Aura of India: Hill Stations in Andhra Pradesh: Araku, Lambasingi, Horsley Hills

Eucalyptus trees on a grassy slope in the Araku valley under a high blue sky

Photo: Drashokk, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped), via Wikimedia Commons

The ghat road up to the Araku Valley in the Eastern Ghats of Andhra Pradesh, on a misty winter morning.

Andhra Pradesh has only a few true hill stations, and the best of them are reached by a slow train or a slow boat.

Araku and the coffee hills

Andhra's hills are the Eastern Ghats: older, lower and greener in the rains than the mountains of the west. The best known is the Araku Valley, in Alluri Sitharama Raju district, about 115 km from Visakhapatnam. The district gives its height as 600 to 900 m. Coffee grows here on small plots farmed by tribal families, and the Ananthagiri hills on the road up are known for their coffee estates. On winter mornings the valley at Madagada, about 10 km from the town, fills with cloud.

The Borra Caves, deep limestone caverns lit for visitors, lie on the way. The classic way up is the Visakhapatnam to Kirandul passenger train, which climbs through dozens of tunnels and carries glass-roofed Vistadome coaches. Book those seats early; Araku is a weekend favourite for the whole region.

Lambasingi, where the frost comes

Lambasingi is a small village in Chintapalle mandal of the same district, at about 1,000 m. It is often called the Kashmir of Andhra Pradesh, but it has no snow-capped mountains. What it has is cold: in December and January the nearest weather station, at Chintapalle, can fall to 1 or 2°C, and frost forms on car roofs at dawn. Fog lies in the valleys, and visitors come for sunrise over it. There are coffee and pine plantations around it, and a few small strawberry fields.

The village is small and rooms are few, so winter weekends fill quickly. Most people drive up from Visakhapatnam for a night; book a room before you set off, and leave early to see the fog before it lifts.

Horsley Hills in the dry south

In the south-west, the land is dry and hot, which makes Horsley Hills feel cooler still. It lies in Annamayya district, near Madanapalle, at about 1,290 m. The hill is named after W. D. Horsley, a British official who built a house on it in the nineteenth century. Its local name, Yenugu Mallamma Konda, recalls a holy woman said to have been fed by elephants. Today it has eucalyptus woods, windy rock viewpoints and forest trails run by the Andhra Pradesh Forest Department, open from 5 am to 3 pm.

Madanapalle is the nearest town, and the nearest airports are Tirupati and Bengaluru, each a few hours away by road. Horsley Hills is a place for one or two quiet nights, not a long holiday.

The Godavari gorge and the forest

Two other hill areas are worth knowing. Papikondalu is a range of hills through which the Godavari cuts a narrow gorge. Boats leave from the Gandi Pochamma temple in Devipatnam mandal, now in Polavaram district, for a day on the river. Trips stop when the Godavari floods: in 2026 they halted on 30 July and restarted on 13 October.

Maredumilli, in the same district, is forest rather than hill station: semi-evergreen woods, rocky streams and community-run camps such as Jungle Star at Valamuru. To the south-west, the Nallamala hills hold the temple town of Srisailam and forest camps at Bairluty and Pacherla.

Three days in the Araku hills

Take the morning train from Visakhapatnam to Araku and ask for a window seat; the climb, the tunnels and the waterfalls come after Kottavalasa, where the line turns into the hills. Spend the afternoon at the tribal museum and the coffee museum in the town. On the second day, go early to the Madagada viewpoint for the cloud, then to the pine woods at Sunkarametta. On the third, come down by road past the Borra Caves.

In winter, add a night at Lambasingi for the frost. For the valley in more depth, read Araku.

Hill stations to know

Araku Valley (Alluri Sitharama Raju, altitude about 600 to 900 m): coffee, tribal villages and the train through the tunnels.
Ananthagiri (Alluri Sitharama Raju): coffee estates and viewpoints on the road to Araku.
Lambasingi (Alluri Sitharama Raju, altitude about 1,000 m): winter fog and frost.
Horsley Hills (Annamayya, altitude about 1,290 m): a cool hilltop above the dry plains near Madanapalle.
Papikondalu (Polavaram): the Godavari's gorge, seen from a boat.
Maredumilli (Polavaram): forest streams and community eco-camps.
Srisailam and the Nallamala (Nandyal): a temple town and tiger-reserve forest.

In Andhra the hills are never far from a river or a railway line, and the slow way up is the one people remember.

Plan your visit

Best season	October to February for clear, cool days; December and January for frost at Lambasingi and cloud at Madagada. The rains, June to October, turn the Eastern Ghats green. Papikondalu boats stop when the Godavari floods.
How to reach	Araku and Lambasingi: from Visakhapatnam, whose flights now use the new airport at Bhogapuram. Araku also by the Visakhapatnam to Kirandul passenger train. Horsley Hills: via Madanapalle, from Tirupati or Bengaluru airports. Papikondalu and Maredumilli: from Rajamahendravaram.
Getting around	Hired car with driver for the ghat roads; state buses run to Araku, Paderu and Madanapalle. Day boats for Papikondalu leave from Gandi Pochamma in Devipatnam mandal.
Where to stay	Araku town and the Ananthagiri hills; homestays and small resorts at Lambasingi; the hilltop at Horsley Hills; forest camps at Maredumilli and Valamuru.
How long to spend	Two or three nights for Araku, one for Lambasingi, one or two for Horsley Hills, and a full day for the Papikondalu boat. More on the state in our Andhra Pradesh guide.

Open Araku Valley, Andhra Pradesh in Google Maps

Questions people ask

Does it snow at Lambasingi?

No. Lambasingi is called the Kashmir of Andhra Pradesh for its cold, not for snow. On the coldest December and January nights the temperature drops close to freezing and frost forms on cars and grass.

Is Anantagiri Hills in Andhra Pradesh?

The well-known Anantagiri Hills near Vikarabad are in Telangana. Andhra Pradesh has its own Ananthagiri, a coffee area on the road from Visakhapatnam to Araku.

How do I book the Vistadome coach to Araku?

Through Indian Railways' booking, as for any reserved seat. The coaches run on the Visakhapatnam to Kirandul passenger train and fill quickly at weekends and holidays, so book as early as you can.

Is the Papikondalu boat trip running now?

Boats restarted on 13 October 2026 after floods had stopped them since 30 July. They halt whenever the Godavari runs high, so confirm with the operator or the tourism counter the day before.

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Hill Stations in Andhra Pradesh: Araku, Lambasingi, Horsley Hills