Maredumilli Resort

Since vacations and holidays are meant to be a break from the hectic work schedule and a means to be away from the bustle of the cities, it becomes a matter of solitude for many going to vacations. And there are such places that can provide the warmth of solitude in our country. Of these, the Maredumilli Jungle Resort stands out as one of the best and excellent tourist places near East Godavari District for a peaceful vacation. Staying in this Jungle Resorts can be termed as one of the most memorable experiences.

This Jungle Resort is home to the semi evergreen trees. With canopies of semi evergreen trees that drape the path everywhere you walk and with undulating terrain, which forms part of the Eastern Ghats, it sure makes your heart flutter with joy and brings a smile on your face when the sun plays peek-a-boo non-stop all through the day and sprinkles its incredible crepuscular rays (God’s rays) on you and giving out an impression of a panorama painted by God. The landscape is so breathtakingly beautiful that it chokes you up with emotion and that you’d wish you could etch it in your heart forever.

This area has many waterfalls and bubbling streams gushing out and flowing over the undulating rocks in the deep woods and a visitor’s heart will bubble with joy and feel thrilled to see the nature’s gift. Jalatarangini Waterfalls which is just 10 km away is a nice waterfall where people frequent. As it is very near to the main road, vehicles which pass by take a break here and lose oneself in the beauty of these waterfalls.

Another Waterfall is the Swarnadhara waterfalls which is 20 km away. An absolute beauty with not a soul (human at least!) around, it has a lot of huge Mango trees which are easily more than 50 ft tall and with trunks as big as that of Banyan trees. One has to trek around 20 min to 30 min to go to that place. Although the path is very slippery and the forest around very dense, it is a must see as it is very good with water coming in from two different points. One can enjoy it by playing in them. One can also spot peacocks calling out.

One can even go to Rampa waterfalls which is nearly 36 km from Maredumilli (26 km to Rampachodavaram towards Rajahmandry and around 10 km on a Kutcha road to Rampa falls).One can hire a Jeep from Rampachodavaram to go to Rampa falls as the vehicle should have high ground clearance. After that it is an easy 10 min walk to the falls through a forest. It is truly a worth seeing waterfalls as there is

no crowd at all and the water here tastes sweet. One can even enjoy a few laps here and then visit the small and old Shiva Temple made of stones.

Apart from this there are various activities and places to see in the luxurious environment.

Nandanavanam :An Ethno Medico Awareness Centre, this area has been developed with an intention to make public aware of the medicinal plants. It houses Bamboo plantations and different medicinal herbs.

Karthikavanam :This is a garden with plenty of Maredu (Bael) and Amla (Gooseberry) trees.

Vali Sugriva Medicinal Plants Conservation Area :An open laboratory to the botanists and research scholars, this area is an undulating terrain with an extent of 260 Ha with approx. 203species of plants including medicinal and rare plants that were identified in this area.

Madanikunj-Vihara Sthal :It is a picnic place with Pine Plants and Golden Bamboo clumps. Visiting this Eco-tourism area, will give you a chance to view wild animals like Tiger, Panther, Bison, Peacocks, Red jungle fowl and other wild life in addition to varieties of delicate and colourful butterflies.

Jungle Star :Located adjoining the Valamuru River with the streams flowing on 3 sides, it is a camping site which also provides a unique opportunity to stay overnight in the deep woods of the unexplored Eastern Ghats. This area is believed to be the battleground of Vali and Sugriva during the Ramayana period. The remarkable variation of the battle ground with the presence of grassland, encircled by forests on the other hillocks draws attention of visitors to the legendary story.

For those who love trekking, the Forest Dept. of Andhra Pradesh organizes trekking trips which are:

1. Valamuru to Amrutha Dhara 8 Km – 2 Km trek deep into waterfall

2. Cross Country Trek – From Tiger camp to Vijjuluru 8 Km

3. Adventure Trek – From Valamuru to Nelluru 10Km

For the quaint and serene atmosphere loving people, staying and lounging in the suspended canopies under the tree covers is an ideal way to spend their time. The interiors of the resorts are also quite comfortable with all amenities of television, phones, and others. Tourists can just sit in their rooms enjoying the beautiful sceneries from outside their windows, listening to the calls of the wild, or watch the interesting and traditional Kommu Dance, performed by the tribals specially for the tourists of which one can never be bored of.