The potter’s wheel hums softly beneath the pines. Nearby, birds trade their morning calls as tall trees sway to a breeze carrying a trace of mist. At the wheel, a lump of clay slowly takes shape. Fingers press, steady and sure, as the soft clay turns into a cup, a pot or a small keepsake: a new experience at Araku Pinery.
Pottery is a the latest addition at Araku Pinery at Araku.
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
Pottery is the latest addition to this pine-lined retreat in the Araku Valley. The activity, started recently, gives visitors a chance to sit down, work with clay and take home something they have made themselves.
The timing could not have been better. The tourist season is gathering pace, and the Pinery has been steadily adding experiences to its forest setting. There are camping tents, wooden decks, a tree deck, seasonal gardens and a strawberry patch. Soon, there will be ATV rides and more accommodation options.
The changes are part of a larger experiment in community-led eco-tourism, for which the Andhra Pradesh Forest Department is working with the Van Sanrakshan Samiti of Shanti Nagar village to give an old pine plantation a new purpose.
The additions come at a time when the 27-acre pine plantation is drawing substantially more visitors. Araku Pinery recorded 1.79 lakh visitors during 2025-26. The visitor count marked an 80% rise over the previous year, according to the Andhra Pradesh Forest Department. Revenue during the financial year stood at ₹1.06 crore.
“In the past six months, we have already crossed 65,000 visitors. This October, we are expecting 5,000 visitors per day,” says M Sekhar, manager, Eco Tourism Initiative, Araku Pinery.
A view of pine trees wrapped in mist at Araku Pinery at Araku.
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
The numbers are significant for a location whose revival is closely tied to the local community. Araku Pinery is being managed with the participation of the VSS of Shanti Nagar village. The project records 56 households in the village, with 15 VSS members directly employed at Araku Pinery, a 26-member Dhimsa cultural team and eight members engaged through local shops. In all, 49 families are directly benefited through the activities around the destination.
The Forest Department plans to channel 40% of the revenue generated by the destination towards village development from the next fiscal.
An unusual past
The plantation itself has an unusual history. Tropical pine trees were introduced here in 1975-76 on an experimental basis, making it one of the few such plantations in the Agency areas. The trees grew over the decades, creating the distinctive landscape that visitors now associate with Araku Pinery. Cyclone Hudhud in 2014, however, damaged a substantial portion of the plantation, with around 25% of the pine trees lost.
A view of the Araku Pinery, an eco-tourism initiative started by the AP Forest Department that is being managed by the Van Sanrakshan Samiti of Shantinagar in Araku.
| Photo Credit:
KR Deepak
The Forest Department subsequently took up the revival of the location as an eco-tourism destination. In 2023, an eco-tourism project was inaugurated at an investment of ₹1.06 crore, with support from the Central Warehousing Corporation through its CSR initiative. The project introduced landscaped areas, visitor facilities, decks, camping spaces, a cafeteria and spaces for community activities.
Awards and recognition
The location has now also received State-level recognition for its cleanliness. Araku Pinery was recently presented the Swachha Andhra Award in the Swachha Tourist Place category during the World Tourism Day State government event. Its plastic management measures have become one of the more visible elements of the initiative.
Visitors carrying plastic water bottles need to declare them at the entry point. “Each bottle is labelled and a ₹20 refundable deposit is collected. The bottle has to be returned at the exit to receive the deposit back,” says Sekhar, adding that the Pinery is also encouraging the use of reusable and glass bottles inside the premises.
“The idea is to make people conscious about the waste they bring into a forest landscape. The deposit system also makes visitors responsible for taking the bottle back with them or returning it before they leave,” says Sekhar.
New features
There is more in store for the coming season. Two All Terrain Vehicles (ATV) will be introduced from the second week of October, offering visitors an additional adventure activity. “We also plan to call tenders for the development of mud houses at the spot. Currently, there are 35 tented accommodations that will be available from October 12 onwards,” says Sekhar. There are also plans to add rope and wooden bridges.
Tourists going around a flower field at Pinery, a popular tourist place in Araku, 130 kilometres from Visakhapatnam.
| Photo Credit:
KR Deepak
Agriculture is being folded into the visitor experience as well. About six acres now wear a carpet of niger plants. Come November and December, the fields are expected to turn a vivid yellow as the flowers bloom, adding a seasonal attraction to the Pinery.
A half-acre strawberry plot is another seasonal attraction. “This is the second year of strawberry cultivation and we are expecting the harvest from November through February,” says Sekhar.
Visitors enjoyign the valley view from an elevated platform at Araku Pinery at Araku.
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
The Pinery already has several spaces designed around slower, Nature-based experiences, including a wooden deck, tree deck, camping area, cafeteria, sunset point and the Ekantaha (solitude) zone. Its setting has also made it a favoured location for photography, pre-wedding shoots and films. The project recorded 1,846 wedding shoots and five film shoots in 2025-26, which brought in another source of revenue to the destination.
Published – October 09, 2026 07:57 am IST
