Best Tourist Places to Visit in Visakhapatnam: Top Attractions for Nature Lovers and First-Time Visitors

Ramakrishna Beach, stretching over 8 km along the Bay of Bengal, is the social soul of Visakhapatnam. The wide promenade is lined with vendors selling corn, pani puri, and fresh coconut water, making it the city's most democratic gathering spot — equally loved by morning joggers, teenage couples, and retired fishermen.

The beach gained its name from the nearby Ramakrishna Mission Ashram, whose serene garden campus is worth a separate visit. Along the beach road you'll find the famous war memorial lighthouse, a classic submarine, vintage fighter jets, and the iconic Matsyakanyaka (Mermaid Statue) — a stunning bronze figure that has become Vizag's unofficial mascot.

What to Do at RK Beach

• Watch the sunrise from the Tenneti Park cliffside overlooking the sea
• Rent horses or ATVs for a beach ride at sunset
• Explore the Kursura Submarine Museum docked nearby (ticketed)
• Sample Vizag's famous gongura mutton at beachside dhabas

Perched 360 metres above sea level, Kailasagiri is Vizag's premier hilltop escape. The park is famous for its colossal 108-ft Shiva-Parvati statue — a striking white monument visible from much of the coastal city — and its panoramic views of the Bay of Bengal stretching to the horizon.

A toy train circles the summit, perfect for families. The real highlight, however, is the ropeway (cable car) that connects the hilltop to Beach Road. The 10-minute glide over the treetops and sea is exhilarating and offers unobstructed aerial photography opportunities that are impossible to replicate elsewhere in the city.

Highlights

• 360° panoramic viewpoints with telescopes
• Aromatic flower garden and Japanese rock garden
• An open-air museum of tribal art
• Best sunset point in Visakhapatnam

At an altitude of 1,100 metres in the Eastern Ghats, Araku Valley is the undisputed star of Vizag tourism. Blanketed in coffee and pepper plantations, paddy terraces, and dense tribal forests, Araku has a distinctly otherworldly tranquility that is increasingly rare in modern India.

The most memorable way to reach Araku is the Visakhapatnam–Kirandul scenic train journey, one of India's most breathtaking rail routes. The metre-gauge train winds through 58 tunnels and 84 bridges through the Ghats — a 5-hour journey that is itself a bucket-list attraction.

What Makes Araku Special

• Padmapuram Garden — bamboo groves and topiary walks along a stream
• Tribal Museum — learn about indigenous Kondh and Gadaba communities
• Araku Coffee — world-famous shade-grown beans; buy directly from plantations
• Chaparai Waterfalls — a 10-km detour that is absolutely worth it

Discovered in 1807 by British geologist William King George, Borra Caves are among India's largest natural caves and are located at about 700 m elevation in the Ananthagiri Hills — conveniently en route to Araku Valley from Vizag.

The caves stretch for approximately 200 metres and plunge 75 metres underground. Inside, a spectacular gallery of stalactites and stalagmites have been sculpted over a million years. Coloured LED illumination now highlights formations that resemble a Shiva lingam, a human brain, a crocodile, and a tiger — creating an atmosphere equal parts geological museum and Hindu mythology.

Visitor Essentials

• Guided tours run throughout the day — do not skip the guide
• The cave temperature is a cool 18–22°C year-round — carry a light jacket
• Watch the bat colonies emerge at dusk from the cave entrance
• Combine with Araku Valley for a full-day Eastern Ghats itinerary

Rishikonda is widely regarded as Vizag's most beautiful beach — a crescent of golden sand hemmed by rocky black headlands and swaying casuarina groves. Unlike the busy urban RK Beach, Rishikonda is cleaner, less crowded, and backed by the Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC) beach resort, making it a polished yet natural retreat.

The beach is the city's water sports capital. Activities include surfing, jet skiing, banana boat rides, kayaking, and snorkelling. The relatively powerful waves make it one of the few beaches on the East Coast suitable for beginner surfing lessons.

Visakhapatnam is home to the Eastern Naval Command, and nowhere is that military heritage more vividly preserved than aboard INS Kurusura — a decommissioned Soviet-era submarine that now rests dramatically on the shores of RK Beach as a museum.

Commissioned in 1969 and operational for 31 years, the submarine served during the 1971 Indo-Pakistani war. Visitors can crawl through actual torpedo tubes, peer at periscopes, and navigate the impossibly cramped crew quarters — offering a viscerally humbling window into submarine life. It remains Asia's first submarine museum and a must-see for history and defence enthusiasts.

Dedicated to Lord Varaha Narasimha, a combined avatar of Vishnu, the Simhachalam Temple dates to the 11th century and stands as one of the 18 sacred Narasimha temples in India. Built in the Kalinga architectural style, the granite temple is a masterpiece of medieval South Indian craftsmanship.

Unlike most Hindu temples, the presiding deity here is perpetually covered in sandalwood paste and is revealed in its original form only once a year on the occasion of Akshaya Tritiya — a phenomenon that draws lakhs of devotees from across the country. The hilltop location also offers excellent views of the northern suburbs of Vizag.

Tucked beneath the dramatic limestone cliffs of Dolphin's Nose — a rocky headland that juts 360 metres into the sea — Yarada Beach is arguably the most secluded and scenically arresting beach in Vizag. The only road access winds through a Navy area, which has historically kept the crowds away.

The result is a beach of extraordinary, unspoiled beauty: impossibly clear turquoise water, white sand with zero litter, and a dramatic cliffscape on three sides. This is the beach to bring your camera and a packed lunch, find a quiet rock, and simply breathe.

Sprawled across 625 acres of the Kambalakonda Reserved Forest, the Indira Gandhi Zoological Park is one of India's largest and most ecologically thoughtful zoos. Unlike concrete-cage facilities, this zoo is designed around the principle of naturalistic habitats — most enclosures are essentially large sections of the existing forest, with animals roaming semi-freely.

The park is home to over 200 species including Bengal tigers, Asiatic lions, sloth bears, Indian gaur, king cobras, and a dedicated butterfly park. The nocturnal animal house is a unique attraction offering rare views of creatures that are almost never spotted in the wild. Families easily spend 3–4 hours here.