The silvery waters of Kondakarla Ava Lake glistened in the silence of the night. A distant call of a bird heading home in the twilight greeted the ears.
The shiny full moon night last Wednesday brought out a different beauty of the water-body, one of the largest freshwater lakes in the country.
The wooden log canoes with a team of nature lovers caressed the lotus flowers dotting the waters. This lake located at a distance of 50 km from Vizag has been attracting nature lovers, shutterbugs, picnickers and tourists all round the year.
A novel experience
But very few have explored its beauty on a full moon night. It was with this idea of offering a different experience to nature lovers that Vizag based group D.A.R.E. (Daring Adventurous Rare Experiences) organised a trip to Kondakarla Ava recently.
Formed two years ago, the main motto of the group is to showcase popular tourist destinations in a different way by offering experiences that are out of the ordinary.
“This was our first full moon night expedition at Kondakarla Ava. When you visit the same destination on different times of the year and month, it can bring out a different beauty of the place. We were so much more close to nature as we moved on the boats in silence across the lake. Even a drop of water appeared loud and clear to us,” says Sridhar Vaddi of D.A.R.E. Spread over 1,400 acres, the perennial water body is a home to more than 100 species of birds, including several migratory ones from Sibera that arrive here in large flocks during the winter months.
Off-beat tours
The group conducted such off-beat tours to places like Chilka in Odisha and Araku in the past, which saw some great response from the people of Vizag. Meet-ups are regularly held to guide people in ways to rejuvenate their spirits by making them to engage in activities like cycling, hiking, rappelling, trekking, water sports and other fun outdoor adventures.
“Our next event is a moon walk from Rushikonda to the beach opposite Rama Naidu Studio which we are organising for a team of 100 of a corporate firm,” adds Vaddi, whose aims to showcase Vizag and its neighbourhood in a way never explored before.
Their upcoming big event is the Tour of Eastern Ghats, a two-day cycling event, to be held on October 14 and 15.
“This will be the fourth edition of the event. We have already received 15 registrations so far. This year, we are expecting the numbers to be close to 50,” he confirms. For this event, cyclists from Pune, Chennai and Hyderabad are expected to join in. To know more about D.A.R.E and be a part of its expeditions, call 9000812348.
