Araku valley near Visakhapatnam is famous for its natural beauty and waterfalls around during monsoon season. So if you are looking for Top 10 Tourist Places to Visit in Araku Valley then you are on the right page. You will also be able to see actual video of my visits to all these places on YouTube, I have embedded the video in this post.

So Araku valley is located at around 115 kms from Visakhapatnam (and @1200 kms from Bangalore)

Araku valley is a small town surrounded by beautiful mountain ranges and waterfalls, however apart from the natural beauty question is that What should visitors do in Araku Valley?

BTW just to tell you that various tribal communities such as Khord, B.Mallis, Bagata, Gadaba, Koya and Savara inhabit Araku valley region.

Apart from visiting the top 10 places in Araku valley, do not forget to taste the most famous Bambu chicken, I will be adding a separate video to cover the making of Bambu chicken at Araku.

So lets begin with basic details and then jump to the top 10 tourist spots near Araku.

What is the best time to visit Araku Valley?

• August to September if you want to enjoy the Waterfalls
• November to January if you want to enjoy the Winter

Now ….

Which are the best places to stay in Araku Valley?

I have already posted a video review and detailed blog post on this – please read Top 5 Hotels and Resorts in Araku Valley  Also see video on YouTube for Top 5 Resorts in Araku

10 Top Tourist Places to Visit in Araku Valley 2022

Distance of top 10 places from Araku Valley

• 0 km – Tribal Museum
• 0 km – Coffee Museum
• 4 kms – Padmapuram Gardens
• 7 kms – Rana Jilleda Water Falls
• 17 kms – Chaparai Waterfalls
• 17 kms – Galikonda View Point
• 20 kms – Coffee Plantation
• 27 kms – Tatiguda Waterfalls
• 40 kms – Borra Caves
• 48 kms – Katiki Waterfalls

1) Tribal Museum Araku Valley

Tribal Museum Araku Valley Timings

• 9 AM to 7 PM

Tribal Museum Araku Valley Entry Fee

• 40 Rs Adult & 20 Rs Child
• ONLY CASH ACCEPTED so make sure that you have cash. No UPI payments or credit cards accepted!

Araku Tribal Museum is a famous tourist destination situated in Araku Valley, Visakhapatnam.

The museum started in 1996 which showcases the daily life of tribes such as Khord, B.Mallis, Bagata, Gadaba, Koya and Savara, their culture and food habits.

Main gallery in the museum is two storied and has dioramas of dances, ritualistic rooms and hunting scenes made from realistic statues beautifully made. Also they have displayed many household articles, musical instruments and local art of Adivasi (Tribal)

Gallery Number 2 showcases jewellery worn by the tribals during festivals or while performing traditional dance forms.

There are also several masks, on display, which are worn by triabls during celebratory occasions like marriage. Most of the masks are either those of animal faces or Lord Hanuman. Various installations of masks and dancers can be seen outside the galleries.

There are also some souvenir shops selling items made by the tribal people here. (But since I went early morning the shops were closed, by the time I was about to exit at around 10 am only one shop was opened)

For kids you have archery, boating & rope cycling in the small pond here.

 

2) Coffee Musuem

Coffee Museum Araku Valley Timings

• 8 AM to 8 PM

Coffee Museum Araku Valley Entry Fee

• 20 Rs Adult & 10 Rs Child
• ONLY CASH ACCEPTED so make sure that you have cash. No UPI payments or credit cards accepted!

Mr Prakash Rao from Araku valley set up a general catering service for tourists in year 1930 here to highlight the best product of Araku which is coffee.

He understood the uniqueness of the coffee produced in Araku valley, which is one of the few places in India that grows Arabica coffee as opposed to the more commonly grown Robusta coffee

Later by 1954 he opened a Coffee house with a Coffee Museum.

Till recently this coffee museum was open only to foreign delegates and coffee traders, however now it is open to all Indians too.

Open throughout the year, this museum staff is also tribal folks who are also coffee growers themselves.

It offers educational entertainment in the form of the dioramas detailing the history of coffee and a Dhimsa Dance at six in the evening, every day.

The coffee house here offers an impressive 60 varieties of coffee, including select coffees like Luwak coffee, bird parchment and monkey parchment, the café also sells 600 varieties of coffee-chocolates.

There is a coffee house that serves coffee, chocolates, sandwiches, brownies, mousses and tarts and more.

coffee museum araku timings

3) Padmapuram Gardens aka Botanical garden

Padmapuram Garden Araku Valley Timings

• 8 AM to 5 PM

Padmapuram Garden Araku Valley Entry Fee

• 40 Rs Adult & 20 Rs Child
• ONLY CASH ACCEPTED so make sure that you have cash. No UPI payments or credit cards accepted!

Wooden huts of Padmapuram gardens!

The special attraction here is tree top huts, which means huts built on trees, however I couldn’t find them anywhere in garden. Finally after coming out of garden I asked to the STAFF there and they told that now the wooden huts on Trees called as TREE HOUSE are damaged and destroyed due to heavy rains. (As on August 2021)

The garden is spread over 26 acres, having variety of flowers, plants and trees as well as a rose garden.

