed our ascent to the clouds Once the fog cleared and the sun rose the crew began inflating the balloons As heavy duty burners heated the air the colourful balloons which were firmly anchored with ropes rose majestically Each balloon was almost threestoreys high with a basket at the bottom We were carefully herded into the basket I was on board a balloon that was piloted by a Belgian named Johan Vander Meiren who has more than 1000 hours flying experience As the anchor ropes were cast away we rose slowly Within minutes the horizon was surrounded with balloons sailing like birds in the sky We could see the locals below watch in awe Our pilot Meiren who has participated in balloon festivals all over the world including the Alps found the arrangement and location in Araku as one of the bestPassengers on the balloon got a birdseye view of the paddy fields and plantations on Araku ValleyThe take off was smooth but once the initial euphoria wore off we could clearly see the illeffects of human inhabitation on the oncepristine tribal land It was clear that the state governments afforestation efforts were not helping The manmade jungle stood out like a sore thumb Our balloon landed smoothly 45 minutes later on a paddy field that had only recently been harvested The ground trucks reached the balloons by locating them through GPS The good thing was that almost all the balloons landed in the same area around 12 km away from takeoff spot One balloon we later learnt got caught in a freak gust of wind and landed nearly 30 km awayThe balloon lands on a harvested fieldAfter the balloon ride some of us were flown in a helicopter to have another view of the terrain The contrast was stark The balloon flight felt safe and smooth and the open basket made you feel one with nature The glass cabin of the chopper while offering majestic vistas felt lacking From next year onwards the annual balloon festival is expected to provide employment to locals and boost tourism We returned to our camp for more merriment before going back to the bustling city of Vizag to leave for our respective destinations with colourful memoriesPlaces to visitThe coffee plantations at Araku Vallery are famous There is also a museum dedicated to Araku coffee Tourists can buy coffee and locally made chocolates from hereThe Borra Caves also called Borra Guhalu comprise karstic limestone structures It is said to be one of the deepest caves in IndiaHow to get thereFrom Visakhapatnam airport Araku Valley is around 140 km The hill station can also be reached from the Visakhapatnam railway station There are direct state bus and taxi services available through the dayCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates