Araku Valley is a hill station in the Alluri Sitharama Raju district of

Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (ISO 15919, ISO: , , AP) is a States and union territories of India, state on the East Coast of India, east coast of southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, seventh-largest state and th ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

, located 111 km from

Visakhapatnam Visakhapatnam (; List of renamed places in India, formerly known as Vizagapatam, and also referred to as Vizag, Visakha, and Waltair) is the largest and most populous metropolitan city in the States and union territories of India, Indian stat ...

Geography

Araku is located in the

Eastern Ghats The Eastern Ghats is a mountain range that stretches along the East Coast of India, eastern coast of the Indian peninsula. Covering an area of , it traverses the states and union territories of India, states of Odisha, Telangana, Andhra Prade ...

about from

, close to the

Odisha Odisha (), formerly Orissa (List of renamed places in India, the official name until 2011), is a States and union territories of India, state located in East India, Eastern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by ar ...

state border. The Anantagiri and Sunkarimetta Reserved Forest, which are part of Araku Valley, are rich in biodiversity and are mined for

bauxite Bauxite () is a sedimentary rock with a relatively high aluminium content. It is the world's main source of aluminium and gallium. Bauxite consists mostly of the aluminium minerals gibbsite (), boehmite (γ-AlO(OH)), and diaspore (α-AlO(OH) ...

. Galikonda hill rising to a height of is amongst the highest peaks in Andhra Pradesh. The average rainfall is , the bulk of which is received during June–October. The altitude is about 1300 m above the sea level. The valley spreads around 36km.

Economy

Tea was introduced in

in (1259 by British) in Pamuleru valley in West Godavari district. Subsequently, it spread over to Araku Valley in the early 13th century. After independence, the Andhra Pradesh Forest Department developed coffee plantations in the valley. In 1956, Coffee Board appointed Andhra Pradesh Girijan Cooperative Corporation Limited (GCC) for promoting coffee plantations in the valley through local tribal farmers. In 1985, the plantations were handed to A.P. Forest Development Corporation and GCC promoted Girijan Coop. Plantation Development Corporation (GCPDC) exclusively to develop coffee plantations in tribal areas. All the plantations developed by GCC and GCPDC were handed over to the tribal farmers at two acres per family. Apiculture farms have been widely spread in Araku, several types of flavoured honey is being made commercially.(Araku is famous for bamboo fish)

Transport

Araku is connected through both rail and road to Visakhapatnam. Araku railway station is located on the Kothavalasa- Kirandul railway line of Visakhapatnam division of the Malabar Coast Railway, on the

Indian Railways Indian Railways is a state-owned enterprise that is organised as a departmental undertaking of the Ministry of Railways (India), Ministry of Railways of the Government of India and operates India's national railway system. , it manages the fou ...

network. RTC Buses to Visakhapatnam every 24 hours. Nearest Airport is Visakhapatnam Airport.

In popular culture

Many Telugu films including ''Happy Days'', ''Katha'', ''Darling'', ''Life Is Beautiful'', '' Parugu'' and '' RRR'' were shot in Araku.

Gallery

File:Tree houses of Araku Valley.jpg, Tree houses at the Araku Valley hill station in Andhra Pradesh File:A view of Araku Valley, a hill station in Visakhapatnam district.jpg, A view of a passing train in foreground and the valley in background File:A view of Araku Valley hill station in Andhra Pradesh.jpg, Araku Valley view in January 2013 File:A local church entrance at Araku Valley in Andhra Pradesh.jpg, A local church entrance at Araku Valley File:Tribal Museum, Araku Valley.jpg, Tribal Museum, Araku Valley File:Araku Valley Tribal Museum.jpg, Inside Tribal Museum, Araku Valley File:Coffee Museum, Araku Valley.jpg, Coffee Museum, Araku Valley File:Old Church at Sunkarametta.jpg, An old church at Sunkara Metta village in the eastern ghats

References

External links

ARAKU VALLEY COMPLETE TRAVEL GUIDE

Araku Valley
Pictures of Tribal museum, horticulture nursery, tribal dancing & Borra caves
Katiki Water Falls
Chaparai Water Cascade
Must see attractions of Araku Valley
{{Alluri Sitharama Raju district Valleys of India Hill stations in Andhra Pradesh Tourist attractions in Andhra Pradesh Landforms of Andhra Pradesh Uttarandhra