A pine plantation in Andhra Pradesh's Araku Valley is quietly turning into one of the state's most interesting eco-tourism stories. Araku Pinery, a 27-acre stand of tropical pines near Shanti Nagar village, has just added hands-on pottery sessions to its line-up — visitors can work a potter's wheel amid the trees and take home whatever they shape. It is the latest in a string of additions timed for the busy tourist season.
The numbers show how fast this place has grown. Araku Pinery counted 1.79 lakh visitors in 2025-26, an 80% jump on the previous year, earning ₹1.06 crore for the financial year. Over 65,000 people have already come through in the past six months, and the management expects up to 5,000 visitors a day in October. Recognition has followed: the site recently won the Swachha Andhra Award in the Swachha Tourist Place category, handed out on World Tourism Day.
What makes the Pinery different is who runs it. The Andhra Pradesh Forest Department operates it together with the Van Sanrakshan Samiti (VSS) of Shanti Nagar village — 15 VSS members work on site, a 26-member Dhimsa dance troupe performs there, and eight more villagers run local shops, benefiting 49 families in total. From the next fiscal year, 40% of revenue will go directly into village development.
The pines themselves have an odd backstory. They were planted experimentally in 1975-76, a rarity in these Agency areas, and grew into the wooded setting visitors love today. Cyclone Hudhud destroyed roughly a quarter of the trees in 2014, which prompted the Forest Department to reimagine the site. A ₹1.06 crore eco-tourism project, backed by Central Warehousing Corporation CSR funds, opened in 2023 with decks, camping areas, a cafeteria and landscaped grounds.
Sustainability is more than a slogan here. Anyone arriving with a plastic water bottle declares it at the gate, pays a ₹20 refundable deposit, and gets the money back only when the bottle is returned at the exit. Glass and reusable bottles are encouraged inside.
For the coming season, two ATVs start running in the second week of October, and 35 tents reopen from October 12, with mud houses, rope bridges and wooden bridges planned. Two agricultural attractions are worth timing a trip around: six acres of niger plants should turn a vivid yellow in November and December, and the half-acre strawberry plot enters its second harvest season from November through February.
Beyond the structured activities, the Pinery keeps quieter corners — a wooden deck, tree deck, sunset point and an 'Ekantaha' solitude zone. It has also become a backdrop of choice for photographers: 1,846 pre-wedding shoots and five film shoots were recorded there in 2025-26. For travellers heading to Araku Valley for its coffee estates and hill scenery, this community-run forest retreat now offers a full day — or a night under the pines — where the money spent visibly stays in the village next door.
