The Port of Visakhapatnam faces the Bay of Bengal to the east and the green hills of the Eastern Ghats to the west, making it a very attractive location for visitors from around the world. As the second biggest city in the Andhra Pradesh state, the Port of Visakhapatnam is primarily an industrial city. It boasts the country's biggest ship-building yard and the headquarters of India's Eastern Naval Command.

The Port of Visakhapatnam enjoys a relatively constant humid coastal climate with few seasonal changes. In the dry months, the temperature is higher than during the monsoon season, getting warmer from February until May. Temperatures in the Port of Visakhapatnam range from an average high of 36 °C (98 °F) in May to an average low of 18 °C (65 °F) in January. Most of the rain comes in the monsoon season between September and November.

Visitors to the Port of Visakhapatnam will want to visit Ramakrishna Beach, the most popular beach for locals. On the weekends, people come to the beach in their best clothing to sit on the benches or talk long walks. Swimming there is dangerous.

Wading is safer at Rishikonda Beach, some 11 kilometers from the Port of Visakhapatnam. This is an increasingly popular tourist spot, as the more sparsely attended beautiful beach is cradled by the hills. Again, swimming at this Port of Visakhapatnam beach is dangerous.

Gangavaram Beach is about 12 kilometers from the Port of Visakhapatnam, and it is the area's most beautiful beach. Bhimili Beach, about 25 kilometers from the Port of Visakhapatnam, used to be a small village where visitors can find the remains of Dutch cemeteries and a Portuguese church.

Unfortunately, the Port of Visakhapatnam beaches have few water sports or beachside facilities like restaurants or cottages. There are a few beach resorts, though, and the arrival of new employees to the large industries and Indian Naval Officers and their families are bringing a slow change to that situation.

The Simhachalam Temple is a must-see for visitors to the Port of Visakhapatnam. Famous for its architecture, temple inscriptions date to the 10th and 11th Centuries and the Chola King Kuloththunga. There is a railway station there, so it's easy to reach. The Simhachalam is one of South India's most important and richest Vaishnavite shrines. It is one of the 18 shrines of Lord Narasimha in India.

Forty kilometers from the Port of Visakhapatnam is Bojjana Konda in the village of Snakaram. Here, visitors will find architectural remains from the Buddhist period from 200 BC to 700 AD. Rock-cut caves line the eastern hill, and several groups of dagobas honoring Buddhist saints are crowned by a rock-cut stupa. On the western side of the hill is a stairway that leads to a double-storied cave lined with Buddhist guardian figures called dwarapalas. The cave is divided into 20 compartments with the rock-cut stupa in the center. The area also has many sculptures of the Buddha in different positions.

Review and History    Port Commerce    Cruising and Travel    Satellite Map    Contact Information