the milepost The Kirandol passenger train ( 20, five hours) leaves Vizag at 6.50am and Araku at 3pm. It s a slow,

The Kirandol passenger train ( 20, five hours) leaves Vizag at 6.50am and Araku at 3pm. It s a slow, spectacular ride; sit on the right-hand side coming out of Vizag for best views. For Jungle Bells, get off at Tyda station, 500m from the resort. Frequent buses ( 58, 4 hours) leave from Araku to Vizag every hour until 7pm.

Only a couple of buildings remain from this 15th-century fort (Indian/foreigner 10/100; h8am-5pm), 14km west of Tirupathi. Both the Rani Mahal and the Raja Mahal, which houses a small museum (h10am-5pm Sat-Thu), were constructed under Vijayanagar rule and resemble structures in Hampi s Royal Centre. There s a nightly sound-and-light show (admission 35; h8pm Mar-Oct, 7.30pm Nov-Feb), narrated by Bollywood great Amitabh Bachchan. Buses for Chandragiri ( 10) leave Tirupathi bus station every half-hour. An autorickshaw is 200 return.