Tirupati Tours & Experiences

Things to do in Tirupati

Most of a visit happens on Tirumala, in the Seshachalam hills above the town, where the temple trust, Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), runs the temple and most pilgrim services.

Walk up to Tirumala

TTD keeps two stone footpaths: Alipiri, the older and more used, which it reckons at about three hours, and Srivari Mettu, about half that. Hand in your bags at the bottom and TTD carries them up free; walkers also collect a token for free darshan at biometric counters on the way. Families with children should check TTD's current footpath rules first.

Bathe in Swami Pushkarini and pray at the Varaha temple

TTD asks pilgrims to bathe in Swami Pushkarini, the temple tank, and to worship at the Sri Bhu Varaha Swamy temple beside it before darshan. The Varaha temple is open from 5.30 am until noon and again from 5 to 9 pm.

Have darshan, booked through TTD

Book with TTD alone and ignore touts. Special Entry Darshan is paid and booked ahead on TTD's website, ttdevasthanams.ap.gov.in; Sarva Darshan is free, through the Vaikuntam Queue Complex, with time-slot tokens at counters, first come, first served. TTD's dress code covers the paid darshans, VIP break darshan and the Arjitha Sevas: for men, a dhoti or pyjama and an upper cloth; for women, a saree, a half-saree and blouse, or churidar, pyjama and upper cloth. Our Tirupati darshan tour is planned around the darshan you secure; the 6 Days Tirupati Madurai Rameshwaram Kanyakumari Tour registers for the queue on arrival and goes to darshan the next morning.

Offer your hair at a Kalyanakatta

Many pilgrims give their hair as a vow; nobody has to. TTD does it free at all its Kalyanakattas, the main hall working in four shifts round the clock from 3 am. On our darshan tour it comes before darshan, for those who choose it.

Eat at the Annaprasadam complex

Meals at TTD's Annaprasadam complex cost nothing. Breakfast starts at 9 am, lunch runs until 4 pm, and dinner is served from 5 until 10.30 pm.

Watch a vahana procession at the Brahmotsavam

The nine-day Brahmotsavam, TTD's most important festival, takes the processional deity round Tirumala on its vahanas. The Garuda Vahana, on the fifth day, is the one TTD ranks highest, and it draws a large number of pilgrims. The festival usually falls in September or October.

See Tiruchanur and Chandragiri Fort

The goddess Padmavathi's temple at Tiruchanur is about 5 km from the town. At Chandragiri Fort, by the Swarnamukhi river, the Raja Mahal now displays weapons, sculpture and coins, and AP Tourism lists a sound-and-light show there in English and Telugu; the fort closes on Fridays.

Go to Talakona falls

Talakona, a waterfall of about 270 feet in the Sri Venkateswara National Park, 40 km out, is the highest in Andhra Pradesh by both AP Tourism's and the district's reckoning. From the car park it is a 15-minute walk, and AP Tourism suggests September to January.

Choosing between our tours and experiences

Both tour packages listed here begin in Tirupati. The darshan tour has no fixed itinerary, its length following your dates and the darshan you secure, and suits pilgrims for whom Tirumala is the whole purpose; it arranges your vehicle, driver and a briefing on dress and tonsure. The six-day tour spends one night here before driving on to Madurai, Rameswaram and Kanyakumari, and leaves TTD's special darshan fees out of the package. See also our Tirupati travel guide and Tirupati tour packages.

When to go for these

December to February are the easiest months for the climb, after the northeast monsoon and before summer's heat-wave warnings from IMD. In Rayalaseema, where Tirupati lies, October is that monsoon's wettest month, and in heavy rain, AP Tourism warns, landslides can block the ghat road up the hill. On the hill, crowds matter more than weather: the Brahmotsavam is the busiest time, and our darshan tour finds weekdays outside festivals and school holidays calmer than weekends.

Planning tips for Tirumala

• TTD advises booking travel and rooms at Tirumala well in advance, on its website.
• The ghat roads close from midnight to 3 am, except on special occasions.
• TTD asks for no footwear in or around the temple and no caps or hats inside.