There is a beautiful statue of Shiva-Parvati and dinosaur replicas liked by children.

A toy train for children is not operated due to Covid norms.

So if you want to relax and love nature this Padampuram garden of Araku is the best place to spend an hour or two.

History of Padampuram garden

This garden was started during World War II to produce vegetables and fruits etc. for the soldiers. which later turned  into a beautiful garden.

You can also visit a rose garden inside Padampuram Gardens, in which a variety of roses can be seen.

4) Rana Jilleda Water Falls

Just 3 kms from the Padmapuram Botanical Gardens you can visit small waterfall named Rana Jilleda Waterfalls.

It is one of the lesser-known waterfalls situated close to Rana Jilleda village, in Araku Valley.

Height of this waterfalls is around 60 ft.

I suggest you to park your car near to the school and then trek to reach this waterfalls. The route is scenic and beautiful with lush green valley views around, so you will really enjoy the trek.

NOTE – Although you can see nice cement road after the school, do not take right turn after the school and go till the waterfall, since the road is so narrow that it will sweat you to take U-turn!!!

5) Chaparai Waterfalls- 17 kms from Tribal museum

Chaparai Waterfalls Araku Valley Entry Fee

• 10 Rs PP

Famous as a natural water slide I heard that this waterfall is one of the preferred locations by Telugu filmmakers SAFETY WANRNING – do not enter during monsoon season

I found that this is the most entertaining water slide I have ever seen!! so come on enjoy the life 🙂

6) Galikonda View Point

Galikonda Viewpoint is the highest point of vishakapatnam district, which gives a spectacular view of a lush green valley, hills, a railway track and cottages.

This is the second highest peak in the eastern ghats with an Altitude of 4320 ft above sea level.

Galikonda Viewpoint is on the way to Borra Caves From Araku Valley.

7) Araku Coffee Plantation

Araku Coffee is an organic coffee which has earned global recognition when it won a gold medal at the Prix Epicures OR 2018 Award in Paris, a first for an Indian coffee brand.

Visakhapatnam, is very proud of its ‘Araku Coffee’.

As soon as I reached Vizag city, I could see restaurants, coffee shops, food stalls selling the world-famous ‘Organic Araku Coffee’.

The origin of this award-winning coffee lies in the lush hills of Andhra’s reserve forest areas at an altitude of nearly 1000 metres above sea level, the roads are dotted with coffee plants and pepper creepers on either sides.

Over 93,000 tribal farmers in the Tribal area of Andhra Pradesh are engaged in cultivation of coffee. While this coffee is sold for around Rs 120 for 100 grams.

8) Tatiguda Waterfalls

Located at about 27 kms from Tribal museum (12 kms from Borra aves)

Prefer using local vehicles since road is very narrow – you can take your car to the end point but anyway road is too narrow and badk!

Safety railing given to enjoy waterfall, you have to walk down to the waterfall or watch it from view point

NOTE – Cloth changing facility is there

9) Borra Caves

Borra Caves Timings

• 10 AM to 5 PM

Borra Caves Entry Fee

• 60 per person for Adults
• 45 per person for Children
• 100 for Digital / Still Camera
• 100 for Video Camera

 

Borra Caves are formed as a result of the flow of Gosthani River on the limestone deposits.

I was astonished by the breathtaking stalactite and stalagmite formations such as Shiva-Parvathi, Rishi’s Beard, Mother-Child, Crocodile, Human Brain, Tiger and Cows udder.

And let me tell you that Borra caves are far bigger and better than Batu caves in Malysia. Only our efforts of marketing are very less and hence we don’t see crowd in thousands here as you can see in Malysia.

Borra Caves are one of the largest caves of the country which are Located in the Ananthagiri mandal of the Visakhapatnam district in Andhra Pradesh

Discovered by William King George of the Geological Survey of India, these one million year old caves attract huge number of tourists every day.

Located at an elevation of 1400 m above sea level, these beautiful caves are simply marval of nature and a must visit place.

As you can see in my video that the guide is telling about legend regarding the discovery of the caves, where he says that Borra caves were discovered when a cowherd while searching for his lost cow came across these caves. He found a Shiva Lingam inside the cave and believed that Lord Shiva has saved his cow.

The tribals have built a small temple outside the cave which is visited by the people coming here.

borra caves araku valley

10) Katiki Waterfalls – 48 kms from Tribal museum (20 kms before Borra caves)

The name of the falls is derived from the name of the village Katiki.

Katiki waterfall is formed by the Gosthani River and it cascading down from a height of 100 feet.

The pond at the bottom of the waterfall is an excellent place for taking a bath after a tough trek to the place.

You have option to trek here from railway track (FREE of cost)or come here by Jeep by spending 1500 Rs for 8 persons.

Cooking and camping are also permitted at this place.

Unexplored places in Araku

Rana Jilleda Water Falls is one of the unexplored places in Araku.

Its very much near to the Araku village and I loved the road going to this waterfalls. The road is surrounded by lush green rice fields, and one must go here just to have pleasant drive.

 

 

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Map link – https://goo.gl/maps/MsRgDcm8w1rfqyS4A