Araku Valley is a hill station in Alluri Sitharama Raju district in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, lying 111 km west of Visakhapatnam city. This place is often referred to as Ooty of Andhra. Pritish Kumar Halder below described about the valley in the Eastern Ghats inhabited by different tribes, mainly Araku Tribes.

Geography

Araku is located in the Eastern Ghats about 114 kilometres (71 mi) from Visakhapatnam, close to the Odisha state border. The Anantagiri and Sunkarimetta Reserved Forest, which are part of Araku Valley, are rich in biodiversity and are mined for bauxite.Galikonda hill rising to a height of 5,000 feet (1,500 m) is amongst the highest peaks in Andhra Pradesh. The average rainfall is 1,700 millimetres (67 in), the bulk of which is received during June–October.[3] The altitude is about 1300 m above the sea level. The valley spreads around 36 km.

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 East Coast Railway, on the Indian Railways network. RTC Buses to Visakhapatnam every half an hour.

Speciality in Araku Valley

At an elevation of about 3200 ft, Araku is famous for its coffee plantations surrounded by beautiful gardens, streams, waterfalls and valleys that are covered with lush green forests. Situated in the Eastern Ghats, the hill station is about 112 km southeast of Vishakhapatnam.

Best time to visit Araku Valley

The best time to visit Araku Valley is September, October, November, December, January and February. Since this is the peak season expect a little crowd during this time. March, April and May period experiences moderate weather.astern Ghats, the hill station is about 112 km southeast of Vishakhapatnam.

Top things to do in Araku valley

The top things to do in Araku valley are Borra Caves, Katiki Waterfalls, Chaparai Waterfalls, Tribal Museum, Padmapuram Gardens, Tadimada Waterfalls. You can see all the places to visit in Araku valley here.

borra-caves

katiki-falls

coffee-museum

Local food in Araku valley

While there are a few good eating places in Araku working as multi cuisine restaurants, there mostly are locals dhabas serving Chinese, Odiya, South Indian platters to the travellers. While the food can be rated decent, don’t keep high expectations for a classy ambience. For non-vegetarians, try the bamboo chicken that is served by a small vendor at the premises of the tribal museum. This can easily be the food highlight of your trip to Araku Valley. A few of the food outlets include Vasundhara Restaurant, Chandrammas Spicy Restaurant, Hills View and Sri Annapurna Tiffin Center.

Reference

https://www.holidify.com/places/araku-valley