The Araku Balloon Festival Concludes Today

The three-day balloon festival which took off on Tuesday turned the Aruku valley in Andhra Pradesh into a colourful grand spectacle. It was held to attract tourists from all over the world and it certainly drew a huge response. This is the first time that a balloon festival was held in Aruku valley. Hundreds of people travelled to Aruku to witness the 16 colourful balloons take to the skies. Mayank Kumari Deo, who came with her daughter from Visakhapatnam was delighted that this fantastic festival is happening in their neighbourhood and added that it was her first experience of seeing a hot air balloon so closely. Narendra Sai, an avid photographer was also excited about seeing the balloons up close. He said the energy at the launch site was incredible. He was also able to interact with a few foreign pilots and got some great shots of the festival. Travellers camped at an eco-friendly setting at Bosebeda village, near Araku where luxury tents were set up. There was a large team of over 100 photographers, nature lovers and students from across Andhra Pradesh and Telangana who arrived at the valley to capture the spectacular scenes of the festival.