Srisailam ghat road timings
The last stretch to Srisailam runs through the Amrabad Tiger Reserve. The road through the forest is usually closed to traffic at night, and that one fact decides how a Srisailam trip from Hyderabad is planned.
Hyderabad → Srisailam
The timings
The forest stretch between Mannanur on the Telangana side and Domalapenta on the Andhra Pradesh side is usually closed from 9 PM to 6 AM, to protect wildlife in the tiger reserve. Vehicles that reach the check post after closing wait until morning.
During Maha Shivaratri the road is usually opened through the night for the festival crowds.
Timings are set by the forest department and can change. Your driver checks before you leave, and if anything is different we’ll tell you when we confirm.
Rules inside the reserve
Please do
- Keep to 30 km/h; there are speed checks
- Carry water in steel or glass bottles
- Keep the windows up if animals are near the road
- Take your rubbish back with you
Please don’t
- Carry plastic bags or bottles
- Stop to feed monkeys or other animals
- Play loud music
- Plan to cross after 9 PM
How this shapes a day trip
Working back from the gate: to be through the forest well before 9 PM, you leave Srisailam by about 4 PM. That’s why our day trips start so early.
- 4:00 – 5:00 AMPickup at your home or the airportEarly enough to beat the city traffic.
- Around 7:00 AMBreakfast on the wayUsually somewhere past Kalwakurthy.
- 9:00 – 10:00 AMReach Srisailam, darshan firstWhile you're fresh and before the afternoon crowd.
- AfternoonLunch and the sightsSakshi Ganapathi, Paladhara Panchadhara, the dam and the view point.
- By 4:00 PMStart backSo we're through the forest in daylight.
- 8:30 – 9:30 PMHomeDropped where we picked you up.
Questions people ask us
What time does the Srisailam ghat road close?
The forest road is usually closed from 9 PM to 6 AM. During Maha Shivaratri it’s usually open through the night.
What happens if we reach the gate after it closes?
You wait at the check post until it opens in the morning. We plan every trip so that doesn’t happen.
Is there a route to Srisailam that avoids the forest?
Not a practical one from Hyderabad. Every road in passes through the Nallamala forest.
Is Srisailam a one day trip from Hyderabad?
It can be, if you start by 5 AM and the darshan queue is normal. On busy days, or with elders or small children, the 2-day trip is far more comfortable.