borra caves

Tourist footfall at borra caves has almost returned to pre-Covid-19 levels, said officials with the Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC).

The tourism department’s plan to increase tourist footfall in geologically sensitive areas like the borra caves in Ananthagiri mandal near Araku has not gone down well with environment activists and experts. According to them, rare geological formations like the borra caves should not be destroyed with high tourism footfall.

The Visakhapatnam Tourism Department is planning to add new attractions to attract tourists, including a zip line at borra caves. This would become a reality in the next few months. Tourist footfall in the undivided Visakhapatnam district was 174 crore in 2021, including 36,000 foreign tourists. The zip line facility at borra caves was proposed three years ago, and tenders were also finalised, but Covid conditions affected the project. Besides, the proposed area fell under D’Patta land now Alluri Sitarama Raju District Collector Sumit Kumar has assured land to the tourism department and also gave advance possession. A tower for the zip line would be erected and a few facilities would be set up at the starting point, borra caves are the largest caves in the country that are located at a height of around 705 meters.

At least three rooms would be constructed on the lines of Cave Resorts in Turkey, where the cave resorts are very famous and are attracting tourists who are getting a different experience to stay in the caves like ancient human beings.

Talasamudram village of Polaki mandal

The footfall of tourists in the undivided Visakhapatnam district was 1.74 crore including 36,000 foreign tourists in the year 2021 and almost the same number of tourists visited the district this year too.

Deep within Andhra Pradesh's Ananthagiri Hills, the borra caves, discovered in 1807, allure visitors with naturally formed divine symbols. Carved by the Gosthani River over millennia, these limestone caves house formations resembling deities and sacred figures. A Shiva Lingam discovered by a cowherd, is particularly revered, drawing devotees to a nearby temple.

Finally, some good news for tourists. The state government on Tuesday accorded administrative sanction to the AP Tourism Development Corporation Limited (APTDC) to upgrade the existing illumination at borra caves and provide it with a new look by this summer.

The state government is planning to introduce Caravan Tourism in Araku Valley, the Andhra Ooty, very soon in an attempt to attract more tourists. Apart from Caravan Tourism, the tourism department is planning to introduce a few more caves at Borra to tourists and also adventure tourism, besides arranging additional facilities for its existing structures and spots. A few more viewpoints would also be arranged on the ghat road from S Kota to Araku Valley.

A total of 10,661 people visited borra caves on Sunday, the last in Karthika Maasam. On December 6, the APTDC earned a revenue of Rs 6 lakh from nearly 9,000 tourists. This is the highest single-day footfall so far in 2020, said B Gowri Sankara Rao, manager at borra caves, adding that AP Tourism Development Corporation earned a revenue of Rs 7,51,790 on Sunday, also the highest this year, despite Covid-19 fears and limited transport.

Guides at borra caves and tourists expressed anguish over the price hike of entry tickets. The entry ticket for adults increased from 70 to 80 and the entry ticket for children increased from 50 to 60.