Holaa... Hyderabad

Visited in August 2025

This trip was another one to hang out with my best friends, Sreejith and Sony, and their family. After we all moved on from our jobs at Emirates Airlines, we promised to catch up once a year for some quality time. Last year, we made it to Goa; this year, we're in Hyderabad.

Our excitement was at its peak right from the moment we all met up at Kochi airport to catch the flight. The coolest thing was that none of us cared about the weather in Hyderabad or the itinerary... we just wanted to hang out, make awesome memories, and have a blast together.

Right after we touched down in Hyderabad, our first mission was to grab some Hyderabadi biriyani and Shahi ka tukda. We stopped at a restaurant and had an amazing, satisfying lunch. After that, we headed over to the statue of Equality.

On India's 79th Independence Day, the Tricolour was visible everywhere, proudly flying high in the sky. The Statue of Equality honour the 11th century Indian philosopher Ramanuja. The location is peaceful and beautiful. After spending time exploring the place, we headed to the city. The next stop was Birla Mandir and then later in the evening to Lumbini Park for boat ride at the sunset time. After having some masti on the rides at the park, we had our dinner and then got to our hotel for a good night sleep.

We started our day with the Puri Jagnnath Temple. It is a replica of the one in Odisha. After darshan, we headed for breakfast and then started exploring the old city. First was Salarjung museum, world famous Charminar, Mecca Masjid, Chowmahalla Palace.

It was a lot of walking and roaming around that we all had our craving for the dose of Hyderabadi Biriyani again! This time it was at Shadab restaurant, very famous for its biriyani. Its a multi storeyed restaurant serving authentic varieties of Hyderabadi biriyani with a huge seating capacity, and is almost full with log waiting queues most of the time.

After a late lunch, we went back to our hotel and had a great time hanging out, chatting about our experiences in Dubai, sharing little stories, laughing a lot, and just enjoying the night together. My friend Deepti visited me, and we went on a night drive through Hi Tech City in Hyderabad. The area was impressive and reminded me of Gurugram in Delhi. The infrastructure was on par with many tech cities globally and offered all necessary amenities.

Next morning, had our breakfast at Chutneys restaurant and then we headed to Golconda Fort.

Golconda Fort is an awesome fortress that's been around for ages, packed with history, grandeur, and amazing architecture. Built way back in the 12th century by the Kakatiya dynasty, it was later expanded by the Qutb Shahi kings. The fort is famous not just for its historical importance but also for its incredible engineering and design. As a UNESCO World Heritage site, Golconda Fort stands as a symbol of India's rich cultural and historical legacy, welcoming everyone to dive into its past and admire its splendour.

We had a fantastic time catching up with my cousins Vinaya, Navneet, and their family. We really enjoyed exploring the area, hiked up to the top of the fort, and took in some awesome views from there.

Our last stop in Hyderabad was the Shilparamam shopping village. We picked up some handicrafts, fabrics, showpieces, paintings, and then made our way to the airport. Very close to the airport, there's a Go Kart centre where the kids had a blast racing a few laps.

Eventually, it was time to say our goodbyes. But hey, we'll see each other again next year, fingers crossed!