Sometimes, just stepping into a body of water can change your mood instantly. For most city dwellers like me, easy access to a beach is more of a dream than reality. So, when we were planning an overnight trip to Annavaram in Andhra Pradesh, adding a beach to the sightseeing mix was a no-brainer. But whether we could pull it off or not was another matter.
In my previous post https://wanderingtalestraveldreams.com/2019/07/24/an-overnight-trip-to-annavaram-andhra-pradesh-india/, I described our trip to the temple town. We were done with visiting the temple and the family obligations around 4pm and the bus back to Hyderabad was going to pick us up at 9 pm… so we had some time to spare. The front desk at the place where we were staying (Hari Hara Sadan) helped us hire a taxi for a couple of hours. The question in front of us was: which beach along the Bay of Bengal to visit.
Beaches close to Annavaram, Andhra Pradesh
The first choice was Uppada Beach which is about an hour away from Annavaram. However, it was already 4:45pm by the time we got our act together. Our driver politely told us that by the time we reached the beach, it would be past sunset time and we would not be able to enjoy it.
Danavaipet Beach
We then decided to visit Danavaipet Beach which is about half an hour from Annavaram. Our journey to Danavaipet took us through several villages where we were able to see life winding down in the evening. As we were a little short on time, we did not stop in Ontimamidi village to visit the temple there.
We reached the beach around 5:30pm and the sun was just starting to set… so we had about 45 minutes to enjoy the beach. The entrance to the beach is very close to hatcheries, so the air will smell a little different as soon as you step out of your car. However, it is not so bad that wouldn’t be able to tolerate for long…you quickly get used to it. Since we went towards the end of the tourist season, we did find more garbage on the path to the water than expected. However, once we reached the water, it was pure bliss!
The waves at this beach were deceivingly gentle and the temperature of the water was perfect! We did not go for a swim as we were not prepared for it. However, there were some spots along the beach which seemed okay to enjoy wave jumping and some people were thoroughly enjoying them.
After spending time enjoying the sunset time in Danavaipet (you can’t actually see the sun setting in the water as the Bay of Bengal is in the east), we headed back to Annavaram to grab a quick dinner before getting on the bus back to Hyderabad.
Please note: there are no facilities available at this beach (no food or other conveniences) and please do not let go of your taxi driver…autos or taxis are hard to find… make sure they hang around to take you back to Annavaram.
Final thoughts
If you have the time, plan a trip to Uppada beach from Annavaram. The beach is well known and tourist friendly. However, if you are short on time, then Danavaipet beach is the perfect getaway for spending time enjoying the gorgeous Bay of Bengal.
Wandering Tales Travel Dreams 