Amarkantak, Madhya Pradesh
How to get there
The nearest airport is Raipur, 230 km away by road.
Indian Airlines flies into Raipur from Delhi several times a weeks.
The nearest railhead is Pendra Road, 42 km, on the
Katni-Bilaspur line. Amarkantak is connected by regular buses with
Shahdol, Umaria, Jabalpur, Rewa, Bilaspur, Anuppur and
Pendra Road.
Where to stay
Amarkantak Holiday Homes, tel # 416, and Tourist Bungalow, tel # 448, both run by the Madhya Pradesh tourism department, offer ideal accommodation. The tariff for a non-AC double room is Rs 490 at the Holiday Home and Rs 190 at the Tourist Bungalow.
Bookings:
- Bhopal: Central Reservations Division, 4th Floor, Gangotri, T T Nagar, tel # 0755-778383, 774340, 774342.
- Calcutta: Chitrakoot, 6th Floor, 230 A, AJ C Bose road, tel # 033-2478 543
- Bombay: 74, World Trade Centre, Cuffe Parade, Colaba, tel # 022-2187 603
- New Delhi: 204 - 205, 2nd floor, Kanishka Shopping Plaza, 19, Ashoka road, tel # 011-3341187.
Jeypore, Orissa
How to get there
A daily train connects Jeypore with Vishakhapatnam, the nearest airport. Indian Airlines flies into Vishakhapatnam several times a week from New Delhi, Hyderabad, Madras and Bombay.
One could reach Jeypore from Bhubaneshwar, which is over 24 hours away by road via Berhampore. Bhubaneshwar is the place to organise tours of Jeypore and tribal districts beyond and obtain special passes that allow you to visit tribal areas.
You could also try contacting Mr Pujari, Travel Care, Jeypore, tel # 06854-22291, 22791 (R) or fax # 06854-30031. They can organise hotel bookings, tours to Koraput and around and necessary permissions if given some notice.
Where to stay
Madhumati, Bikram Nagar, offers decent rooms and an AC restaurant. The tariff for a double room is Rs 110 and Rs 250 for a deluxe room.
Port Blair, Andaman and Nicobar Islands
How to get there
It is possible to reach Port Blair, the capital of this Union territory by Indian
Airlines flight from either Madras or Calcutta.
It is also possible to reach Port Blair by ship from Madras, Vishakhapatnam
or Calcutta. Ships of the Shipping Corporation of India ply on this route every
one of two weeks. The journey is four days long and not the most interesting
or comfortable. But it is cheap. Passage and accommodation in a cabin is
available for about Rs 3,000. SCI has an office on Strand road in Calcutta,
phone: 033-2482354. And in Madras at Jawahar building, Rajaji road,
phone: 044- 5220841.
The flight from Calcutta leaves on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at
0530 hours IST and reaches Port Blair at 0730 hours IST. The air fare is Rs
5,305 for Indian passport holders and US $ 175 for foreign passport holders.
The flight from Madras leaves on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays at
0530 hours IST and reaches Port Blair at 0730 hours IST and the air fares is
Rs 5365 for Indian passport holders and US $ 175 for foreign passport
holders.
Where to stay
The Andaman islands have opened up quite a bit in the last few years and
there is a fair selection of hotels to stay at. If you are looking for luxury
accommodation then try:
- Andaman Beach Resort, Corbyn’s Cove, tel # 3192-21463, fax #
3192-293381. Booking office in Calcutta is at tel # 033-2280301.
Though the hotel is plenty comfortable but it is not a spectacular hotel
by any standards. Its greatest selling point is that it is right on the beach
and Corbyn’s Cove is a delightful beach. The room tariff per night for
an air conditioned double room is US $ 80.
- Sinclair Bay View, tel # 3192-20937, South Point. A decent place
with a good view. The room tariff per night for an air conditioned
double room is about US $ 50.
- Bay Island, Marine Hill, tel # 3192-20888, fax # 3192-21389 A fancy
place with a great view. Equipped with an in-house restaurant, pool,
tennis courts, scuba diving. The room tariff per night for an air
conditioned double room is US $ 120.
- If you have friends in India with the right connections the best place to
stay is at any of the government guest houses. The prices you pay per
day are laughable and some of them have a great view. Try the Circuit
House, PWD guest house or any other.
- Hornbill Yatri Niwas, near Corbyn’s Cove, tel # 3192-20018.
Bookings can be done through the Government Tourist Office at tel #
3192-20933 or at fax # 3192-20656. A modest, but very decent hotel
quite close to Corbyn’s Cove, run by the government. It is located a
little out of the way and transport can be a bit of a problem. Room
thefts have been reported. The room tariff per night is US $ 10 to $ 22
depending on whether you are opting for shared accommodation or air
conditioned accommodation etc.
- Megapode Nest , tel # 3192-23080: Good view across Phoenix Bay.
Decent. The room tariff per night is US $ 10 to $ 22 depending on whether
you are opting for shared accommodation or air conditioned
accommodation.