Black Berry Island a perfect getaway for nature lovers

Warangal:The Black Berry Island in the Tadvai forests of Mulugu district has been developed as a spot to hang out on a holiday. On offer is tented accommodation, playgrounds for a spot of sports and much else, on a five-acre land near Mondyalathogu, surrounded by natural forests.

From Hyderabad, tourists can take RTC buses bound for Eturnagaram and Bhadrachalam and alight at Pasra. People from Andhra Pradesh can board a Bhadrachalam bus or take those bound for Warangal and Hyderabad.

The spot is 220 km from Hyderabad and 150 km from Bhadrachalam. While the cost of the stay has not been fixed, it may range between `1,500 and `2,000 per person per day.

Tourists can have fun with various sports like kho-kho, kabaddi and beach volleyball. Officials have arranged shuttle courts and other play items for children. Visitors can also enjoy fishing in the stream.

There are 50 modern accommodations set up for tourists out of which 25 are two-bed rooms, 21 are three-bedded and four are four-bedded with fencing around the site. A restaurant serves meals according to preferences of tourists.

There are bonfires in the evening and the highlight is a platform on one side of the island for tourists to enjoy nature.

The island was developed on the initiative of panchayat raj minister Danasari Anasuya Seethakka, and district collector T.S. Diwakar developed the site with advise from the forest department.

Collector Diwakar told Deccan Chronicle that the infrastructure set up has been sourced from naturally available materials, without causing harm to wildlife or environment.

The authorities have invested Rs 1 crore from the collector’s funds and the revenue will go to forest department and the collectorate. The facility will be inaugurated by ministers Seethakka and Konda Surekha before the New Year, the collector said.