Araku Pinery in Andhra Pradesh received 179,000 visitors in the 2025-26 financial year, an 80% increase from a year earlier, the state Forest Department said. The site is adding pottery sessions and preparing new stays as it enters the tourist season.
The 27-acre pine plantation in the Araku Valley already offers tents, wooden decks and seasonal gardens. Two all-terrain vehicles are planned from the second week of October, while 35 tent accommodations are due to open on October 12. The Forest Department is also considering mud houses and rope and wooden bridges.
Tropical pines were planted there experimentally in 1975-76. Cyclone Hudhud damaged a substantial part of the plantation in 2014, killing about a quarter of its trees. An eco-tourism project costing ₹1.06 crore opened in 2023 with support from the Central Warehousing Corporation.
The village body Van Sanrakshan Samiti of Shanti Nagar is involved in managing the site. Project figures say 49 families directly benefit from activity around the destination: 15 committee members work at the Pinery, a 26-member Dhimsa cultural group performs there, and eight people are engaged through local shops. The department plans to direct 40% of the destination's revenue to village development from the next financial year.
The site also uses a bottle-deposit scheme to reduce plastic waste. Visitors register plastic water bottles at the entrance and pay a refundable 20-rupee deposit, returned when they hand the bottle in at the exit. Reusable and glass bottles are encouraged.
Seasonal attractions include about six acres of niger plants expected to bloom yellow in November and December, and a half-acre strawberry plot with harvest expected from November to February. In 2025-26, the Pinery also hosted 1,846 wedding photo shoots and five film shoots.