Forest Tourism

Borra Caves

Borra Caves are situated on the East Coast of India in the Anantagiri Hill range of the Araku Valley. Spread across an area of about 2 sq km, the caves are situated around 1,400 m above sea level. In 1807, the caves were discovered by William King George of the Geological Survey of India. Considered to be one of the largest caves in India, the caves have karstic limestone structures, which extend to a depth of 80 m.

A small temple inside the cave was believed to be constructed by the locals in respect to the religious incident that once happened in the region. According to the popular story narrated by the tribal people residing in this area, a cow which was grazing on the top of the caves dropped through a hole in the roof. When cowherd was searching for the cow, he came across the caves and found a stone inside the cave, which resembled a Shivalingam.

Tourists can spot number of bats and golden gecko in these caves. Mosses and brown-to-green algae are some of the popular floras seen inside these caves. The interiors of these caves are installed with sixty three lamps of mercury, sodium vapour and halogen lamps. The destination also has several mica mines; hence a project named Thalipudi Reservoir Scheme is introduced for mining precious stones like rubies.

Arakuvalley

Araku Valley is located at an average altitude ranging between 600 m and 900 m above the sea level. Spreading over an area of 36 km, the valley is situated on Eastern Ghats and offers beautiful views of valley, waterfalls and streams.

The pleasant weather and beautiful hills and valleys make the place ideal for its natural beauty and coffee plantations. Housing more than 17 tribal societies, Dhimsa dance with colourful costumes is the main attraction of the region depicting rich culture and tradition. Itika Pongal is the famous festival celebrated in the region with fervour.

Other major attractions of the area include Padmapuram Gardens, Paderu, Sangda Falls, Rishikonda Beach and Matsyagundam. Apart from this, tourists can visit the Araku Tribal Museum for having a glimpse of tribal lifestyle and can purchase articles related to tribal handicrafts.